[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1715 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.1715
One Hundred Fourth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the fourth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five
An Act
Respecting the relationship between workers' compensation benefits and
the benefits available under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural
Worker Protection Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. WORKERS' COMPENSATION.
(a) Amendments.--
(1) Section 325 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act,
1993 (Public Law 102-392) is repealed.
(2) Section 504(d) of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural
Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1854(d)) is amended to read as
follows:
``(d)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, where a
State workers' compensation law is applicable and coverage is provided
for a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker, the workers'
compensation benefits shall be the exclusive remedy for loss of such
worker under this Act in the case of bodily injury or death in
accordance with such State's workers' compensation law.
``(2) The exclusive remedy prescribed by paragraph (1) precludes
the recovery under subsection (c) of actual damages for loss from an
injury or death but does not preclude recovery under subsection (c) for
statutory damages or equitable relief, except that such relief shall
not include back or front pay or in any manner, directly or indirectly,
expand or otherwise alter or affect (A) a recovery under a State
workers' compensation law or (B) rights conferred under a State
workers' compensation law.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a)(2) shall
apply to all cases in which a final judgment has not been entered.
SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF STATUTORY DAMAGES.
(a) Amendment.--Section 504 of the Migrant and Seasonal
Agricultural Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1854) is amended by
adding after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) If the court finds in an action which is brought by or for a
worker under subsection (a) in which a claim for actual damages is
precluded because the worker's injury is covered by a State workers'
compensation law as provided by subsection (d) that--
``(1)(A) the defendant in the action violated section 401(b) by
knowingly requiring or permitting a driver to drive a vehicle for
the transportation of migrant or seasonal agricultural workers
while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance (as
defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C.
802)) and the defendant had actual knowledge of the driver's
condition, and
``(B) such violation resulted in injury to or death of the
migrant or seasonal worker by or for whom the action was brought
and such injury or death arose out of and in the course of
employment as determined under the State workers' compensation law,
``(2)(A) the defendant violated a safety standard prescribed by
the Secretary under section 401(b) which the defendant was
determined in a previous judicial or administrative proceeding to
have violated, and
``(B) such safety violation resulted in an injury or death
described in paragraph (1)(B),
``(3)(A)(i) the defendant willfully disabled or removed a
safety device prescribed by the Secretary under section 401(b), or
``(ii) the defendant in conscious disregard of the requirements
of section 401(b) failed to provide a safety device required under
such section, and
``(B) such disablement, removal, or failure to provide a safety
device resulted in an injury or death described in paragraph
(1)(B), or
``(4)(A) the defendant violated a safety standard prescribed by
the Secretary under section 401(b),
``(B) such safety violation resulted in an injury or death
described in paragraph (1)(B), and
``(C) the defendant at the time of the violation of section
401(b) also was--
``(i) an unregistered farm labor contractor in violation of
section 101(a), or
``(ii) a person who utilized the services of a farm labor
contractor of the type specified in clause (i) without taking
reasonable steps to determine that the farm labor contractor
possessed a valid certificate of registration authorizing the
performance of the farm labor contracting activities which the
contractor was requested or permitted to perform with the
knowledge of such person,
the court shall award not more than $10,000 per plaintiff per violation
with respect to whom the court made the finding described in paragraph
(1), (2), (3), or (4), except that multiple infractions of a single
provision of this Act shall constitute only one violation for purposes
of determining the amount of statutory damages due to a plaintiff under
this subsection and in the case of a class action, the court shall
award not more than the lesser of up to $10,000 per plaintiff or up to
$500,000 for all plaintiffs in such class action.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall
apply to all cases in which a final judgment has not been entered.
SEC. 3. TOLLING OF STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.
Section 504 of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker
Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1854), as amended by section 2, is amended by
adding after subsection (e) the following:
``(f) If it is determined under a State workers' compensation law
that the workers' compensation law is not applicable to a claim for
bodily injury or death of a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker,
the statute of limitations for bringing an action for actual damages
for such injury or death under subsection (a) shall be tolled for the
period during which the claim for such injury or death under such State
workers' compensation law was pending. The statute of limitations for
an action for other actual damages, statutory damages, or equitable
relief arising out of the same transaction or occurrence as the injury
or death of the migrant or seasonal agricultural worker shall be tolled
for the period during which the claim for such injury or death was
pending under the State workers' compensation law.''.
SEC. 4. DISCLOSURE OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION COVERAGE.
(a) Migrant Workers.--Section 201(a) of the Migrant and Seasonal
Agricultural Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1821(a)) is amended by
striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (6), by striking the period at
the end of paragraph (7) and inserting ``; and'', and by adding after
paragraph (7) the following:
``(8) whether State workers' compensation insurance is
provided, and, if so, the name of the State workers' compensation
insurance carrier, the name of the policyholder of such insurance,
the name and the telephone number of each person who must be
notified of an injury or death, and the time period within which
such notice must be given.
Compliance with the disclosure requirement of paragraph (8) for a
migrant agricultural worker may be met if such worker is given a
photocopy of any notice regarding workers' compensation insurance
required by law of the State in which such worker is employed. Such
worker shall be given such disclosure regarding workers' compensation
at the time of recruitment or if sufficient information is unavailable
at that time, at the earliest practicable time but in no event later
than the commencement of work.''.
(b) Seasonal Workers.--Section 301(a)(1) of the Migrant and
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1831(a)(1)) is
amended by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (F), by striking
the period at the end of subparagraph (G) and inserting ``; and'', and
by adding after subparagraph (G) the following:
``(H) whether State workers' compensation insurance is
provided, and, if so, the name of the State workers' compensation
insurance carrier, the name of the policyholder of such insurance,
the name and the telephone number of each person who must be
notified of an injury or death, and the time period within which
such notice must be given.
Compliance with the disclosure requirement of subparagraph (H) may be
met if such worker is given, upon request, a photocopy of any notice
regarding workers' compensation insurance required by law of the State
in which such worker is employed.''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b)
shall take effect upon the expiration of 90 days after the date final
regulations are issued by the Secretary of Labor to implement such
amendments.
SEC. 5. LIABILITY INSURANCE.
(a) Amendment.--Section 401(b)(3) of the Migrant and Seasonal
Agricultural Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1841(b)(3)) is amended to
read as follows:
``(3) The level of insurance required under paragraph (1)(C) shall
be determined by the Secretary considering at least the factors set
forth in paragraph (2)(B) and similar farmworker transportation
requirements under State law.''.
(b) Regulations.--Within 180 days of the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall promulgate regulations
establishing insurance levels under section 401(b)(3) of the Migrant
and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1841(b)(3))
as amended by subsection (a).
(c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) takes
effect upon the expiration of 180 days after the date of enactment of
this Act or upon the issuance of final regulations under subsection
(b), whichever occurs first.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.