Democrats in the Illinois Senate today made another attempt to meet the demands of Governor Bruce Rauner’s economic agenda. The Republican governor has said the expense of workers compensation insurance has driven businesses out of the state.Democratic Senator Kwame Raoul, from Chicago, sponsored a bill meant to bring costs down.
"I know workers comp. I’ve practiced workers comp on behalf of employers. This, if implemented right, will save employers money, and I urge an aye vote."
Raoul got enough “aye” votes to pass the bill, but almost all the support came from Democrats. Most Republicans say the legislation doesn’t go far enough. Changes to workers’ compensation has been one of Rauner’s prerequisites for negotiating a balanced budget. It was also part of the Senate’s so-called grand bargain. Democrats say their legislation incorporated Republican ideas.
