{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://halrogers.house.gov/press-releases?ID=4C796D44-1294-4C12-B011-FCE324B96C91", "Congressman Rogers Reintroduces Black Lung Bill Named for Whitley County Coal Miner", "2023-12-06", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "KY", "Harold Rogers", "R000395", "halrogers.house.gov", "halrogers", "https://halrogers.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) and U.S. Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to expedite approved benefits from the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund for coal miners with black lung disease. The John \"J.L.\" White Ensuring Timely Black Lung Benefits Act is named in memory of a former coal miner from Williamsburg, Kentucky who passed away before receiving the benefits he was approved for.\n\n\"Mr. White's story is far too common. Fighting black lung disease can be a costly burden after many years of hard work, and our coal miners shouldn't have to fight through red tape while fighting for their lives,\" said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. \"I was honored to help J.L's family finally receive the benefits he rightfully earned to pay his medical expenses, but unfortunately, he never got to see the first check. That's why I keep pushing for this legislation, which will allow the trust fund to help black lung patients in waiting.\"\n\nThis bill would ensure former coal miners who have met the Department of Labor\u2019s (DoL) medical eligibility requirements can begin receiving payments from the trust fund 60 days after approval, while the DoL continues its diligent, and often lengthy work, to determine the responsible payer.\n\nMedicare coverage for disabled coal miners with black lung disease ceases for some medical services and prescriptions, like inhalers, even though the miners have not yet started receiving payments, making this bill a critical fix.\n\n\u201cCoal miners who have developed black lung disease do not have the luxury to wait for their benefits from the Black Lung Disability Fund,\u201d said Congressman Bishop. \u201cThis important legislation will help ensure that coal miners now, and in the future, will be able to receive the assistance they need in a timely manner so that they will not have to face lengthy delays like John White did. I commend my friend and colleague Hal Rogers for his outstanding bipartisan leadership on this vital issue.\u201d\n\nLiable companies will be responsible for reimbursing the trust fund, providing longevity to this important fund. If a liable company is not found, the miner would continue to receive benefits from the trust fund.\n\nWhite\u2019s daughter, Johnna Robinson, says her dad was recruited to the coal mines as a highly skilled dozer operator, and quickly worked his way up the ranks.\n\n\"This bill will ensure that these miners in need receive their benefits in a timely manner. My Dad loved coal mining, but nothing frustrated him more than red-tape and policies that protected larger corporations at the expense of hard-working men and women,\" said Robinson. \"He would be so honored to know about this bill, and how it could be a help and benefit to miners in need. To have this bill named for him means so much to our family because it means that the legacy and passions of our family patriarch, John L. White, can live on and remind us how blessed we all were to have him in our lives.\"\n\nSince 1973, the Department of Labor has received more than 119,000 black lung claims in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which is the third highest in the country.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "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://halrogers.house.gov/press-releases?ID=4C796D44-1294-4C12-B011-FCE324B96C91"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2231459841132164, "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"}