California Business Roundtable President Rob Lapsley on the Executive Order Extending Workers Compensation Benefits to "All" California Workers

On May 6, California Business Roundtable President Rob Lapsley released a statement concerning Governor Newsom's executive order to extend workers compensation benefits to “all” California workers: “Today’s announcement by the Governor is concerning for many reasons. To be clear, workers on the front lines — nurses, doctors, medical professionals and first responders — have done an extraordinary job and should receive workers comp benefits. We must protect and care for them in the event any become stricken with COVID-19.

"Over the past five weeks, the statewide business community has clearly communicated united opposition to the Governor regarding any potential changes especially regarding a rebuttable presumption to the workers compensation system by executive order. With today’s executive order, Governor Newsom has bypassed the Legislature and increased costs on employers precisely at the same time businesses are trying to rehire employees to restart the economy. This will ultimately impact communities of color who are the foundation of small business employees and business owners in California.

"It is also important to note that this same approach was recently proposed by Governor Pritzker in Illinois. The business community sued the Governor and the courts agreed. As we look to the re-opening guidelines tomorrow from the Governor, given his action today, it is now even more important that he provide key relief on major issues like litigation costs in order to balance costs on employers, especially small businesses.”

About the California Business Roundtable: The California Business Roundtable is a non-partisan organization comprised of the senior executive leadership of the major employers throughout the state – with a combined workforce of more than half a million employees. For more than 40 years the Roundtable has identified the issues critical to a healthy business climate and provided the leadership needed to strengthen California’s economy and create jobs.