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1919 was a watershed year in North Dakota politics. World War I, the Great War in Europe had ended the year before bringing mechanization and change back to the country. North Dakota soldiers returning home were ready to go back to work and continue the Industrial Revolution. That revolution had brought changes to the work force. Workers were beginning to leave the farms and were working in sometimes dangerous factory conditions. If they got hurt maimed or killed on the job there was no government program to help them pay for their medical bills or provide a wage replacement to them or their family independents. Beginning in the early 20th century, states began to adopt workers compensation laws designed to provide a safety net for workmen hurt on the job. The idea came from Germany. In 1884, Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of the German Empire introduced the programs to assist workers in the event of an accidental injury or illness. This initial workers compensation system was financed by workers and employers. Not surprisingly then, the German immigrants brought the idea to America in the early 20th century. Wisconsin passed the first comprehensive workers' compensation law in 1911 while Mississippi was the last state to jump on board in 1948. In 1919, the Non-Partisan League was the majority party in the North Dakota legislature. They brought forward a radical legislative agenda of social change for our state. The League created three institutions that year that still resonate strongly in our state 100 years later: The Bank of North Dakota, the North Dakota Mill and Elevator, and the then-called Workmen's Compensation Bureau, now known as Workforce Safety and Insurance. The law creating WSI, House Bill 56, was passed in 1919. Non-Partisan League leader William Lemke is given credit for drafting this bill. The original draft of the North Dakota bill was a compilation of provisions from seven state laws and the national workers compensation law that protected federal workers. House Bill 56 was introduced by state representative George Malone of McLean County. Representative Malone was a coal miner who served as the secretary treasurer of the United Mine Workers Local 3803 of Wilton, North Dakota. In 1919, Wilton was home to the largest lignite coal mine in the world. Some four hundred miners worked underground in Wilton digging coal which was shipped east on the Soo Line Railroad. House Bill 56 eventually passed both houses and was signed into law by Governor Lynn Frazier on March 3, 1919. Editorials of the day in state newspapers were mostly favorable. The Bismarck Tribune editorial did not like the idea of excluding farmers from compulsory coverage stating, "80% of all semi-total disability cases occur among farm workers." Even though agriculture is one of the backbone industries in North Dakota, agriculture workers remain exempt from coverage 100 years later. On April 1, 1919, governor Frazier announced the appointment of S.S. McDonald and L.J. Wehe as commissioners. The law had placed the Workmen's Compensation Bureau in the Department of Agriculture and Labor and provided that the Commissioner of that department would serve as a member an ex-officio chairman. When the three commissioners met on April 14, 1919, they voted to rent part of the dining room of the Northwest Hotel in downtown Bismarck at the corner of 5th and Main Streets for its first office. The hotel also served as the headquarters for the Non-Partisan League during the legislative sessions. The hotel was the home for most League legislators. All League meetings, caucuses, and even bills were hammered out at the hotel. Two years later the bureau moved to the second floor of the Guaranty Bank Building in downtown Bismarck. The Bureau moved again in 1924, this time to the Elting Building where it stayed for two years. In 1926 the Bureau rented the second floor of the Bank of North Dakota building where it stayed for eight years. On December 28, 1930, the North Dakota Capitol Building burned to the ground at the height of the National Great Depression. Work began on constructing another modern Capitol building to house all of the state's government functions, the legislature, and the Supreme Court. In 1934, space was available in the new elegant skyscraper Capitol. The Bureau moved its 19 employees to the ninth floor where it stayed until 1975. In 1975 the bureau moved over 50 employees to the Russell building on Highway 83 north of Bismarck. In 1993 it moved back to downtown Bismarck in the converted Wachter Warehouse. Finally in 2001, the legislature allowed the agency to construct its own building. In May 2003 the now newly named Workforce Safety & Insurance moved its 212 employees into its current location: The state-of-the-art Century Center. The four-story energy-efficient building is also home to several other state agencies and departments at 1600 East Century Avenue in North Bismarck. The bureau received its first application for coverage on July 1, 1919, the first day of its operations. Policy number one was issued to the Atlantic Elevator Company. The company owned a string of elevators along the Soo Line Railroad and was based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four days later, on July 4, 1919, while Bismarck was observing Independence Day with a parade, the first covered injury occurred. While most of the citizens of Bismarck were either watching or participating in the parade, 17-year-old Charles Stearns was opening cream cans for his employer, the Northern Produce Company at the corner of Front and 10th Streets. In doing so, the teenager cut his hand. Mr. Stearns filed Claim Number 1. The form was filled out with a fountain pen and a typewriter. The injury apparently got infected and required 12 treatments through August of 1919. The total bill was $15 in 1919, or about $275 in today's dollars. When Charles Stearns filed Claim Number 1, the Northern Produce Company was listed as 712, meaning there were no fewer than 712 employers already signed up for coverage by July 4, 1919. The first premium field auditors were hired in 1920. Their primary purpose was to find employers who did not have coverage. The Bureau hired its first attorney in 1935. The majority of their work then was applied to the prosecution of uninsured employers. Later it expanded into claim orders and denial of benefits. The Safety Department was created in 1947. The purpose of this department was to inspect employers' workplaces and determine how to make work sites safer. Over the last 100 years, despite several changes in the management structure, WSI still regulates an exclusive employer financed no-fault workers compensation insurance system. North Dakota is just one of four states to have this exclusive arrangement with its citizens. WSI is funded solely by employer premiums and receives no general fund dollars. WSI charges employers insurance premiums based on the risk of a job. In return, WSI provides North Dakota workers coverage for their work related injuries. WSI sets, maintains, and manages its financial reserves to ensure adequate funding to pay the medical and wage replacement claims for injured workers. For 100 years, despite economic, political, and management changes, WSI remains prepared to care for injured workers. [KLIPFEL] "Throughout all the changes, one important aspect that has not changed over the last one hundred years is the dedication of our employees. The responsibilities of the employees range from ensuring safe workplaces, equitably collecting premiums, and paying injured workers claims to assist them in getting back to work after their lives were shattered by an injury. Today WSI's core purpose is to care for injured workers. Our business is to provide workers compensation and safety services with the three core values of being loyal, caring, and forthright with strategic anchors of exceptional people, exceptional service, and financial stability. Our vision for the next one hundred years: A continued safe, secure, and healthy North Dakota workforce for the future.