Mark Souder: “in our discussion about how to achieve safety in our Nation's mines, there's one issue that, until today, has been…”

“in our discussion about how to achieve safety in our Nation's mines, there's one issue that, until today, has been conspicuously absent: drug testing. Our late colleague from Georgia, Charlie Norwood, had the courage to introduce mine safety legislation with a drug testing requirement, only to be criticized for ``blaming the victim.'' I would argue that drug testing prevents victims. Now, claims have been made that the Federal Government is not moving fast enough to implement safety changes, that the States are more nimble. In this instance, the other side may have a point. On the issue of drug testing, I believe the Federal Government ought to be following the States' lead. The Commonwealth of Virginia initiated a drug testing requirement in April 2006. Since then, there have been no mining fatalities in Virginia last year, and just in southwest Virginia they had 278 the previous year, more than they've had homicides, not in coal mining but in drug overdoses. The State of Kentucky passed a drug testing law last year, and coal mining deaths in that State are now at an all-time low. Some 433 miners were suspended for positive drug test results. It's just been possible that a disaster has been averted because of the new drug testing law. Yet inexplicably, the same Democrats who champion this misguided legislation because they want to move more quickly on some reforms are proposing that we stall action on drug testing until we can do a study. We don't need a study.”