US Congress House Bill 179 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: Introduced on January 3 2017 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2017-02-10 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Miners Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan and the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan to provide health and pension benefits to retired coal miners and their families. The bill expands the group whose retiree health benefits are taken into account in determining the amount that the Department of the Treasury must transfer from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan. A voluntary employees' beneficiary association (VEBA) established as a result of certain bankruptcy proceedings must transfer to the plan any amounts received as a result of the bankruptcy proceeding, reduced by the amount of the VEBA's administrative costs. Transfers by Treasury are reduced by the amount of the VEBA transfers. Treasury must also transfer additional funds to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill also: (1) prohibits the pension plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received, and (2) establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan. The bill repeals requirements for current and former signatories to labor agreements with the UMWA to pay unassigned beneficiaries premiums or backstop premiums if transfers under SMCRA are less than the amount required to be transferred.

Miners Protection Act of 2017

Rep. David McKinley [R-WV]	Rep. Michael Doyle [D-PA]	Rep. Mike Bost [R-IL]	Rep. Marcia Fudge [D-OH]
Rep. Alexander Mooney [R-WV]	Rep. Evan Jenkins [R-WV]	Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D-OH]	Sen. Kyrsten Sinema [I-AZ]
Rep. Bill Johnson [R-OH]	Rep. Robert Scott [D-VA]	Rep. Frederica Wilson [D-FL]	Rep. David Joyce [R-OH]
Rep. Paul Cook [R-CA]	Rep. Bradley Byrne [R-AL]	Rep. Frank LoBiondo [R-NJ]	Rep. Glenn Thompson [R-PA]
Rep. Mike D. Rogers [R-AL]	Rep. Mia Love [R-UT]	Rep. Martha Roby [R-AL]	Rep. Todd Rokita [R-IN]
Rep. Bonnie Coleman [D-NJ]	Rep. Brett Guthrie [R-KY]	Sen. Peter Welch [D-VT]	Rep. Bob Gibbs [R-OH]
Rep. Robert Wittman [R-VA]	Rep. Jared Polis [D-CO]	Rep. Emanuel Cleaver [D-MO]	Rep. Garland Barr [R-KY]
Rep. Terri Sewell [D-AL]	Rep. Larry Bucshon [R-IN]	Rep. Mark Pocan [D-WI]	Rep. Bennie Thompson [D-MS]
Rep. Henry Johnson [D-GA]	Rep. Bill Shuster [R-PA]	Rep. Matthew Cartwright [D-PA]	Rep. Tim Ryan [D-OH]
Rep. Brendan Boyle [D-PA]	Rep. Lacy Clay [D-MO]	Rep. Tom O'Halleran [D-AZ]	Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick [R-PA]
Rep. Rodney Davis [R-IL]	Rep. Sanford Bishop [D-GA]	Rep. Robert Brady [D-PA]	Rep. Steve Stivers [R-OH]
Rep. James Renacci [R-OH]	Sen. Ben Lujan [D-NM]	Rep. Alan Lowenthal [D-CA]	Rep. Donald Norcross [D-NJ]
Rep. Nanette Barragan [D-CA]	Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham [D-NM]	Rep. Leonard Lance [R-NJ]	Rep. Cedric Richmond [D-LA]
Rep. Christopher Smith [R-NJ]	Rep. Michael Turner [R-OH]	Rep. John Yarmuth [D-KY]	Rep. Claudia Tenney [R-NY]
Rep. Mo Brooks [R-AL]	Rep. Stephen Lynch [D-MA]	Rep. Robert Aderholt [R-AL]	Rep. Tom Cole [R-OK]
Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D-CT]	Rep. John Katko [R-NY]	Rep. Don Beyer [D-VA]	Rep. Adam Kinzinger [R-IL]
Rep. Dwight Evans [D-PA]	Rep. Al Green [D-TX]	Rep. Eddie Johnson [D-TX]	Rep. Joyce Beatty [D-OH]
Rep. G. Butterfield [D-NC]	Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA]	Rep. Lisa Rochester [D-DE]	Rep. Elizabeth Esty [D-CT]
Rep. Gwen Moore [D-WI]	Rep. Robin Kelly [D-IL]	Rep. Karen Bass [D-CA]	Rep. James McGovern [D-MA]
Rep. Donald McEachin [D-VA]	Rep. Grace Meng [D-NY]	Rep. Gerald Connolly [D-VA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2017-02-10	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
2017-01-03	House	Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2017-01-03	House	Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2017-01-03	House	Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2017-01-03	House	Introduced in House

SB175 (Related) 2017-01-17 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S343)
SB1105 (Related) 2017-05-11 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
HB3913 (Related) 2017-10-06 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
SB1911 (Related) 2017-10-03 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
HB4426 (Related) 2018-05-22 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/179/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr179/BILLS-115hr179ih.pdf