[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3443 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3443

  To improve compliance with mine and occupational safety and health 
laws, empower workers to raise safety concerns, prevent future mine and 
other workplace tragedies, and establish rights of families of victims 
            of workplace accidents, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 25, 2012

Mr. Rockefeller (for himself, Mr. Harkin, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Manchin) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To improve compliance with mine and occupational safety and health 
laws, empower workers to raise safety concerns, prevent future mine and 
other workplace tragedies, and establish rights of families of victims 
            of workplace accidents, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Robert C. Byrd 
Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. References.
       TITLE I--ADDITIONAL INSPECTION AND INVESTIGATION AUTHORITY

Sec. 101. Independent accident investigations.
Sec. 102. Subpoena authority and miner rights during inspections and 
                            investigations.
Sec. 103. Designation of miner representative.
Sec. 104. Additional amendments relating to inspections, 
                            investigations, and recordkeeping.
                TITLE II--ENHANCED ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY

Sec. 201. Significant and substantial violations.
Sec. 202. A pattern of recurring noncompliance or accidents.
Sec. 203. Injunctive authority.
Sec. 204. Revocation of approval of plans.
Sec. 205. Challenging a decision to approve, modify, or revoke a coal 
                            or other mine plan.
                          TITLE III--PENALTIES

Sec. 301. Civil penalties.
Sec. 302. Civil and criminal liability of officers, directors, and 
                            agents.
Sec. 303. Criminal penalties.
Sec. 304. Commission review of penalty assessments.
Sec. 305. Delinquent payments and prejudgment interest.
                TITLE IV--WORKER RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS

Sec. 401. Protection from retaliation.
Sec. 402. Protection from loss of pay.
            TITLE V--MODERNIZING HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS

Sec. 501. Pre-shift review of mine conditions.
Sec. 502. Rock dust standards.
Sec. 503. Atmospheric monitoring systems and additional technological 
                            improvements.
Sec. 504. Technology related to respirable dust.
Sec. 505. Refresher training on miner rights and responsibilities.
Sec. 506. Additional training.
Sec. 507. Certification of personnel.
              TITLE VI--ADDITIONAL MINE SAFETY PROVISIONS

Sec. 601. Definitions.
Sec. 602. Assistance to States.
Sec. 603. Black lung medical reports.
Sec. 604. Study on workforce needs.
Sec. 605. Mine Safety and Health Administration strategic planning.
TITLE VII--AMENDMENTS TO THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT OF 1970

