Posted on 03/30/2004 8:05:44 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Edited on 04/12/2004 6:07:53 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, despite one Republican leader
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
March 23, 2004
by Jamie Court and Doug Heller
California's Gov is no friend of regulation, but it looks like Proposition 103-style insurance premium regulation may be the answer to legislative gridlock over workers' compensation reform. In auto insurance, Prop 103's system of premium regulation and price controls have saved California motorists over $23 billion. The fact that workers' comp policies are not subject to Prop 103 is a main reason the market is such a mess.
Now Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and others in the capitol are starting to insist insurance premiums be regulated as part of a workers comp reform package, as Arnold Watch has long recommended.
Here's one reason Arnold and even insurers may go along. Later this month US Representative Mike Oxley will be presenting a bill in Congress to take away the rights of states to regulate insurers, premiums and practices. The New York Times reports that GOP insurance commissioners are for the plan, which would create a weak federal regulatory scheme to replace California's rigorous Prop 103 rules across the board. This federal system is essentially insurance deregulation because it would nix all state price controls, including Prop 103 and any new workers' comp reforms.
Last time preemption of state consumer protection laws was at issue on Capitol Hill, Arnold was MIA, allowing the state's recently enacted financial privacy law to slip away. Senators Feinstein and Boxer fought to protect California's privacy protections, but the law was gutted by the powerful financial services lobby before ever taking effect. Workers comp reform and federal insurance deregulation will be Arnold's next big test. Will he fight for California business and consumers or will he fight for national and international insurers? And will the Collectinator make sure Californians continue to receive what insurers owe them under Proposition 103?
But it would require Special Interests being controlled thru the use of "Special Effects" like compromise and putting the state's financial well-being ahead of party driven agendas and campaign donations.
FRom the SF Chronicle at SFGate.com
Schwarzenegger says agreement near, wants both parties involved
(03-30) 18:41 PST SACRAMENTO (AP) --
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that he and legislative leaders are close to an agreement on legislation to reduce skyrocketing workers' compensation insurance costs, and he said he wants both major parties in on the deal.
Earlier, Democrats suggested there was a split between the Republican governor and some GOP lawmakers over whether to seek a legislative compromise on workers' compensation or take the issue to the November ballot.
"It's extremely important that I have both parties at the negotiating table," Schwarzenegger said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I am new here. I have my ideas but I also need the whole history of the problem. The only way I can do it is if I have everyone's input."
Schwarzenegger and the Legislature's leaders have been trying for weeks to agree on a bill that would curb employers' high costs of dealing with work-related injuries.
Schwarzenegger has emphasized that he wants a legislative compromise but has warned that if he doesn't get that agreement he'll back an initiative that Democrats have described as harmful to injured workers. He's already given $1 million from one of his campaign accounts to help pay for signature gathering.
Schwarzenegger said the negotiators were looking at "language" to try to resolve final sticking points.
"The closer you get to the final point the stickier it gets because you leave the most difficult things right to the end so you don't blow up negotiations right at the beginning," he said. "That's where we are now."
Earlier Tuesday, Assembly Democrats seized on a comment by Assemblyman John Campbell, R-Irvine, as proof that some Republican lawmakers don't want a compromise because it would take away an issue they want to use in the November elections.
"I get a little bit discouraged when the governor works hard and some people from his own party undermine him, not only on this floor but in the discussions," said Assemblyman Juan Vargas, the chairman of the Assembly Insurance Committee. "That's been sad."
Campbell was quoted as telling The Orange County Register that Republican lawmakers would "love to run, all of us, with that initiative on the ballot. If the Democrats don't make a deal, they have to run against the initiative, run against workers' comp and against the governor. If anybody's going to blink, they should. It's simple political calculus."
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said it wasn't "responsible governance" to prefer the initiative over a legislative solution and suggested that Campbell and some other GOP lawmakers were out of step with their leaders.
"Independent of what people are saying on the floor of the Assembly, I believe that Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Brulte are still committed to finding a legislative solution and leaving politics out of it," Nunez said, referring to Assembly Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, and Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga.
Campbell said Republicans have been pushing for legislation to control workers' compensation for three years, and he suggested Democrats were captives of "special interests" on the issue.
"Yes, I will take that to the ballot anytime," he said. "Standing with the people over the special interests, with jobs over a declining economy, I will do that any time."
Vargas said Democrats pushed through legislation last year that has been projected to save employers about $7 billion in workers' comp costs.
"I hope that this year that when we have a bill before you ... that will save billions and billions and billions of dollars that you will step away from your special interests and vote for it," he told Republicans.
Nunez continued to say that the two sides were 95 percent of the way to an agreement, but McCarthy disagreed.
"There are some areas we have agreement on but is it 90 to 95 percent yet? No, it's not there yet," he said.
Nunez seemed to raise the possibility that Democrats would try to work out a deal just with Schwarzenegger if Republican lawmakers refused to go along. Democrats have enough votes to approve the legislation without GOP support, but would need the Republican governor to sign it.
"The governor would like to have an agreement that everyone signs off on," Nunez said when asked why he didn't try to negotiate just with Schwarzenegger. "We're hopeful that we get there, and if there are folks stalling the process then we are going to look at option two."
He defined "option two" as simply doing "the responsible thing, and that's to deliver meaningful workers' comp reform to California businesses."
McCarthy said he doubted that Schwarzenegger would break ranks with his fellow Republicans. "I don't see that happening," he said.
Associated Press Writer Tom Chorneau contributed to this report.
The "street" says it is not. Just a deal to cover everyone's a... so that everyone can get on with the game of "cuts" that cut little and still protect all the pets.
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Same Old Leftist Crap!!!!!!!
Right here, Of course. ;-)
You still have hair? I'm jealous.. lol
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