1-1 By: Haywood S.B. No. 445 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 5, 1997; February 6, 1997, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Economic Development; 1-4 April 4, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 1-5 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; April 4, 1997, 1-6 sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 445 By: Haywood 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to the status of certain oil and gas workers or services 1-11 providers as independent contractors. 1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-13 SECTION 1. Section 406.123, Labor Code, is amended by adding 1-14 Subsection (h) to read as follows: 1-15 (h) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), a person who performs 1-16 work or provides a service for an oil or gas well operator and who 1-17 is an independent contractor that has no employees shall be treated 1-18 in the same manner as an independent contractor with employees and 1-19 is not entitled to coverage under the general contractor's workers' 1-20 compensation insurance policy unless the independent contractor and 1-21 the general contractor enter into an agreement under this section. 1-22 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-23 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-24 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-25 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-26 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-27 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-28 * * * * *