[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4918 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4918

     To waive certain defenses to legal claims brought by workers 
      participating in the bracero program between 1942 and 1969.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2002

  Mr. Gutierrez (for himself, Mr. Farr of California, Mr. Filner, Ms. 
   Schakowsky, Mr. Pastor, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Solis, Mr. Baca, Ms. 
Roybal-Allard, Mr. Serrano, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Frank, Mr. 
    Menendez, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Ortiz, Ms. 
Velazquez, Mr. Acevedo-Vila, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Becerra, Ms. 
    McKinney, Mr. Davis of Illinois, and Mr. Berman) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To waive certain defenses to legal claims brought by workers 
      participating in the bracero program between 1942 and 1969.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bracero Justice Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. WAIVER OF CERTAIN DEFENSES FOR CERTAIN CLAIMS.

    (a) Definition of Eligible Claim.--In this section, the term 
``eligible claim'' means a claim against the United States, Mexico, 
Wells Fargo Bank, Banco De Mexico, Banco Nacional De Credito Rural, 
S.N.C., as successor in interest to the Banco De Credito Agricola, 
S.A., or Patronato Del Ahorro Nacional, as successor in interest to the 
Banco Del Ahorro Nacional, S.A., which alleges failure to pay moneys 
owed to workers participating in the labor importation (bracero) 
program between January 1, 1942, and January 1, 1969, pursuant to 
bilateral agreements between the United States and Mexico and 
agreements between workers and the United States or any other of the 
entities named in this subsection.
    (b) Waiver of Statute of Limitations.--An eligible claim brought 
under subsection (c) not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act shall not be barred by any statute of limitations.
    (c) Jurisdiction.--An eligible claim may be brought in any district 
court of the United States, and the district courts shall have 
exclusive jurisdiction of an eligible claim.
    (d) Waiver of Sovereign Immunity.--The United States waives 
sovereign immunity for itself with respect to any eligible claim 
brought under subsection (c), and any foreign State, as defined in 
section 1603 of title 28, United States Code, shall not be immune from 
the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States hearing an eligible 
claim brought under subsection (c).
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