The Texas Legislature enacted the Texas Workers' Compensation Act in 1913 in response to the needs of workers who were being denied recoveries in escalating numbers of industrial accidents in Texas. The Act allowed employees of employers who subscribed to workers' compensation insurance to recover for injuries without establishing the employer's fault and without regard to the employee's negligence. In return, employees of subscribers were barred from suing their employers in most circumstances. From the inception of the Act in 1913, Texas allowed employers to choose not to buy workers' compensation insurance. Today, Texas is one of the few states that allow employers to make this choice.