§ 927. — Powers of deputy commissioners or Board.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 33USC927]
TITLE 33--NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS
CHAPTER 18--LONGSHORE AND HARBOR WORKERS' COMPENSATION
Sec. 927. Powers of deputy commissioners or Board
(a) The deputy commissioner or Board shall have power to preserve
and enforce order during any such proceedings; to issue subpoenas for,
to administer oaths to, and to compel the attendance and testimony of
witnesses, or the production of books, papers, documents, and other
evidence, or the taking of depositions before any designated individual
competent to administer oaths; to examine witnesses; and to do all
things conformable to law which may be necessary to enable him
effiectively \1\ to discharge the duties of his office.
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\1\ So in original. Probably should be ``effectively''.
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(b) If any person in proceedings before a deputy commissioner or
Board disobeys or resists any lawful order or process, or misbehaves
during a hearing or so near the place thereof as to obstruct the same,
or neglects to produce, after having been ordered to do so, any
pertinent book, paper, or document, or refuses to appear after having
been subpoenaed, or upon appearing refuses to take the oath as a
witness, or after having taken the oath refuses to be examined according
to law, the deputy commissioner or Board shall certify the facts to the
district court having jurisdiction in the place in which he is sitting
(or to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia if
he is sitting in such District) which shall thereupon in a summary
manner hear the evidence as to the acts complained of, and if the
evidence so warrants, punish such person in the same manner and to the
same extent as for a contempt committed before the court, or commit such
person upon the same conditions as if the doing of the forbidden act had
occurred with reference to the process of or in the presence of the
court.
(Mar. 4, 1927, ch. 509, Sec. 27, 44 Stat. 1438; June 25, 1936, ch. 804,
49 Stat. 1921; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, Sec. 32(b), 62 Stat. 991; May 24,
1949, ch. 139, Sec. 127, 63 Stat. 107; Pub. L. 92-576, Sec. 15(e), Oct.
27, 1972, 86 Stat. 1262.)
Codification
As originally enacted, subsec. (b) contained a reference to the
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. Act June 25, 1936,
substituted ``the district court of the United States for the District
of Columbia'' for ``the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia'', and
act June 25, 1948, as amended by act May 24, 1949, substituted ``United
States District Court for the District of Columbia'' for ``district
court of the United States for the District of Columbia''.
Amendments
1972--Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 92-576 inserted references to the
Board.
Effective Date of 1972 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 92-576 effective 30 days after Oct. 27, 1972,
see section 22 of Pub. L. 92-576, set out as a note under section 902 of
this title.
