Despite a decline in unemployment in the past year, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner says changes are needed to prevent the loss of jobs in the state.
In his State of the State Address, Rauner said Illinois needs to become more competitive, and he pointed to the worker's compensation system as place to start:
"We can create a common sense system that protects and fairly compensates those injured on the job, while also assuring both public and private employers are not overburdened by an irrational system."
A recent study found Illinois' system the 7th most expensive in the nation. Lawmakers and the previous Governor approved changes in 2011 to reduce costs, but businesses want to see more done. House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Democrat, won't shut the door.
"We are prepared to go back on the issue, consider the Governor's ideas and see if we can't show some progress."
Among Rauner's ideas are changing guidelines for what is determined "impairment" from an injury
