Creating Opportunities for America's Laid-off (COAL) Miners Act of 2016

Creating Opportunities for America's Laid-off (COAL) Miners Act of 2016

This bill allows certain states in which the coal mining and related industries have been adversely impacted by regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Department of the Interior to enter into and participate in a specified agreement with the Department of Labor.

These states shall include:

• Alabama;
• Illinois;
• Indiana;
• Kentucky;
• Ohio;
• Pennsylvania;
• Tennessee;
• Virginia;
• Wyoming; and
• any other state that has traditionally relied on coal mining for a substantial portion of its economy, and has experienced a significant reduction in coal mining-related activity over five years.

The agreement shall require that the state's agency make payments of coal mining emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) to individuals, other than illegal aliens, who:

• have exhausted all rights to regular compensation under the state or federal law for a benefit year (excluding any benefit year that ended before enactment of this bill);
• have no rights to regular compensation for a week under such law or any other state unemployment compensation law or to compensation under any other federal law;
• are not receiving compensation for such week under the unemployment compensation law of Canada; and
• are able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work.

A state which enters such an agreement must deliver specified reemployment services and reemployment and eligibility assessment activities to each coal mining EUC recipient while the individual continues to receive such EUC.

The bill requires that, subject to specified conditions, 100% of the coal mining EUC paid to individuals by the state be reimbursed to each such state that enters into the agreement.

Funds in the extended unemployment compensation account of the Unemployment Trust Fund shall be used for making payments to these states.

This bill prescribes penalties for an individual who commits fraud resulting in overpayment of coal mining EUC.

No compensation under this bill shall be payable following 24 months after its enactment.