Current Status Bill Number:1017 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:19960111 Primary Sponsor:Bryan All Sponsors:Bryan Drafted Document Number:res9858.jeb Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Judiciary Committee 11 SJ Subject:Workers' Compensation Commissioners
Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ _______________________________________ _______ ____________ Senate 19960111 Introduced, read first time, 11 SJ referred to CommitteeView additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
TO AMEND SECTION 42-3-20, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION COMMISSION, SO AS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS COMPRISING THE COMMISSION FROM SEVEN TO TEN.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 42-3-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 42-3-20. The Commission shall consist of seven ten members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for terms of six years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. The Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate shall designate one commissioner as chairman for a term of two years and the chairman may serve two terms in his six-year term but not consecutively.
The commissioners shall hear and determine all contested cases, conduct informal conferences when necessary, approve settlements, hear applications for full Commission reviews and handle such other matters as may come before the department for judicial disposition. Full Commission reviews shall be conducted by six commissioners only, with the original hearing commissioner not sitting at such reviews. When one commissioner is temporarily incapacitated or a vacancy exists on the Commission, reviews may be conducted by the five remaining commissioners but in such cases decisions of the hearing commissioner shall not be reversed except on the vote of at least four commissioners; provided, however, that effective July 1, 1981 full Commission reviews may be conducted by three-member panels composed of three commissioners appointed by the chairman excluding the original hearing commissioner. The chairman, with unanimous approval of the other commissioners, shall determine which full commission reviews shall be assigned to panels. The decisions of such panels shall have the same force and effect as nonpanel full commission reviews."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.