Sec. 701. Enhanced protections from retaliation.
Sec. 702. Victims' rights.
Sec. 703. Correction of serious, willful, or repeated violations 
                            pending contest and procedures for a stay.
Sec. 704. Conforming amendments.
Sec. 705. Civil penalties.
Sec. 706. Criminal penalties.
Sec. 707. Penalties.
Sec. 708. Effective date.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Employers have an obligation to ensure a safe and 
        healthy work environment for all employees.
            (2) To help fulfill that obligation, Congress must conduct 
        oversight of executive branch agencies responsible for 
        enforcing workplace safety laws and must revise and update 
        Federal laws when necessary to protect the safety and health of 
        the workforce of the United States.
            (3) In response to several mining tragedies in early 2006, 
        Congress quickly passed the most sweeping changes to mine 
        safety laws in 30 years. The Mine Improvement and New Emergency 
        Response Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-236, 120 Stat. 493), also 
        known as the ``MINER Act'', was signed into law on June 15, 
        2006.
            (4) As a result of the MINER Act--
                    (A) coal miners are entitled to at least 2 hours of 
                readily-accessible oxygen supplies for use in 
                emergencies and additional oxygen supplies every 30 
                minutes along escape routes;
                    (B) mines are required to implement emergency 
                response plans and have 2 rescue teams located within 
                one hour from the mine;
                    (C) mine operators are subjected to penalties for 
                failing to quickly notify the Mine Safety and Health 
                Administration about accidents; and
                    (D) a new grant program was created to provide mine 
                safety training.
            (5) Although the MINER Act made significant improvements to 
        mine rescue capabilities, Congress was again reminded of the 
        need to continually improve and vigorously enforce our Federal 
        mine safety laws when, on April 5, 2010, an explosion ripped 
        through the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, 
        killing 29 brave West Virginia coal miners and seriously 
        injuring another. This was the worst coal mining disaster in 
        the United States in nearly 40 years.
            (6) We must never forget those who have been impacted by 
        this tragedy--family members, friends, coworkers, loved ones, 
        and most importantly, the individuals who perished in the Upper 
        Big Branch explosion: Carl ``Pee Wee'' Acord, Jason Matthew 
        Atkins, Christopher Lee Bell, Sr., Gregory Steven Brock, 
        Kenneth A. Chapman, Sr., Robert Eugene Clark, Cory Davis, 
        Charles Timothy Davis, Michael Lee Elswick, William Ildon 
        Griffith, Steven J. ``Smiley'' Harrah, Edward ``Dean'' Jones, 
        Richard Keith Lane, William Roosevelt Lynch, Joe Marcum, Ronald 
        Lee Maynor, Nicolas D. McCroskey, James ``Eddie'' Mooney, Adam 
        K. Morgan, Rex Lane Mullins, Joshua Scott Napper, Howard 
        ``Boone'' Payne, Jr., Dillard Earl ``Dewey'' Persinger, Joel R. 
        ``Jody'' Price, Gary Wayne Quarles, Deward Allan Scott, Grover 
        Dale Skeens, Benny Ray Willingham, and Ricky L. Workman. 
        Another miner, James Woods, was seriously injured in the 
        explosion and a second survivor, Tim Blake, has been credited 
        with heroically attempting to save the lives of his fellow 
        miners by applying emergency breathing devices to them while 
        they were unconscious.
            (7) Five State, Federal, and independent entities have 
        conducted investigations into the Upper Big Branch disaster. 
        Together, these reports conclude that the Upper Big Branch 
        disaster was a preventable explosion caused by a failure of the 
        operator to follow known safety standards, including those that 
        are intended to prevent large-scale explosions.
            (8) The United States Attorney for the Southern District of 
        West Virginia has launched a criminal investigation into the 
        Upper Big Branch disaster, which to date has resulted in the 
        conviction or guilty pleas from three employees or former 
        employees of the Upper Big Branch mine.
            (9) In the last two years, Congress has held 9 hearings 
        into the Upper Big Branch disaster and on mine safety 
        generally.
            (10) Congress enacted, as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall 
        Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 111-203, 
        124 Stat. 1376), an amendment requiring publicly-traded mining 
        companies to disclose serious safety violations to 
        shareholders, the public, and the Securities and Exchange 
        Commission.
            (11) Congress appropriated $22,000,000 through the 
        Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-212) to 
        reduce the backlog of appeals at the Federal Mine Safety and 
        Health Review Commission, investigate the Upper Big Branch 
        disaster, and purchase emergency response equipment. During the 
        year that this funding was available, the Federal Mine Safety 
        and Health Review Commission was able to hire 6 additional 
        judges and support staff and, along with the Department of 
        Labor, was able to dispose of 11,643 cases, including 6,924 
        cases that had been specifically targeted for backlog 
        reduction.
            (12) In September 2010, the Mine Safety and Health 
        Administration issued an emergency temporary standard that 
        strengthened rock dusting requirements to reduce the likelihood 
        and severity of explosions in underground mines. In June 2011, 
        the agency issued final regulations requiring mine operators to 
        maintain incombustible content of combined dust of at least 80 
        percent in underground mines.
            (13) During the 2-year period ending May 2012, the Mine 
        Safety and Health Administration has increased its enforcement 
        by implementing impact inspections that target violations at 
        unsafe mines with poor compliance history or specific safety 
        concerns. As of May 2012, the Administration had conducted 452 
        impact inspections resulting in 8,106 citations, 811 orders, 
        and 32 safeguards.
            (14) The Mine Safety and Health Administration has also--
                    (A) revised the screening criteria for placing 
                mines onto pattern of violations status under section 
                104(e) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 
                1977 (30 U.S.C. 814(e)), which subjects unsafe mines to 
                increased enforcement and oversight;
                    (B) created a new online tool to allow operators, 
                miners, and the public to monitor whether a mine could 
                be subject to a pattern of violations; and
                    (C) proposed new regulations that will eliminate 
                regulatory loopholes that have allowed unsafe mines to 
                avoid being placed onto pattern of violations status 
                altogether.
            (15) In April 2011, for the first time in history since the 
        Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 801 et 
        seq.) was enacted, the Mine Safety and Health Administration 
        placed 2 mines onto pattern of violations status, and as of the 
        end of 2011 had notified 94 mines that they faced a potential 
        pattern of violations, which is the regulatory precursor to 
        being placed onto pattern of violations status.
            (16) The entities charged with investigating the Upper Big 
        Branch disaster have made several recommendations to improve 
        the safety of miners that can only be accomplished through the 
        legislative process. At this time, Congress has not passed 
        comprehensive mine safety legislation that is critical to 
        improving the long-term structure of mine safety efforts and 
        providing the maximum level of protection for our Nation's 
        miners and their families.

