{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://evanjenkins.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-jenkins-pass-miners-pensions-bill", "REP. JENKINS: PASS MINERS PENSIONS BILL", "2016-12-01", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "WV", "Evan Jenkins", "J000297", "evanjenkins.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 In a speech on the House floor, U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) urged his colleagues to support passage of legislation to protect miners\u2019 pensions and benefits.\n\u201cTime is running out to do the right thing by our miners and their families. We have a solution \u2013 the Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act \u2013 legislation I am a proud cosponsor of. It\u2019s a bipartisan bill, and a similar bill is pending in the Senate. Congress needs to act to fulfill this promise \u2013 to keep our word to the miners of West Virginia and other coal states,\u201d Rep. Jenkins said.\nPlease click here to watch his floor speech. The full transcript is below.\n\u201cMr. Speaker, with only weeks left in this Congress, two to be exact, our retired coal miners and widows are wondering if we will act to protect them. At the end of the year, the healthcare benefits of many miners and their widows will dry up, and their pensions could be cut in the months and years ahead.\n\u201cWhen they went down into the mines, they were made a promise \u2013 when you retire, you\u2019ll have a good pension and healthcare benefits. Now, that promise is in jeopardy. The pensions and benefits they worked their whole lives for are in jeopardy.\n\u201cMr. Speaker, time is running out to do the right thing by our miners and their families.\n\u201cWe have a solution \u2013 the Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act \u2013 legislation I am a proud cosponsor of. It\u2019s a bipartisan bill, and a similar bill is pending in the Senate. Congress needs to act to fulfill this promise \u2013 to keep our word to the miners of West Virginia and other coal states.\n\u201cThese miners and their families deserve no less than what they worked their entire lives to earn \u2013 the peace of mind that comes with a pension.\n\u201cI urge my colleagues to keep the promise and support this important legislation. Time is running out to stand up for our miners and their families. I yield back.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://evanjenkins.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-jenkins-pass-miners-pensions-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.278998028486967, "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"}