HOUSE APPROVES BOUCHER AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE

REHABILITATION SERVICES TO MINERS

Boucher Amendment Authorizes $10 million in Federal Grants to Provide Rehabilitation Services to Miners Suffering from Substance Abuse

            (Washington, D.C.) - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved by a vote of 364 to 53 an amendment offered by U.S. Representative Rick Boucher to H.R. 2768, the S-MINER Act. The amendment authorizes $10 million in federal grants to programs providing mental health and rehabilitation services to current and former miners struggling with mental health impairments, including substance abuse and dependency, which have been induced or exacerbated by their work. The grant funds would be directed to regions of the country disproportionately affected by this problem.

            "I am pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives has approved my amendment which provides much needed federal resources to expand and improve the rehabilitation services available to current and former miners suffering from substance abuse and dependency and other mental health issues," Boucher said.

            Mine workers experience high rates of injury on the job due to working with heavy machinery or in underground conditions. As a result, prescription drugs are often required to treat the chronic pain associated with these injuries. The rates of drug addiction and substance abuse, particularly of prescription drugs, among mine workers suffering from serious injuries has increased dramatically in recent years, and in many locations throughout the nation's mining regions, rehabilitation services are difficult to access or insufficient to meet the dramatic increase in need for services.

"The passage of this amendment represents a significant step in improving access to the rehabilitation services necessary to address the increased rates of prescription drug abuse and dependency among mine workers," Boucher concluded.