SEC. 3. REFERENCES.

    Except in title VII and as otherwise expressly provided, whenever 
in this Act an amendment is expressed as an amendment to a section or 
other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 
section or other provision of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 
1977 (30 U.S.C. 801 et seq.).

       TITLE I--ADDITIONAL INSPECTION AND INVESTIGATION AUTHORITY

SEC. 101. INDEPENDENT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 103(b) (30 U.S.C. 813(b)) is amended by 
striking ``(b) For the purpose'' and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Accident Investigations.--
            ``(1) In general.--For all accident investigations under 
        this Act, the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) determine why the accident occurred;
                    ``(B) determine whether there were violations of 
                law, mandatory health and safety standards, or other 
                requirements, and if such violations are found, issue 
                citations and penalties, and in cases involving 
                possible criminal actions, refer such matters to the 
                Attorney General; and
                    ``(C) make recommendations to avoid any recurrence.
            ``(2) Independent accident investigations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There shall be, in addition to 
                an accident investigation under paragraph (1), an 
                independent investigation by an independent 
                investigation panel (referred to in this subsection as 
                the `Panel') appointed under subparagraph (B) for--
                            ``(i) any accident involving 3 or more 
                        deaths; or
                            ``(ii) any accident that is of such 
                        severity or scale for potential or actual harm 
                        that, in the opinion of the Secretary of Health 
                        and Human Services, the accident merits an 
                        independent investigation.
                    ``(B) Appointment.--
                            ``(i) In general.--As soon as practicable 
                        after an accident described in subparagraph 
                        (A), the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
                        shall appoint 5 members for the Panel required 
                        under this paragraph from among individuals who 
                        have expertise in accident investigations, mine 
                        engineering, or mine safety and health that is 
                        relevant to the particular investigation.
                            ``(ii) Chairperson.--The Panel shall 
                        include, and be chaired by, a representative 
                        from the Office of Mine Safety and Health 
                        Research, of the National Institute for 
                        Occupational Safety and Health (referred to in 
                        this subsection as `NIOSH').
                            ``(iii) Conflicts of interest.--Panel 
                        members, and staff and consultants assisting 
                        the Panel with an investigation, shall be free 
                        from conflicts of interest with regard to the 
                        investigation, and be subject to the same 
                        standards of ethical conduct for persons 
                        employed by the Secretary.
                            ``(iv) Composition.--The Secretary of 
                        Health and Human Services shall appoint as 
                        members of the Panel--
                                    ``(I) 1 operator of a mine or 
                                individual representing mine operators, 
                                and
                                    ``(II) 1 member of a labor 
                                organization or other representative of 
                                miners,
                        and may not appoint more than 1 of either such 
                        types of individuals as members of the Panel.
                            ``(v) Staff and expenses.--The Director of 
                        NIOSH shall designate NIOSH staff to facilitate 
                        the work of the Panel. The Director may accept 
                        as staff personnel on detail from other Federal 
                        agencies or re-employ annuitants. The detail of 
                        personnel under this paragraph may be on a non-
                        reimbursable basis, and such detail shall be 
                        without interruption or loss of civil service 
                        status or privilege. The Director of NIOSH 
                        shall have the authority to procure on behalf 
                        of the Panel such materials, supplies or 
                        services, including technical experts, as 
                        requested in writing by a majority of the 
                        Panel.
                            ``(vi) Compensation and travel.--All 
                        members of the Panel who are officers or 
                        employees of the United States shall serve 
                        without compensation in addition to that 
                        received for their services as officers or 
                        employees of the United States. Each Panel 
                        member who is not an officer or employee of the 
                        United States shall be compensated at a rate 
                        equal to the daily equivalent of the annual 
                        rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of 
                        the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of 
                        title 5, United States Code, for each day 
                        (including travel time) during which such 
                        member is engaged in the performance of duties 
                        of the Panel. The members of the Panel shall be 
                        allowed travel expenses, including per diem in 
                        lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for 
                        employees of agencies under subchapter 1 of 
                        chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, 
                        while away from their homes or regular places 
                        of business in the performance of services for 
                        the Panel.
                    ``(C) Duties.--The Panel shall--
                            ``(i) assess and identify any factors that 
                        caused the accident, including deficiencies in 
                        safety management systems, regulations, 
                        enforcement, industry practices or guidelines, 
