1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Health Benefits for Miners Act of 2019”.
Health Benefits for Miners Act of 2019
A BILL
To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to include certain retirees in the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan, and for other purposes.
2. Inclusion in multiemployer health benefit plan
In general— Section 402(h)(2)(C) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1232(h)(2)(C)) is amended—
by striking “the Health Benefits for Miners Act of 2017” both places it appears in clause (ii) and inserting “the Health Benefits for Miners Act of 2019”;
by striking “, would be denied or reduced as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012 or 2015” in clause (ii)(II) and inserting “or a related coal wage agreement, would be denied or reduced as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012, 2015, or 2018”;
by striking “January 1, 2017” in clause (ii) and inserting “January 1, 2019”; and
by adding at the end the following new clause:
“(vi) Related coal wage agreement—For purposes of clause (ii), the term “related coal wage agreement” means an agreement between the United Mine Workers of America and an employer in the bituminous coal industry that—
“(I) is a signatory operator; or
“(II) is or was a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding that was consolidated, administratively or otherwise, with the bankruptcy proceeding of a signatory operator or a related person to a signatory operator (as those terms are defined in section 9701(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986).”
Effective date— The amendments made by this section shall apply to fiscal years beginning after September 30, 2018.