Political Quotes

“I grew up in the coal mines of southern Illinois, and I have been a strong supporter of legislative efforts to revise the Black Lung Benefits Act since my arrival in Congress in 1989. And I rise again today to express my support for passage of H.R. 2108, the Black Lung Benefits Restoration Act of 1994, and to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Chairman Murphy, and the others who have worked so diligently on this bill. I personally witnessed the cruel suffering caused by black lung disease endured by coal miners of southern Illinois. It is heartbreaking to see miners denied legitimate claims, who have worked for decades in the mines and contracted this disease through no fault of their own. And there are numerous instances where a miner may be granted benefits that under current laws appeals by the coal companies prevail, and benefits are revoked, requiring a miner to pay back thousands of dollars in payments already made. This is unconscionable, especially for the people who have spent their entire lives in the coal mines, to be dealt this kind of blow. And these situations must be remedied, and this is the bill in which they must be remedied.”