US Congress Senate Bill 175 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-7-1)
Status: Introduced on January 17 2017 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2017-01-17 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S343)
Pending: Senate Finance 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. 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. As an offset, the bill amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend the authority of Treasury to collect certain customs user fees.

Miners Protection Act of 2017

Sen. Joe Manchin [D-WV]	Sen. Shelley Capito [R-WV]	Sen. Robert Casey [D-PA]	Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH]
Sen. Tim Kaine [D-VA]	Sen. Mark Warner [D-VA]	Sen. Rob Portman [R-OH]	Sen. Jon Tester [D-MT]
Sen. Patty Murray [D-WA]	Sen. Bernard Sanders [I-VT]	Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]	Sen. Al Franken [D-MN]
Sen. Cory Booker [D-NJ]	Sen. Joe Donnelly [D-IN]	Sen. Martin Heinrich [D-NM]	Sen. Claire McCaskill [D-MO]
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp [D-ND]	Sen. Bill Nelson [D-FL]	Sen. Richard Burr [R-NC]	Sen. Dan Sullivan [R-AK]
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]	Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R-AK]	Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-MA]	Sen. James Risch [R-ID]
Sen. Tammy Duckworth [D-IL]	Sen. Tom Cotton [R-AR]	Sen. Tom Udall [D-NM]	Sen. Kamala Harris [D-CA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2017-01-17	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S343)

HB179 (Related) 2017-02-10 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
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/senate-bill/175/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/s175/BILLS-115s175is.pdf