Revising workers’ compensation laws relating to when the employee is released to return to work

Corrected a grammatical error in the benefits termination clause to improve clarity.

Updated the signature block to explicitly include the House Bill number.

Added a specific provision for an effective date to the bill text.

Removed square brackets from the phrase 'This act' in the effective date section, changing the text from '[This act]' to 'This act'.

Clarified that temporary total disability benefits may be terminated as of the date a worker is released to full duty, rather than waiting for maximum medical improvement.

Updated the criteria for terminating benefits to include a requirement that the insurer must have knowledge of the claimant's return to work before terminating benefits.

Revised the effective date provision to state that the act is effective immediately upon passage and approval, rather than specifying a future date.

The effective date was changed from a fixed date (July 1, 2025) to 'on passage and approval,' allowing the law to take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature.

The language regarding benefit termination was altered to explicitly state that benefits 'are MAY BE terminated' on the date a worker is released to full duty, clarifying the insurer's authority to stop payments at that specific moment.

The bill was renumbered from HB 197 to HB 197.2, and minor formatting adjustments were made to the header and section numbering.

The effective date was changed from 'immediate' to 'July 1, 2025', delaying the implementation of the new termination guidelines by several months.

Added official certification language, signatures for the Chief Clerk, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate, and an 'ENROLLED BILL' header to signify the bill has passed final legislative approval.

Removed draft headers, page numbers, and the 'Authorized Print Version' label associated with the earlier version of the bill.

Benefits may now continue for up to 14 days after a worker is released to full duty, instead of ending immediately.

The law's effective date was changed from immediate passage to July 1, 2025.

The bill number was changed from LC 2254 to HB 197, and the sponsor's name was added.