                        or organizational failures;
                            ``(ii) identify and evaluate any 
                        contributing actions or inactions of--
                                    ``(I) the operator;
                                    ``(II) any contractors or other 
                                persons engaged in mining-related 
                                functions at the site;
                                    ``(III) any State agency with 
                                oversight responsibilities;
                                    ``(IV) any agency or office within 
                                the Department of Labor; or
                                    ``(V) any other person or entity 
                                (including equipment manufacturers);
                            ``(iii) review the determinations and 
                        recommendations by the Secretary under 
                        paragraph (1);
                            ``(iv) prepare a report that--
                                    ``(I) includes the findings 
                                regarding the causal factors described 
                                in clauses (i) and (ii);
                                    ``(II) identifies any strengths and 
                                weaknesses in the Secretary's 
                                investigation; and
                                    ``(III) includes recommendations, 
                                including interim recommendations where 
                                appropriate, to industry, labor 
                                organizations, State and Federal 
                                agencies, or Congress, regarding 
                                policy, regulatory, enforcement, 
                                administrative, or other changes, which 
                                in the judgment of the Panel, would 
                                prevent a recurrence at other mines; 
                                and
                            ``(v) publish such findings and 
                        recommendations (excluding any portions which 
                        the Attorney General requests that the 
                        Secretary withhold in relation to a criminal 
                        referral) and hold public meetings to inform 
                        the mining community and families of affected 
                        miners of the Panel's findings and 
                        recommendations.
                    ``(D) Hearings; applicability of certain federal 
                law.--The Panel shall have the authority to conduct 
                public hearings or meetings, but shall not be subject 
                to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 
                All public hearings of the Panel shall be subject to 
                the requirements under section 552b of title 5, United 
                States Code.
                    ``(E) Memorandum of understanding.--Not later than 
                90 days after the date of enactment of the Robert C. 
                Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, 
                the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and 
                Human Services shall conclude and publically issue a 
                memorandum of understanding that--
                            ``(i) outlines administrative arrangements 
                        which will facilitate a coordination of efforts 
                        between the Secretary of Labor and the Panel, 
                        ensures that the Secretary's investigation 
                        under paragraph (1) is not delayed or otherwise 
                        compromised by the activities of the Panel, and 
                        establishes a process to resolve any conflicts 
                        between such investigations;
                            ``(ii) ensures that Panel members or staff 
                        will be able to participate in investigation 
                        activities (such as mine inspections and 
                        interviews) related to the Secretary of Labor's 
                        investigation and will have full access to 
                        documents that are assembled or produced in 
                        such investigation, and ensures that the 
                        Secretary of Labor will make all of the 
                        authority available to such Secretary under 
                        this section, including subpoena authority, to 
                        obtain information and witnesses which may be 
                        requested by such Panel; and
                            ``(iii) establishes such other arrangements 
                        as are necessary to implement this paragraph.
                    ``(F) Procedures.--Not later than 90 days after the 
                date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and 
                Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, the Secretary 
                of Health and Human Services shall establish procedures 
                to ensure the consistency and effectiveness of Panel 
                investigations. In establishing such procedures, such 
                Secretary shall consult with independent safety 
                investigation agencies, sectors of the mining industry, 
                representatives of miners, families of miners involved 
                in fatal accidents, State mine safety agencies, and 
                mine rescue organizations. Such procedures shall 
                include--
                            ``(i) authority for the Panel to use 
                        evidence, samples, interviews, data, analyses, 
                        findings, or other information gathered by the 
                        Secretary of Labor, as the Panel determines 
                        valid;
                            ``(ii) provisions to ensure confidentiality 
                        if requested by any witness, to the extent 
                        permitted by law, and prevent conflicts of 
                        interest in witness representation; and
                            ``(iii) provisions for preservation of 
                        public access to the Panel's records through 
                        the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
                    ``(G) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                subsection such sums as may be necessary.
            ``(3) Powers and processes.--For the purpose''.
    (b) Reporting Requirements.--Section 511(a) (30 U.S.C. 958(a)) is 
amended by inserting after ``501,'' the following: ``the status of 
implementation of recommendations from each independent investigation 
panel under section 103(b) received in the preceding 5 years,''.

