Montana Code Annotated
Part 1. Montana Occupational Safety and Health Act
50-71-128. Occupational safety and health administration fund

50-71-128. Occupational safety and health administration fund. (1) (a) An occupational safety and health administration fund is established, out of which are to be paid upon lawful appropriation all costs incurred by the department on or after July 1, 2016, in administering Title 50, chapters 71, 72, and 73.
(b) The department shall collect and deposit in the state treasury to the credit of the occupational safety and health administration fund:
(i) all penalties assessed under 50-71-119;
(ii) all expenses recovered under 50-72-106 and 50-73-107;
(iii) all fees paid by an assessment on paid losses, plus administrative fines and interest provided by this section; and
(iv) any grants or funds from private entities or the federal government intended for use by the department in defraying occupational safety and health costs.
(2) For the purposes of this section, the term "paid losses" has the meaning provided in 39-71-201.
(3) Each plan No. 1 employer, plan No. 2 insurer subject to the provisions of this section, and plan No. 3, the state fund, shall file annually on March 1 in the form and containing the information required by the department a report of paid losses.
(4) Each employer enrolled under compensation plan No. 1, compensation plan No. 2, or compensation plan No. 3, the state fund, shall pay its proportionate share, as determined by the paid losses in the preceding calendar year, of all costs appropriated for the next fiscal year for the purposes of administering Title 50, chapters 71, 72, and 73.
(5) (a) Each employer enrolled under compensation plan No. 1 shall pay an assessment to fund administrative and regulatory costs. The assessment may be up to 2% of the paid losses that were paid in the preceding calendar year by or on behalf of the plan No. 1 employer. Any entity, other than the department, that assumes the obligations of an employer enrolled under compensation plan No. 1 is considered to be the employer for the purposes of this section.
(b) An employer formerly enrolled under compensation plan No. 1 shall pay an assessment to fund administrative and regulatory costs. The assessment may be up to 2% of the paid losses that were paid in the preceding calendar year by or on behalf of the employer for claims arising out of the time when the employer was enrolled under compensation plan No. 1.
(c) By April 30 of each year, the department shall notify employers described in subsections (5)(a) and (5)(b) of the percentage of the assessment that comprises the compensation plan No. 1 proportionate share of administrative and regulatory costs. The assessment provided for by this subsection (5) must be paid by the employer in:
(i) one installment due on July 1; or
(ii) two equal installments due on July 1 and December 31 of each year.
(d) If an employer fails to timely pay to the department the assessment under this section, the department may impose on the employer an administrative fine of $500 plus interest on the delinquent amount at the annual interest rate of 12%. Administrative fines and interest must be deposited in the occupational safety and health administration fund.
(6) (a) Each employer insured under compensation plan No. 2 or plan No. 3, the state fund, shall pay a premium surcharge to fund administrative and regulatory costs. The premium surcharge must be collected by each plan No. 2 insurer and by plan No. 3, the state fund, from each employer that it insures. The premium surcharge must be stated as a separate cost on an insured employer's policy or on a separate document submitted to the insured employer and must be identified as "occupational safety and health regulatory assessment surcharge". The premium surcharge must be excluded from the definition of premiums for all purposes, including computation of insurance producers' commissions or premium taxes. However, an insurer may cancel a workers' compensation policy for nonpayment of the premium surcharge. When collected, assessments may not constitute an element of loss for the purpose of establishing rates for workers' compensation insurance but, for the purpose of collection, must be treated as a separate cost imposed on insured employers.
(b) (i) The amount to be funded by the premium surcharge may be up to 2% of the paid losses that were paid in the preceding calendar year by or on behalf of all plan No. 2 insurers and may be up to 2% of paid losses for claims arising on or after July 1, 1990, for plan No. 3, the state fund, plus or minus any adjustments as provided by subsection (6)(f).
(ii) The amount determined under subsection (6)(b)(i) must be divided by the total premium paid by all employers enrolled under compensation plan No. 2 or plan No. 3, the state fund, during the preceding calendar year.
(iii) A single premium surcharge rate, applicable to all employers enrolled in compensation plan No. 2 or plan No. 3, the state fund, must be calculated annually by the department by not later than April 30. The resulting rate, expressed as a percentage, is levied against the premium paid by each employer enrolled under compensation plan No. 2 or plan No. 3, the state fund, in the next fiscal year.
(c) On or before April 30 of each year, the department, in consultation with the advisory organization designated pursuant to 33-16-1023, shall notify plan No. 2 insurers and plan No. 3, the state fund, of the premium surcharge percentage to be effective for policies written or renewed annually on and after July 1 of that year.
(d) The premium surcharge must be paid whenever the employer pays a premium to the insurer. Each insurer shall collect the premium surcharge levied against every employer that it insures. Each insurer shall pay to the department all money collected as a premium surcharge within 20 days of the end of the calendar quarter in which the money was collected. If an insurer fails to timely pay to the department the premium surcharge collected under this section, the department may impose on the insurer an administrative fine of $500 plus interest on the delinquent amount at the annual interest rate of 12%. Administrative fines and interest must be deposited in the occupational safety and health administration fund.
(e) If an employer fails to remit to an insurer the total amount due for the premium and premium surcharge, the amount received by the insurer must be applied to the premium surcharge first and the remaining amount applied to the premium due.
(f) The amount actually collected as a premium surcharge in a given year must be compared to the assessment on the paid losses paid in the preceding year. Any excess amount collected must be deducted from the amount to be collected as a premium surcharge in the following year. The amount collected that is less than the assessed amount must be added to the amount to be collected as a premium surcharge in the following year.
(7) By July 1, an insurer under compensation plan No. 2 that paid benefits in the preceding calendar year but that will not collect any premium for coverage in the following fiscal year shall pay an assessment of up to 2% of the paid losses that were paid in the preceding calendar year. The department shall determine and notify the insurer by April 30 of each year of the amount that is due by July 1.
(8) The department shall deposit all funds received pursuant to this section in the state treasury, as provided in this section.
(9) The administration fund must be debited with expenses incurred by the department in the general administration of the provisions of Title 50, chapters 71, 72, and 73, including the salaries of its members, officers, and employees and the travel expenses of the members, officers, and employees, as provided for in 2-18-501 through 2-18-503, incurred while on the business of the department either within or without the state.
(10) Disbursements from the administration fund must be made after being approved by the department upon claim for disbursement.
(11) The department may assess and collect the occupational safety and health regulatory assessment surcharge from uninsured employers, as defined in 39-71-501, that fail to properly comply with the coverage requirements of the Workers' Compensation Act. Any amounts collected by the department pursuant to this subsection must be deposited in the occupational safety and health administration fund.
History: En. Sec. 8, Ch. 365, L. 2015.