William Ford: “I strongly support H.R. 2108, the Black Lung Benefits Restoration Act of 1993. The bill is essentially the same as the…”

“I strongly support H.R. 2108, the Black Lung Benefits Restoration Act of 1993. The bill is essentially the same as the one which passed the House near the end of the 102d Congress. That bill was severely scaled back to meet both substantive and budgetary considerations. There are many provisions that we left out of this bill that I personally favored. We gave them up to get a bill that could and should pass the House of Representatives. Black lung is an occupational disease that destroys the lives of those who mine the coal on which this country depends. It is a savage disease that debilitates tens of thousands of once strong and energetic miners by denying them the very breath of life. No one who has visited the coal fields of this country can deny the horrible consequences of pneumoconiosis. In 1969, under the leadership of my good friend John Dent, who cared deeply for the people of the coal fields, we passed the first Black Lung Act, as part of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. The need for a compensation program for disabled miners was compelling then and is no less compelling today.”