SEC. 102. SUBPOENA AUTHORITY AND MINER RIGHTS DURING INSPECTIONS AND 
              INVESTIGATIONS.

    Section 103(b) (as amended by section 101(a)) (30 U.S.C. 813(b)) is 
further amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Additional powers.--For the purpose of enabling the 
        Secretary to perform any of the functions under this Act, the 
        Secretary or the Secretary's designee, may sign and issue 
        subpoenas for the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the 
        production of information, including all relevant data, papers, 
        books, documents, and items of physical evidence, and 
        administer oaths. Witnesses summoned shall be paid the same 
        fees that are paid witnesses in the courts of the United 
        States. In carrying out inspections and investigations under 
        this subsection, authorized representatives of the Secretary 
        and attorneys representing the Secretary are authorized to 
        question any individual privately. Under this section, any 
        individual who is willing to speak with or provide a statement 
        to such authorized representatives or attorneys representing 
        the Secretary may do so without the presence, involvement, or 
        knowledge of the operator or the operator's agents or 
        attorneys. The Secretary shall keep the identity of an 
        individual providing such a statement confidential to the 
        extent permitted by law. Nothing in this paragraph prevents any 
        individual from being represented by that individual's personal 
        attorney.''.

SEC. 103. DESIGNATION OF MINER REPRESENTATIVE.

    Section 103(f) (30 U.S.C. 813(f)) is amended by inserting before 
the last sentence the following: ``If any miner is entrapped, disabled, 
killed, or otherwise prevented as the result of an accident in such 
mine from designating such a representative directly, such miner's 
closest relative may act on behalf of such miner in designating such a 
representative. If any miner is not currently working in such mine as 
the result of an accident in such mine, but would be currently working 
in such mine but for such accident, such miner may designate such a 
representative.''.

SEC. 104. ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS RELATING TO INSPECTIONS, 
              INVESTIGATIONS, AND RECORDKEEPING.

