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Committee advances bill to allow D.C. workers to pursue recovery after out-of-state awards
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Summary
The D.C. Council Committee on Executive Administration and Labor voted unanimously June 13 to advance Bill 26-0061, the Parity in Workers' Compensation Recovery Act of 2025, which would allow injured workers to file a D.C. claim even after receiving compensation under another state's law, with the D.C. award reduced by amounts received elsewhere.
WASHINGTON — The Committee on Executive Administration and Labor advanced Bill 26-0061, the Parity in Workers' Compensation Recovery Act of 2025, on a unanimous voice vote at an additional committee meeting on June 13, 2025.
The bill would amend the District of Columbia Workers' Compensation Act of 1979 so that a payment or award of compensation under another state's workers' compensation law would not bar a separate claim under the District's law for the same injury or death. Any award under the District's law would be reduced by the amount already received under the other state's law.
Chairperson Anita Bonds, an at-large member and chair of the committee, told members she supported making permanent a temporary measure that had previously applied. "I encourage this committee to advance this bill today in order to permanently codify the language of the bill," Bonds said during the meeting.
Bonds said the measure is a permanent version of Bill 25-0512, the Parity in Workers' Compensation Recovery Temporary Amendment Act of 2023, which the council passed unanimously and which expired in September 2024. She said Bill 26-0061 was originally introduced in Council Period 25 by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and co-introduced by council members Lewis George, Parker, Robert White, Allen, Gray, Nadeau and Pinto.
A council member who spoke during the meeting thanked Bonds and said they looked forward to supporting the measure. Without objection, the committee moved the committee report in print for Bill 26-0061, with leave for staff to make technical and conforming changes; members then signified their approval by voice, and the chair reported the ayes had it.
The committee also noted an item that had been on the agenda, Bill 26-0060, the Initiative Amendment Act of 2025, was being pulled and was not considered at the June 13 meeting.
Next steps: the committee passed the committee report in print and will report the measure to the full Council for further consideration. Staff were authorized to make technical and conforming edits to the committee report prior to transmittal.
(Committee meeting record: Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, June 13, 2025; vote: unanimous to advance Bill 26-0061. Initiative Amendment Act of 2025, Bill 26-0060, was pulled and not considered.)
