(a) In general

No person shall bring an action against any covered individual or his or her regular employer for property damage or an injury (or death) sustained as a result of carrying out activities relating to mine accident rescue or recovery operations. This subsection shall not apply where the action that is alleged to result in the property damages or injury (or death) was the result of gross negligence, reckless conduct, or illegal conduct or, where the regular employer (as such term is used in this chapter) is the operator of the mine at which the rescue activity takes place. Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt State workers’ compensation laws.

(b) Covered individual

Terms Used In 30 USC 826

  • covered individual: means an individual&mdash. See 30 USC 826
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • regular employer: means the entity that is the covered employee's legal or statutory employer pursuant to applicable State law. See 30 USC 826
  • State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7

For purposes of subsection (a), the term “covered individual” means an individual—

(1) who is a member of a mine rescue team or who is otherwise a volunteer with respect to a mine accident; and

(2) who is carrying out activities relating to mine accident rescue or recovery operations.

(c) Regular employer

For purposes of subsection (a), the term “regular employer” means the entity that is the covered employee’s legal or statutory employer pursuant to applicable State law.