During 2009, the following bills relating to alternative dispute resolution were introduced and are currently being considered by the 111st Congress. Click on the bill number for its text and on the status link to find the bill’s most recent legislative action. Stay tuned to Disputing for more legislative updates! The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 would ban mandatory pre-dispute arbitration in employment, consumer, and franchise contracts. Senate version: S. 931 and Status. House version: H.R. 1020 and Status. The Employee Free Choice Act of 2009 would amend the National Labor Relations Act to require first mediation and then binding arbitration if both parties are unable to reach an agreement within a certain time frame. Senate version: S. 560 and Status. House version: H.R. 1409 and Status. The Payday Loan Reform Act of 2009 would amend the Truth in Lending Act to establish additional payday loan requirements to protect consumers. This bill prohibits a mandatory arbitration clause that is “oppressive, unfair, unconscionable, or substantially in derogation of the rights of consumers.” H.R. 1214 and Status. The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act of 2009 would render pre-dispute arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts unenforceable. S. 512 and Status. House version: H.R. 1237 and Status. The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2009 would amend the Truth in Lending Act of 1968. The bill provides that “[n]o residential mortgage loan and no extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan secured by the principal dwelling of the consumer, other than a reverse mortgage may include terms which require arbitration of any other nonjudicial procedure as the method for resolving any controversy.” H.R. 1728 and Status. The Labor Relations First Contract Negotiations Act of 2009 would amend the National Labor Relations Act to require the arbitration of initial contract negotiation disputes. H.R. 243 and Status. The Consumer Fairness Act of 2009 would treat arbitration clauses which are unilaterally imposed on consumers as an unfair and deceptive trade practice and prohibit their use in consumer transactions. H.R. 991 and Status. An Act Making Appropriations for the Department of Defense for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2010, and for Other Purposes contains an amendment that bans funds to defense contractors who require workers (employees and independent contractors) to arbitrate “any claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any tort related to or arising out of sexual assault or harassment, including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention.” H.R. 3326 ; Amendment; and Status. The Preserving Homes and Communities Act of 2009 would require certain mortgagees to make loan modifications, establish a grant program for state and local government mediation programs, and create databases on foreclosures. S. 1731 and Status. The Conflict Resolution and Mediation Act of 2009 would provide assistance to local educational agencies for the prevention and reduction of conflict and violence. H.R. 4000 and Status. The Agricultural Credit Act of 2009 would reauthorize state agricultural mediation programs under title V of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987. H.R. 3509 and Status. The Department of Peace Act of 2009 would establish a Department of Peace that would take a proactive, strategic approach in the development of policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and structured mediation of conflict. H.R.808 and Status. The Automobile Dealer Economic Rights Restoration Act of 2009. Several bills were introduced relating to the economic rights of automobile dealers in which the federal government has ownership interest. Reportedly, there is a compromise that includes binding arbitration as a way to appeal the termination of the dealer franchise agreements. H.R.2750 and Status; H.R.2796 and Status; H.R.2743 and Status; S.1304 and Status. [UPDATE- introduced 12/18/2009] The Rape Victims Act of 2009 provides that employment-related arbitration agreements shall not be enforceable with respect to any claim related to a tort arising out of rape. S. 2915 and Status. The Foreclosure Mandatory Mediation Act of 2009 would require lenders of loans with Federal guarantees or Federal insurance to consent to mandatory mediation. S. 2912 and Status. Technorati Tags: arbitration, ADR, law

As readers may know, General Motors and Chrysler are planning to close nearly 2,000 dealerships as part of their reorganization plan. The New York Times reports on a House bill that would provide for binding arbitration as a way for car dealers to appeal the termination of their franchise agreements. The House has approved a compromise plan to give General Motors and Chrysler dealers an appeals process to keep their showrooms open. GM and Chrysler have attempted to shed dealerships as part of their government-led bankruptcies. But the moves have riled up members of Congress, who have received numerous complaints from dealers being shut down. A $1.1 trillion spending bill approved Thursday includes provisions to give 789 Chrysler dealers closed in June and more than 1,350 GM dealers expected to be shut down next year an opportunity to challenge the automakers’ decisions. Read more here.

by Holly Hayes In June, we discussed the passage of Texas House Bill 2256, which provides a procedure for mediation of out-of-network health benefit claim disputes. Patients in Texas now have the option to mediate when they are ‘balance-billed’ by their insurance company for services provided by out-of-network facility-based physicians like radiologists, pathologists, neonatologists, and emergency room physicians. (post available here) In October, the Dallas Morning News reported on the practice of ‘balance billing.’ The article cited an example of a patient who went to an emergency room in Denton to receive treatment. The hospital was in his insurer’s network, but the emergency room physician was not. The patient was billed for the balance not paid by his insurer. (read more here) In November H.R. 3962, the “Affordable Health Care for America Act,” was introduced in the U.S. House. (bill status is here) In the definition of “cost sharing,” the bill specifically excludes “balance billing amounts for non-network providers” in out-of-pocket payments which are capped for an individual at $5,000 or $10,000 for a family. Balance billed amounts would not be included in the out-of-pocket caps. (read more here) According to the Wall Street Journal, while other states have addressed aspects of ‘balance billing,’ no other states appear to have included an option for patients to request mediation for resolution of ‘balance billing’ amounts. Some states have banned ‘balance billing’ of the patient altogether. In January, the California Supreme Court ruled that emergency-room patients can no longer be billed by hospitals and doctors for treatment that is not fully paid for by their health plans and that billing disputes must be resolved solely between providers and health plans. The California Department of Managed Health Care said that Connecticut, Alabama, and Pennsylvania have also banned ‘balance billing.’ (read more here) Technorati Tags: Healthcare, ADR, law, mediation Holly Hayes is a mediator at Karl Bayer, Dispute Resolution Expert where she focuses on mediation of health care disputes. Holly holds a B.A. from Southern Methodist University and a Masters in Health Administration from Duke University. She can be reached at: holly@karlbayer.com.

As we were ready to wrap-up the year, the U.S. Supreme Court decides yet another arbitration case. In Union Pacific v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, 558 U.S. ___(Dec. 8, 2009), the issue before the Court was whether pre-arbitration conference was a jurisdictional requirement. We will post a summary of the case after we read it and it will be added to our 2009 Year-End post as well.