Asbestos Health Hazards Compensation Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
Asbestos Health Hazards Compensation Act of 1980 - States that the provisions of this Act shall apply only to disability or death of an affected person resulting from occupational exposure to asbestos or from the occupational exposure to asbestos of a member of such person's household. Establishes minimum workers' compensation standards for State and Federal asbestos-related death or disability benefits, including: (1) compensation for partial or total disability or death at not less than 66 2/3 percent of the claimant's average gross weekly wage; (2) benefits indexed on the basis of wage scale changes in the claimant's job; (3) payments for the duration of the disability, or the life of the claimant, without limitation on the dollar amount or the period of payment; (4) payment of medical and rehabilitation benefits by the responsible parties without limitation on the dollar amount or the period of payment; (5) the provision that such benefits shall not be offset by any other benefits paid to the claimant nor be considered as income for tax purposes; (6) payment to the widow or widower of a claimant for life or until remarriage; and (7) a three year period of eligibility for filing a claim under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) prescribe standards for determining whether a death or disability was asbestos-related; and (2) review State and Federal workers' compensation laws to determine whether they meet the requirements set forth in this Act. Permits a claimant who receives compensation from a State or Federal workers' compensation agency that is less than the compensation prescribed under this Act to file a petition for review with the Benefits Review Board (established under the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act). Authorizes the Board to order an employer to pay the appropriate level of compensation. Sets forth appeals provisions. Permits an employer who pays a workers' compensation award to bring other responsible parties into the proceeding to determine the amount they should contribute to the compensation. Establishes an Apportionment Criteria Commission to develop the criteria to be used by State and Federal workers' compensation agencies in such apportionment determinations. Provides that the compensation procedure established under this Act shall be the sole and exclusive remedy for asbestos-related compensation claims. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress regarding the provisions of this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on June 18, 1980. 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 June 18, 1980: Referred to Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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?
GARY HART (D-CO) introduced it on June 18, 1980. No cosponsors are recorded.
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 June 18, 1980, 16885 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16885 days ago, on June 18, 1980.
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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers