Mine Safety and Health Act of 2006
Latest action · Feb 16, 2006 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 16, 2006
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Mine Safety and Health Act of 2006 - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to impose additional health and safety requirements for all coal or other mines, including regarding: (1) the strategic location of an oxygen station; (2) wireless emergency tracking devices; (3) wireless communication devices; (4) restricting communications relating to a rescue operation only to individuals participating in the rescue; and (5) secondary telephone service.
Requires interviews of miners regarding an accident or occurrence without the presence of the mine operator.
Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) establish rules for conducting investigations of mine accidents; and (2) report to specified congressional committees within 30 days of completing an investigation.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a quarterly review of a mine operator's ventilation system, methane and dust control plan, and roof control plan; and (2) contact an operator who has received a citation within 24 hours to ensure that steps are being taken to correct the safety violation.
Requires the Secretary to establish a central communications emergency call center for all coal and other mine operations.
Imposes increased penalties for flagrant violations of mine safety standards, for failure to promptly report mine disasters, and for habitual violators of mine safety standards. Imposes additional user fees on mine operators who incur such penalties and dedicates such fees for equipment, training, and other expenses relating to mine safety.
Requires all miners to receive training in the proper usage of wireless communications devices. Requires rescue workers to participate in unannounced emergency rescue drills at an operating mine at least twice a year.
Cosponsors 8
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 16, 2006 to May 18, 2006; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-HI | Daniel K. Inouye | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| D-MA | Edward M. Kennedy | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-PA | Rick Santorum | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| D-WV | Robert C. Byrd | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-MS | Thad Cochran | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| D-IA | Tom Harkin | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Mar 7, 2006 | |
| D-SD | Tim Johnson | May 18, 2006 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Referred Feb 16, 2006 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 16, 2006Introduced in Senate
- Feb 16, 2006Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1429-1430)
- Feb 16, 2006Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S1429 | Arlen Specter D-PA | Feb 16, 2006 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 109-433 | THE STATE OF MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH125 pages | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Mar 2, 2006 |
| Serial No. 109-31 | EVALUATING HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS IN THE AMERICAN MINING INDUSTRY98 pages | Education and Workforce Committee | Mar 1, 2006 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to improve mine safety, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Mine Safety and Health Act of 2006
- Popular Titles
- Coal Mine Safety bill
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Labor and Employment.
- Administrative procedure
- Coal
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Department of Labor
- Economics and Public Finance
- Emergency communication systems
- Emergency Management
- Energy
- Fines (Penalties)
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Governmental investigations
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Mine safety
- Miners
- Oxygen
- Rescue work
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Standards
- Telephone
- User charges
- Wireless communication
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 16, 2006Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.