McKeon Calls on Miller to End Opposition to

House Passage of Senate Mine Safety Legislation

Comprehensive Bill is One Step Away from President Bush’s Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a series of oversight hearings and briefings held throughout the year, U.S. House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) today called on the panel’s Senior Democrat, George Miller (D-CA), to end opposition to immediate House consideration of mine safety legislation passed yesterday by the United States Senate.  McKeon’s call came after several days of bipartisan negotiations with Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Charlie Norwood (R-GA), Committee Democrats, and House Members from coal mining states.

“Because of the thorough series of hearings and briefings our Committee has spearheaded this year, we are poised to take an important step toward modernizing mine health and safety laws for the first time in a generation,” said McKeon.  “The legislation advanced by the Senate yesterday takes major strides toward addressing those needs, and I’m convinced the House should send President Bush the bill without further delay.”

Less than one week ago, following a mining tragedy in Harlan County, Kentucky, Representative Miller noted, “This is clearly an emergency.  In light of this most recent tragedy, it would be criminal neglect for the U.S. Congress to continue to fail to pass mine safety reform legislation…  I am making an urgent call for the House to act next week to pass mine safety legislation.  The House should not go into its Memorial Day break without taking action.”

Today, however, Miller wrote to McKeon, expressing opposition to House passage of the bipartisan, broadly-backed Senate mine safety legislation.  McKeon sent a letter in response, calling for Miller to join him in advancing the Senate legislation to President Bush’s desk before the Memorial Day recess. 

The text of McKeon’s letter to Miller is below.

# # # # #

May 25, 2006

Representative George Miller

Committee on Education & the Workforce

2101 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Miller:

Thank you for your letter, in which you expressed your desire for passing mine safety legislation. 

As you noted last week after the mine tragedy in Harlan County, Kentucky, “This is clearly an emergency.  In light of this most recent tragedy, it would be criminal neglect for the U.S. Congress to continue to fail to pass mine safety reform legislation…  I am making an urgent call for the House to act next week to pass mine safety legislation.  The House should not go into its Memorial Day break without taking action.”

I could not agree more.  We are one step away from Congress passing that legislation, and I urge you to join me in doing so today.

In the interest of our nation’s miners and their families, we must move immediately to advance legislation approved without opposition by the United States Senate yesterday.  Aside from strong consensus in the Senate, this legislation has broad in the mining industry, including the United Mine Workers, which testified before our Workforce Protections Subcommittee earlier this year.  In the House, Representatives Capito, Rogers, Rahall, and other Members of the bipartisan West Virginia and Kentucky delegations have expressed support for advancing the bill as well.

I appreciate the points you have raised in today’s letter, each of which has been addressed in the bipartisan Senate legislation.  I assure you that as our Committee continues to pursue meaningful facts regarding this year’s mining tragedies and mine health and safety, we will continue to take them into strong consideration.  We will also take into consideration a number of points Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Norwood has raised in recent days – points that have arisen following his panel’s series of hearings and briefings on the state of mine health and safety. 

However, it would be irresponsible to halt solid, widely-supported legislation that is one step away from arriving on President Bush’s desk as Congress moves to recess for the Memorial Day holiday. 

I’m proud of the way our Committee – and Chairman Norwood in particular – has deliberately and thoughtfully considered ways to enhance the safety of America’s miners.  Because of the thorough series of hearings and briefings our Committee has spearheaded this year, we are poised to take an important step toward modernizing mine health and safety laws for the first time in a generation. 

Those hearings and briefings pointed to a need for better communications technology, modernized safety practices inside our nation’s mines, and strengthening the enforcement of mine safety laws already on the books.  The legislation advanced by the Senate a day ago takes major strides toward addressing those needs, and I’m convinced the House should send President Bush the bill without further delay.

Our Committee remains dedicated to discovering meaningful facts about this year’s mine tragedies and the safety of American mines overall, and I look forward to you joining me in our efforts to advance broad, comprehensive legislation to President Bush today.

Sincerely, 

Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA)

Chairman