[Congressional Bills 103th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 1999 Introduced in House (IH)] 103d CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1999 Respecting the relationship between workers' compensation benefits and the benefits available under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 5, 1993 Mr. Fazio (for himself, Mr. Lehman, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Goodling, Mr. Dooley, Mr. Fawell, Mr. Condit, Mr. Matsui, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Gunderson, Mr. Herger, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Petri, Mr. Henry, Mr. Boucher, Mr. Pickett, Mr. Payne of Virginia, Mr. Penny, Mr. Derrick, Mr. Sisisky, Mrs. Thurman, Mr. Valentine, Mr. Lancaster, Mr. Minge, Mr. Hefner, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Bacchus of Florida, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Lewis of Florida, Mr. Canady, Mr. Hansen, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Mr. Upton, Mr. Paxon, Mr. Sarpalius, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Holden, Mr. LaRocco, Mr. Parker, Mr. Thomas of California, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Boehner, Mr. McCollum, Mr. Pombo, Mr. Hutto, Mr. Rowland, Mr. Camp, and Mr. McHugh) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL 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. FINDINGS. The Congress finds that-- (1) the fundamental premise of the workers' compensation system, which is the exclusivity of workers' compensation for workplace injuries as an alternative to a fault-based system relying on costly and lengthy litigation in the courts, must be preserved, (2) this premise was threatened by the decision in 1990 of the United States Supreme Court in Adams Fruit Co. Inc. v. Barrett, 494 U.S. 638, which held that migrant and seasonal farmworkers could bring a private right of action for certain job-related injuries under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act even where the employer has provided workers' compensation coverage of such farmworkers, (3) the Adams Fruit decision did not reflect the intent of the Congress when it enacted the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act in 1982, (4) the Adams Fruit decision singles out agricultural employers as the only employers in America who can be subjected to lawsuits as a result of workplace injuries even where they have provided workers' compensation to their employees, (5) Congress expressed its disapproval of the Adams Fruit decision in Public Law 102-392 by overturning the decision until July 6, 1993, and (6) it is essential that the exclusivity of workers' compensation be permanently restored. SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF EXPIRATION. Section 325(c) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1993 (29 U.S.C. 1854 note) is amended to read as follows: ``(c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to all cases in which a final judgment has not been entered before October 6, 1992.''. <all>