{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-mcgarvey-introduce-legislation-improve-black-lung-benefits", "Scott, McGarvey Introduce Legislation to Improve Black Lung Benefits Program", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert C. \"Bobby\" Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", "bobbyscott", "https://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Ranking Member Robert C. \u201cBobby\u201d Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), reintroduced the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, legislation that would help miners who have suffered from black lung disease access the workers\u2019 compensation and benefits they are entitled to receive under the federal Black Lung Benefits Program. This legislation significantly reduces barriers, such as complex claims processes and lack of legal representation, that prevent miners and their survivors from accessing benefits.\n\n\u201cDecades ago, Congress established the Black Lung Benefits Act to provide monthly compensation and medical coverage for coal miners who develop black lung disease and are totally disabled. Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office found that miners often lack the necessary medical and legal resources to develop evidence to prove their claims,\u201dsaid Ranking Scott. \u201cThe Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act helps miners and their survivors access legal representation, ensures benefits are not eroded due to inflation, reduces the time for processing claims, and protects taxpayers from taking a hit when a self-insured coal company goes bankrupt and cannot pay black lung claims.\u201d\n\n\u201cAfter paying for this country\u2019s last energy revolution with their own health and safety, miners shouldn\u2019t have to endure a costly, drawn-out legal process to prove they\u2019ve earned their benefits,\u201dsaid McGarvey.\u201cOur bill would peg these benefits to inflation and make them easier to access, rather than letting these miners who have sacrificed so much be left further and further behind. I\u2019m grateful for Senators Kaine and Fetterman and Ranking Member Scott\u2019s continued dedication to strengthen black lung benefits, get miners the care they need, and uphold the dignity of financial security that they deserve.\u201d\n\nMany miners have developed coal workers\u2019 pneumoconiosis\u2014commonly referred to as \u201cblack lung\u201d\u2014a debilitating and deadly disease caused by the long-term inhalation of coal dust in underground and surface coal mines. In response, Congress passed the Black Lung Benefits Act in 1976 to provide monthly compensation and medical coverage for coal miners who develop black lung disease and are disabled. The Black Lung Benefits Improvement Actmakes necessary updates to ensure Congress is fulfilling its commitment to the nation\u2019s coal miners by:\n\nAutomatically adjusting coal miners' benefits for inflation,\n\nHelping miners and their survivors secure legal representation by increasing the number of attorneys willing to take on black lung claims,\n\nExpanding the assistance provided by black lung clinics,\n\nEnsuring miners get assistance from the Department of Labor (DOL) in rebutting medical evidence,\n\nImproving access to CT scans to clarify medical eligibility,\n\nRequiring the DOL to address potential conflicts of interest with physicians providing medical exams,\n\nAccelerating the DOL\u2019s access to employment and earnings verification for miners from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS),\n\nEstablishing stringent criteria for mine operators that seek to self-insure,\n\nIncreasing civil penalties for mine operators that fail to secure benefits, and\n\nExpanding the parties that the DOL can hold liable when an operator fails to secure benefits.\n\nThe legislation has been endorsed by Appalachia Voices, Appalachian Citizens\u2019 Law Center, the BlueGreen Alliance, the Sierra Club, and the United Mine Workers of America.\n\nTo read the bill text for the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, clickhere.\n\nTo read the fact sheet on the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, clickhere.\n\nTo read the section-by-section on the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, clickhere.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-mcgarvey-introduce-legislation-improve-black-lung-benefits"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.292971894145012, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}