    (a) Hours of Inspections.--Section 103(a) (30 U.S.C. 813(a)) is 
amended by inserting after the third sentence the following: ``Such 
inspections shall be conducted during the various shifts and days of 
the week during which miners are normally present in the mine to ensure 
that the protections of this Act are afforded to all miners working all 
shifts. If an inspection of a working section of a mine occurs during a 
shift on which a mechanized mining unit is producing, or customarily 
produces, coal on such section, then such inspection shall be conducted 
while such unit is producing coal at a rate that is reasonably 
consistent with the average rate of production at the mine during the 
previous quarter.''.
    (b) Increased Targeted Inspections.--Section 103(a) (as amended by 
subsection (a)) is further amended by inserting after the fifth 
sentence (as inserted by such subsection) the following: ``If the 
Secretary determines that the operator has not properly maintained a 
record of all violations of this Act (including any mandatory health or 
safety standard or regulation promulgated under this Act) for a mine, 
the Secretary shall provide, during the 3-month period following such 
determination, a minimum of one spot inspection by his authorized 
representative of all or part of such mine, during every 15 working 
days and at irregular intervals. Such inspections shall be in addition 
to any other inspections required under this section.''.
    (c) Conflict of Interest in the Representation of Miners.--Section 
103(a) (30 U.S.C. 813(a)) is further amended by adding at the end the 
following: ``During inspections and investigations under this section, 
and during any litigation under this Act, no attorney shall represent 
or purport to represent both the operator of a coal or other mine and 
any other individual, unless such individual has knowingly and 
voluntarily waived all actual and reasonably foreseeable conflicts of 
interest resulting from such representation. The Secretary is 
authorized to take such actions as the Secretary considers appropriate 
to ascertain whether such individual has knowingly and voluntarily 
waived all such conflicts of interest. If the Secretary finds that such 
an individual cannot be represented adequately by such an attorney due 
to such conflicts of interest, the Secretary may petition the 
appropriate United States District Court which shall have jurisdiction 
to disqualify such attorney as counsel to such individual in the 
matter. The Secretary may make such a motion as part of an ongoing 
related civil action or as a miscellaneous action.''.
    (d) Injury and Illness Reporting.--Section 103(d) (30 U.S.C. 
813(d)) is amended by striking the last sentence and inserting the 
following: ``The records to be kept and made available by the operator 
of the mine shall include man-hours worked and occupational injuries 
and illnesses, and shall be maintained separately for each mine and be 
reported at a frequency determined by the Secretary, but at least 
annually. Operators shall be responsible for reporting on all miners 
working at such mine regardless of their employer, except that 
independent contractors (within the meaning of section 3(d)) shall only 
be responsible for reporting on miners in their employ or under their 
direction or authority.''.
    (e) Orders Following an Accident.--Section 103(k) (30 U.S.C. 
813(k)) is amended by striking ``, when present,''.
    (f) Electronic Database.--Section 103 (30 U.S.C. 813) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(l) The Secretary shall establish and maintain a publicly 
available electronic database containing current and historical data on 
the safety records of each coal or other mine. Such database shall be 
user-friendly and searchable, and shall have the ability to provide 
aggregate data for each mine, each operator, and each controller of a 
mine and the ability to compare safety data between mines, operators, 
and controllers.''.
    (g) Federal-State Coordination.--Section 103 is further amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(m)(1) To the maximum extent practicable, when the Secretary 
identifies a mine as having a significant or persistent safety or 
health problem--
            ``(A) an authorized representative of the Secretary shall 
        request a meeting with the appropriate State-level regulator to 
        share the concerns of the Secretary when the Secretary 
        determines that such actions would improve conditions of the 
        mine; and
            ``(B) the Secretary and the State-level regulator may 
        develop a joint plan designed to correct the identified 
        problem.
    ``(2) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require the 
Secretary to take action that could delay or compromise any civil or 
criminal enforcement action or proceeding.''.
    (h) Outside Experts in Investigations.--Section 112 (30 U.S.C. 822) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Except as provided'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(a) Civil Litigation Representation.--Except as provided''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Mining Experts in Investigations.--The Attorney General shall 
designate 1 or more full-time employees with expertise in the mining 
industry to coordinate with the Department of Labor and assist United 
States attorneys in the investigation and prosecution of criminal 
violations under this Act.''.

                TITLE II--ENHANCED ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY

SEC. 201. SIGNIFICANT AND SUBSTANTIAL VIOLATIONS.

    Section 104(d)(1) (30 U.S.C. 814(d)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``any mandatory health or safety 
                standard'' and inserting ``any provision of this Act, 
                including any mandatory health or safety standard or 
                regulation promulgated under this Act''; and
                    (B) by striking ``such mandatory health or safety 
                standards'' and inserting ``such provisions, 
                regulations, or mandatory health or safety standards'';
            (2) in the second sentence, by striking ``any mandatory 
        health or safety standard'' and inserting ``any provision of 
        this Act, including any mandatory health or safety standard or 
        regulation promulgated under this Act,''; and
            (3) by inserting after the first sentence the following: 
        ``For purposes of this Act, a violation of a provision of this 
        Act, including any mandatory health or safety standard or 
        regulation promulgated under this Act, is of such nature as 
        could significantly and substantially contribute to the cause 
        and effect of a safety or health hazard if there is a 
        reasonable possibility that such violation could result in 
        injury, illness, or death.''.

SEC. 202. A PATTERN OF RECURRING NONCOMPLIANCE OR ACCIDENTS.

