McKeon Renews Call for Swift House Passage of

Comprehensive Mine Safety Bill

Senate-Passed Mine Safety Bill Expected to Be Considered in House Next Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) today called on his House colleagues to quickly and decisively pass mine safety legislation when the chamber returns to session next week.  The measure – S. 2803, the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act – is expected to be considered by the House next week, with two-thirds of Members’ support needed for swift passage.

McKeon, bipartisan Members of the West Virginia and Kentucky delegations, and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Charlie Norwood (R-GA) struck an agreement with House leadership on May 24, 2006 to bring to the House floor – under an expedited process – legislation passed unanimously by the Senate the day prior.  However, Representative George Miller (D-CA) objected to the bill’s consideration, delaying its arrival on President Bush’s desk for more than a week as Congress broke for the Memorial Day district work period.

“This legislation represents a delicate and unique balance, and using tactics to halt its progress could place these critical, widely-sought mine safety reforms at risk,” said McKeon.  “The MINER Act enjoys overwhelming support – from Democrats, from Republicans, from labor, from industry, from the Senate, and from a highly-vocal group of House Members representing mining states.  Had it not been for the opposition of a lone Member just over a week ago, this legislation may have, in fact, been signed into law this week.  Simply put, we can’t allow anyone to stand in the way of this bill’s enactment for a moment longer.  It needs to be on President Bush’s desk as soon as possible so it can begin to make a difference for our nation’s miners and their families.”

The Education & the Workforce Committee – and its Workforce Protections Subcommittee – has spearheaded an unprecedented series of mine safety hearings and briefings throughout the year.  McKeon noted that the series pointed to a need for better communications technology, modernized safety practices inside U.S. mines, and strengthening the enforcement of current mine safety laws – each addressed comprehensively by the MINER Act, as well as identical House legislation introduced by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). 

# # # # #