To amend the Defense Base Act to exclude Guam.
This bill would remove Guam from the Defense Base Act (DBA). The DBA provides federal workers’ compensation coverage for certain employees working on, or in connection with, public works or military projects overseas (typically on U.S. bases or for U.S. government contractors). The introduced measure would amend the statutory language that defines which territories are considered “outside the continental United States” and, in doing so, would ensure that Guam is not covered by the DBA. In practical terms, injuries or illnesses sustained by workers on Guam in the course of work for U.S. defense contracts would no longer fall under the DBA’s federal workers’ compensation program and would instead be governed—if at all—by Guam’s own workers’ compensation system or other applicable laws. The bill was introduced January 31, 2025, referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce, with no further action indicated in the text provided. Note: The bill’s drafting appears to create two related changes—one that appears to include Guam in a list of territories outside the U.S., and a separate new paragraph explicitly stating that Guam is not included in the term used to define those territories. Taken together, the net effect is intended to exclude Guam from DBA coverage, though the wording presents an apparent drafting inconsistency that would likely be clarified during committee review.
Key Points
- 1The bill amends the Defense Base Act to exclude Guam from its coverage, meaning Guam would no longer be covered by federal workers’ compensation for certain defense-related employment.
- 2It modifies the subsection that defines what constitutes a “Territory or possession outside the continental United States,” by adding Guam to the list in one part and then adding a new paragraph stating that Guam is not included in that term.
- 3The net effect is intended to remove Guam from the DBA’s scope, shifting coverage for related injuries/claims from the federal program to Guam’s own workers’ compensation system (or other applicable local remedies).
- 4The change affects workers employed by defense contractors or on defense-related work in Guam who would previously have been covered under the DBA.
- 5The bill is in an early stage of the legislative process (introduced Jan 31, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce) with no enacted provisions yet.