Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2017
Latest action · Apr 5, 2017 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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.
- IntroducedApr 5, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2017
This bill amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to revise requirements governing: (1) investigations of mine accidents; (2) miners' rights and protections (e.g., whistle-blower rights and protections); (3) mine health and safety standards; (4) underground coal mines; and (5) health and safety training for miners.
The Department of Labor, when investigating coal or other mines, must: (1) determine why an accident occurred and whether there were violations of law, mandatory health and safety standards, or other requirements; (2) refer to the Department of Justice cases involving violations of federal criminal law; and (3) make recommendations to avoid a recurrence of an accident. The bill requires independent investigation of a mine accident under certain circumstances.
The bill expands Labor's enforcement authority, including by requiring Labor to: (1) revoke the approval of mine operators' plans or programs based on certain criteria, and (2) order mine operators to withdraw all persons from a mine until Labor approves a new plan. The bill revises civil and criminal penalties, including by subjecting a mine operator who knowingly violates health or safety standards to a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The bill also expands whistle-blower rights and protections, including by: (1) giving miners' rights and protections to all employees of a mine, and (2) prohibiting discrimination against those employees for refusing to perform duties if they have a good-faith and reasonable belief that their duties pose a safety or health hazard.
Underground coal mines operators must: (1) implement a communication program to brief miners of current mine conditions, and (2) install atmospheric monitoring systems.
Cosponsors 20
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 5, 2017 to Mar 22, 2018; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Original | Apr 5, 2017 |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Original | Apr 5, 2017 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Apr 5, 2017 |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Apr 6, 2017 | |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Nov 16, 2017 | |
| D-NH | Carol Shea-Porter | Feb 2, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Feb 2, 2018 | |
| D-IL | Raja Krishnamoorthi | Feb 5, 2018 | |
| D-NC | Alma S. Adams | Feb 6, 2018 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Feb 6, 2018 | |
| D-MA | Katherine M. Clark | Feb 13, 2018 | |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Feb 13, 2018 | |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Feb 13, 2018 | |
| D-PA | Robert A. Brady | Feb 15, 2018 | |
| D-NJ | Donald Norcross | Feb 27, 2018 | |
| D-CA | John Garamendi | Feb 27, 2018 | |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Feb 27, 2018 | |
| D-PA | Michael F. Doyle | Feb 27, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Mar 13, 2018 | |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Mar 22, 2018 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Apr 5, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 5, 2017Introduced in House
- Apr 5, 2017Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 59, April 5, 2017, page H2754.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 854 | Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2017 | Related bill | Apr 5, 2017 |
| HR 1926 | Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2015 | Reintroduction of | Nov 16, 2015 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To improve compliance with mine safety and health laws, empower miners to raise safety concerns, prevent future mine tragedies, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2017
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Labor and Employment.
- Accidents
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Air quality
- Business records
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Civil actions and liability
- Coal
- Congressional oversight
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Criminal procedure and sentencing
- Department of Labor
- Employment and training programs
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Evidence and witnesses
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government studies and investigations
- Labor and Employment
- Labor standards
- Lawyers and legal services
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Mining
- Wages and earnings
- Worker safety and health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 5, 2017Introduced in House
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.
