Unlicensed roofing contractor charged in Florida

• A man was charged with unlicensed contracting, insurance fraud, and failing to obtain workers’ compensation coverage on his workers after he solicited Florida homeowners for roof replacement work.
• John Sutton, doing business as Kaizen Construction Group, had salesmen go door to door in Pasco County in 2021 and 2022, instructing homeowners on what to say in filing an insurance claim.
• Some of the homeowners agreed to sign “direct to pay” documents, essentially assigning benefits to the roofing company.
• Investigators determined that Sutton and Kaizen Construction were unlicensed as roofers and were responsible for more than $41,000 in insurance claims.
  Read more

Texas lawmakers look to boost workers’ comp

• Several Texas lawmakers are looking to improve long-term workers’ compensation benefits for first responders across the state suffering serious line-of-duty injuries and facing protracted recovery.
• H.B. 2468 was reported favorably by the House Business and Industry Committee and will now head to the House floor, while S.B. 1033 is currently awaiting review by the Senate Business and Commerce Committee.
• Matt Dawson, for whom the bill is named, was one of three first responders injured while responding to a Jan. 11, 2020 wreck caused by icy roads on I-27 north of Lubbock.
• While emergency crews were working a pair of accidents in the northbound lanes, a pickup truck traveling southbound on I-27 crossed over into the median and struck and killed Dawson.
  Read more

Vermont approves workers comp bill

• The Vermont Senate gave final approval to S.73, a bill that would strengthen workers’ compensation coverage for all firefighters by expanding the types of cancer presumed to be a result of on-duty exposures.
• Cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters and research shows that firefighters are at higher risk of developing certain types of cancers when compared to the general population.
• By expanding the types of cancer included in the presumption, we are demonstrating a commitment to supporting all firefighters by decreasing the likelihood their workers’ compensation claims will be denied.
• The International Association of Firefighters reported that 66% of career firefighter(link is external) deaths from 2002-2019 were caused by cancer.
  Read more

• Nine Texas individuals were arrested in Houston on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in the unlawful distribution of 1.5 million opioid pills and other controlled substances.
• Kent Lyons of Houston; Roquel Turner of Manvel; and Traunce Alfred of Baytown, are charged with illegally distributing controlled substances, including oxycodone and hydrocodone.
• From August 2017 until late 2022, Lyons and Turner allegedly operated pill-mill pharmacies as fronts to obtain opioids in their highest-strength and immediate-release pill form.
• They then allegedly sold the drugs on the black market without the involvement of patients, prescriptions, or doctors.
  Read more