Governor Hutchinson today announced the appointment of Jonesboro attorney Scott Willhite to the state Workers’ Compensation Commission.

The three-member commission is responsible for the administration of the workers’ compensation laws in Arkansas. Commissioners are appointed to six-year terms. One commissioner is assigned to represent the interests of labor, another management, and the chairman is intended serve as a neutral party.

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Willhite will serve as the labor commissioner, replacing outgoing Commissioner Philip Hood. Hood makes $133,654 a year in the position. Willhite will make $120,543.

Willhite has been a partner with Orr Willhite, PLC in Jonesboro since 1999. He serves as chair of the Craighead County Republican Committee. Willhite was previously appointed by Hutchinson to sit as Special Associate Justice to Arkansas Supreme Court in April 2015.

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In a press release, the governor issued the following statement:

The Workers’ Compensation Commission provides vital services for our hard-working Arkansans. Scott’s extensive experience representing workers in compensation will make him a valuable voice on the commission as he works to protect Arkansas’s workers. I look forward to seeing great things from Scott in this new role.

And Willhite:

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I am honored that Governor Hutchinson has appointed me to the commission. I have handled workers’ compensation cases for the past 25 years and have concentrated on the representation of injured employees before the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission, the Arkansas Court of Appeals, and the Arkansas Supreme Court since 1997. Recently, we have seen the improvement of workplace safety and the decrease of the cost of insurance.

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