From Bill Londrigan: Tell your state senator to fund the Kentucky Labor Cabinet

SEND AN EMAIL NOW to tell your State Senator to reject these drastic and dangerous cuts that threaten the lives and well-being of Kentucky’s workers, families and communities!

HB 352 – (the House Budget Bill) proposes a total reduction in the Kentucky Labor Cabinet FY 2021-2022 Budget of $6,428,600.

Of these reductions only $385,110 are General Fund dollars.

The remaining $6,043,500 are Restricted Agency Funds* and cannot be used for any other purpose other than Labor Cabinet operations and programs and will have no impact on the General Fund budget if allowed to be withheld.

These unwarranted and unnecessary cuts to the Labor Cabinet budget will undermine the health and safety of Kentucky’s hard-working men and women;

Jeopardize millions of dollars in federal funding of Kentucky OSH by reducing the number of compliance officers far below the federal benchmark;  

Cause the discontinuation of free safety and health compliance reviews and educational programs for employers;

Undermine the ability of the Labor Cabinet to respond to instances of imminent danger where workers’ lives are at risk;

Jeopardize the progress made to address the deficiencies in investigating workplace fatalities;

Cause delays in processing Workers’ Compensation claims for injuries and occupational diseases including Black Lung;

Reduce the number of Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judges which is currently at its lowest level since 1990 and their staff;  

Prevent the Department of Workers’ Claims from meeting statutory requirements to ensure that employers comply with Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage, sell-insurance and rehabilitation services;

Reduce wage and hour investigations for potential violations of child labor, wage underpayment, overtime violations, illegal paycheck deductions and wage discrimination.

*- Restricted funds are derived from an assessment on Workers’ Compensation premiums which have been declining for the past decade and are currently at 6.41% of assessed premium. It is estimated that small businesses pay on average $55 annually in assessments.

Now is not the time to put the lives of workers at risk!

Reject cuts to safety and health!

Oppose unwarranted and dangerous cuts to the Kentucky Labor Cabinet in HB 352, the House Budget Bill!