· Border Crossing Law Firm Archive · By Phil Drake · From the Border Crossing Law Firm media archive.
Montana Watchdog reports on HB 71, which would have denied workers' compensation to unauthorized employees. Shahid warns that the bill could encourage unscrupulous employers to hire workers they would not have to insure, reduce workplace safety, and push injured employees out of the compensation system and into court.
The proposal revived a workers' compensation fight from the 2009 Legislature, now framed as a cost-cutting measure. The hearing produced no reliable estimate of benefits paid to undocumented workers, while the State Fund identified only a handful of claims requiring extra Social Security-number review.