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Budget panel rejects elimination of court reporters from workers’ comp proceedings

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//May 18, 2017//

Budget panel rejects elimination of court reporters from workers’ comp proceedings

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//May 18, 2017//

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A powerful panel of lawmakers rejected Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal this week to eliminate the requirement that court reporters be present at workers’ compensation proceedings.

Current law requires that testimony given at workers’ compensation hearings be taken down by a court reporter; only if there is an emergency does the state allow testimony to be recorded.

Walker had proposed, as part of his 2017-2019 biennial budget, eliminating both the state’s statutory court-reporter requirement and positions for four of seven workers’ compensation court reporters. The change had been expected to lead to more than $500,000 worth of savings.

Lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Finance voted 12-4 on Tuesday to reject Walker’s proposal. Besides getting rid of the governor’s proposal, the panel’s action would separately order the Division of Hearings and Appeals to conduct a study looking at the sort of audio and video recordings that would be needed at workers’ compensation proceedings. The findings would be presented in July 2018, and the state’s Worker’s Compensation Advisory Council, which advises the Legislature on workers’ comp matters, would have an opportunity to provide its own recommendations.

Various lawyers and court reporters had urged lawmakers to maintain current law. They contended that Walker’s proposal could put often high-stakes workers’ comp cases at risk of being undermined by inaccurate or inaudible recordings. They also contend that court reporters, unlike tape recorders, can help maintain decorum in proceedings by preventing lawyers and parties from interrupting each other.

But they were not the only ones to weigh in. Last week, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, insurance organizations, the Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Defense Counsel and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities all urged lawmakers to reject Walker’s proposal and keep the law as it is.

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