House Passes Conyers Oil Spill Liability Bill; Ensures Justice for Disaster Victims

(Washington D.C.) — Today, the House passed H.R. 5503, the Securing Protections for the Injured from Limitations on Liability Act (SPILL Act). Introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Louisiana Gulf Coast Congressman Charlie Melancon (D-La.), this legislation focuses on fixing loopholes in liability statutes so that the victims of the Deep Horizon explosion can be fairly treated.

"For such a tragedy like this, apologies are just not enough," Conyers said. "No Republican or Democrat should be able to look into the eyes of the Deepwater Horizon widows and tell them they do not deserve just compensation. This disaster has revealed major loopholes in the statutes addressing liability for accidents on the high seas. I am proud that my colleagues have agreed today to take off the books these unfair, outdated measures, so that we can ensure that BP and other corporations are held accountable under the law."

"I want to say how offensive it is when the law recognizes only pecuniary loss in cases like these eleven deaths," said Keith Jones, father of spill victim Gordon Jones. "Please believe me; no amount of money can ever compensate us for Gordon’s death. We know that. But this is the only means available to begin to make things right."

The SPILL Act addresses out-of-date legislation from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s: Death on High Seas Act (1920), Jones Act (1920), and the Limitation on Liability Act (1851).

• It amends the Death on the High Seas Act and Jones Act to permit non-pecuniary damages.
• It repeals the outdated Limitation on Liability Act.
• It prevents parties responsible for oil spills from using the bankruptcy courts as a subterfuge to leave victims without adequate legal recourse.
• It provides that these changes will apply to all cases on and after April 20th, consistent with previous liability law changes enacted by Congress.

H.R. 5503 passed by voice vote.