Brown Lung Disease Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor.
Brown Lung Disease Act of 1979 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to compile and publish a list of State workers' compensation laws found to provide adequate coverage for byssinosis ("brown lung disease", arising out of employment in a textile plant), utilizing specified criteria. Subjects such a determination to judicial review in an appropriate circuit court. Requires any claim for death or total disability due to byssinosis to be filed under the State workers' compensation law, but entitles a worker or surviving family members to claim benefits under this Act during any period when such persons are not covered by a State law providing adequate coverage. Specifies the amounts of benefits to which retired and other workers suffering from byssinosis are entitled to be paid by the Secretary. Provides that such benefit payments shall be reduced by the amount of payments received from certain other sources, such as workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, disability insurance, or a percentage of Social Security benefits. Directs the Secretary, in conjunction with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to establish standards for determining whether a worker is, or deceased worker was, totally disabled from byssinosis. Makes every employer liable for the securing of benefits equal to or greater than those provided by this Act. Sets forth the means by which such an employer shall secure the payment of such benefits during any period in which the State workers' compensation law is not found to provide adequate coverage. Stipulates that this Act does not relieve any employer of the duty to comply with any State workers' compensation law and that any such law which provides greater benefits shall not be construed to conflict with this Act. Provides that during any period in which a State workers' compensation law is not included on the list published by the Secretary, certain provisions of the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act shall be applicable. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with and make grants to public and private agencies and organizations and individuals for the construction, purchase, and operation of fixed site and mobile clinical facilities for the analysis, examination, and treatment of respiratory and pulmonary impairments in active and inactive textile plant workers. Requires the Secretary to initiate research within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and authorizes the Secretary to make research grants to public and private agencies and organizations and individuals for the purpose of devising a simple and effective test to measure, detect, and treat respiratory and pulmonary impairments in active and inactive textile plant workers.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on April 3, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on April 3, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
BUTLER DERRICK (D-SC) introduced it on April 3, 1979, and 13 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 12 Democrats, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on April 3, 1979, 17327 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17327 days ago, on April 3, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers