Under proposed legislation filed by Rep. Armando Walle (D-Houston), contractors and subcontractors engaged in construction would be required to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage for their employees. Under current law, only a contractor engaged in a public project is required to obtain workers’ compensation coverage for its employees. HB 475 would also require a subcontractor performing work on a public project to provide a certificate of insurance to the governing body of the public entity contracting for the work.
Texas is virtually the only state in the nation that gives employers the option of providing workers’ compensation insurance coverage for their employees, though many employers provide coverage for injured employees through other means.
