A hearing is scheduled for April 30 on a bill that would tighten California's rules for workers' compensation claims by requiring all work-related injuries to be certified “by a physician using medical evidence based on objective medical findings.”

 The bill, which was introduced by Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, and Sen. Charles Poochigian, R-Fresno, is part of an ongoing battle in the state over workers' compensation.

 Sen. McClintock's office said in a statement that the bill was part of a reform package sponsored by the California Chamber of Commerce.

 “Workers' compensation costs are skyrocketing,” a statement of Poochigian's Web site said. “By 2003 California's businesses are expected to pay $20 billion in workers' compensation premiums. California employees receive benefits that are among the lowest in the nation, while California employers are paying the highest premiums.”

 SB414 is now before the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee in the California Senate. It is one of a wave of proposals before the General Assembly on workers' compensation, including bills that would put a stop to recently increased benefits, require more conclusive evidence that injuries are directly related to a worker's job and fine workers up to $100,000 for making false statements to obtain workers' compensation benefits.