Political Quotes

“I rise in strong support of this important legislation. I want to commend my colleagues on the Education and Labor Committee, especially chairman Ford and Chairman Murphy, for bringing this bill to the floor. H.R. 2108 will bring needed relief to our Nation's coal miners * * * many who have suffered physical disability from years of hard labor in the coal fields of this country. Under current law, miners are paid interim benefits while their claim is evaluated by officials at the Department of Labor. This process takes an average of 8 years. If their claim is eventually denied, they are forced to repay these benefits. And I can tell you that these are not wealthy people. There have even been cases of miners receiving a letter from the Government and--in a panic--selling off their possessions. In one case, a miner sold his home to meet this obligation. This policy clearly imposes a real hardship on many miners, and I think it is time for us to affect a change. Over the years, I have witnessed firsthand the problems with the current system. And I believe this bill will address these injustices. It will expedite and improve the process through which black lung benefits are provided. By doing so, it will make the process more equitable, more accessible and more in keeping with the intent of the Black Lung Program as initially conceived. It will make it easier for widows to receive survivor benefits, protecting such benefits upon the remarriage of a widow.”