SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) announced that he is proud to have supported the passage of Senate Bill 863 which offers significant reforms to California’s expensive Worker’s Compensation system, and Senate Bill 1186 which seeks to reduce the predatory ADA lawsuits that burden small businesses with expensive legal shakedowns over workplace accessibility issues.

“While I’m disappointed that other business reforms did not pass the legislature this year, these repairs to the highly criticized and costly state system of worker’s compensation is a step in the right direction,” stated Assemblyman Gorell. “The response we have received from the business community for our recently launched economic development ‘Gold Team’ consistently identifies the very high cost of workers compensation as a major impediment to the growth of their business. This important reform will be a real benefit to our local and state businesses when they need it most.”

“Additionally, lawsuit abuses have made California extremely hostile to the small businesses which are the backbone of the state’s economy. SB 1186 takes aim at the predatory lawyers while still working to protect the needs of the disabled.”

SB 863 has received the support of both business and labor groups and has been designed to both increase long term disability benefits and cut costs by reducing inefficiency, fraud, and the excessive litigation that has caused worker’s compensation premiums to skyrocket over the past few years.

SB 1186 seeks to ban “demand for money” letters, where predatory lawyers order businesses to pay them money or face lawsuits over potential Americans with Disabilities Act violations. Nearly 40 percent of ADA lawsuits in the nation are filed in California.