    Section 104(e) (30 U.S.C. 814(e)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Pattern of Recurring Noncompliance or Accidents.--
            ``(1) Pattern status.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For purposes of this subsection, 
                an operator of a coal or other mine shall be in pattern 
                status if the operator has, as determined based on the 
                regulations promulgated under paragraph (8)--
                            ``(i) a pattern of--
                                    ``(I) citations for significant and 
                                substantial violations;
                                    ``(II) citations and withdrawal 
                                orders issued for unwarrantable failure 
                                to comply with mandatory health and 
                                safety standards under section 104(d);
                                    ``(III) citations for flagrant 
                                violations within the meaning of 
                                section 110(b);
                                    ``(IV) withdrawal orders issued 
                                under any other section of this Act; or
                                    ``(V) accidents, injuries, or 
                                illnesses; or
                            ``(ii) a pattern consisting of any 
                        combination of citations, orders, accidents, 
                        injuries, or illnesses described in subclauses 
                        (I) through (V).
                    ``(B) Mitigating circumstances.--Notwithstanding 
                subparagraph (A), if the Secretary, after conducting an 
                assessment of a coal or other mine that otherwise 
                qualifies for pattern status, certifies that there are 
                mitigating circumstances wherein the operator has 
                eliminated any elevated risk to the health or safety of 
                miners and has taken sufficient measures to ensure such 
                elevated risk will not recur, the Secretary may deem 
                such mine to not be in pattern status under this 
                subsection. The Secretary shall issue any such 
                certification of such mitigating circumstances that 
                would preclude the placement of a mine in pattern 
                status as a written finding, which shall, not later 
                than 10 days after the certification is made, be--
                            ``(i) published in the Federal Register; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) transmitted to the Committee on 
                        Education and the Workforce of the House of 
                        Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
                        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.
            ``(2) Actions following placement of mine in pattern 
        status.--For any coal or other mine that is in pattern status, 
        the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) notify the operator of such mine that the 
                mine is being placed in pattern status;
                    ``(B) issue an order requiring such operator to 
                cause all persons to be withdrawn from such mine, 
                except those persons referred to in subsection (c) or 
                authorized by an order of the Secretary issued under 
                this subsection;
                    ``(C) issue a remediation order described in 
                paragraph (3) to such operator; and
                    ``(D) require that the number of regular 
                inspections of such mine required under section 103 be 
                increased to 8 per year for an underground mine and 4 
                per year for a surface mine while the mine is in 
                pattern status.
        Notice advising operators that they face potential placement in 
        pattern status shall not be a requirement for issuing a 
        withdrawal order to operators under this subsection.
            ``(3) Remediation order.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A remediation order issued to an 
                operator under paragraph (2)(C) may require the 
                operator to carry out one or more of the following 
                requirements, pursuant to a timetable for commencing 
                and completing such actions or as a condition of miners 
                reentering the mine:
                            ``(i) Provide specified training, including 
                        training not otherwise required under this Act.
                            ``(ii) Institute and implement an effective 
                        health and safety management program approved 
                        by the Secretary, including--
                                    ``(I) the employment of safety 
                                professionals, certified persons, and 
                                adequate numbers of personnel for the 
                                mine, as may be required by the 
                                Secretary;
                                    ``(II) specific inspection, 
                                recordkeeping, reporting and other 
                                requirements for the mine as the 
                                Secretary may establish; and
                                    ``(III) other requirements to 
                                ensure compliance and to protect the 
                                health and safety of miners or prevent 
                                accidents or injuries as the Secretary 
                                may determine are necessary.
                            ``(iii) Facilitate any effort by the 
                        Secretary to communicate directly with miners 
                        employed at the mine outside the presence of 
                        the mine operators or its agents, for the 
                        purpose of obtaining information about mine 
                        conditions, health and safety practices, and 
                        advising miners of their rights under this Act.
                    ``(B) Modification of and failure to comply with 
                remediation order.--The Secretary may modify the 
                remediation order, as necessary, to protect the health 
                and safety of miners. If the mine operator fails to 
                fully comply with the remediation order during the time 
                a mine is in pattern status, the Secretary shall 
                reinstate the withdrawal order under paragraph (2)(B).
                    ``(C) Extension of deadlines.--An extension of a 
                deadline under the remediation order may be granted on 
                a temporary basis and only upon a showing that the 
                operator took all feasible measures to comply with the 
                order and only to the extent that the operator's 
                failure to comply is beyond the control of the 
                operator.
            ``(4) Conditions for lifting withdrawal order.--A 
        withdrawal order issued under paragraph (2)(B) shall not be 
        lifted until the Secretary verifies that--
                    ``(A) any and all violations or other conditions in 
                the mine identified in the remediation order have been 
                or are being fully abated or corrected as outlined in 
                the remediation order; and
                    ``(B) the operator has completed any other actions 
                under the remediation order that are required for 
                reopening the mine.
            ``(5) Performance evaluation.--
                    ``(A) Performance benchmarks.--The Secretary shall 
                evaluate the performance of each operator whose mine is 
                in pattern status every 90 days during which the mine 
                is producing and determine if, for such 90-day period--
                            ``(i) the operator's rate of citations for 
                        significant and substantial violations--
                                    ``(I) are, on average, in the top 
                                performing 35th percentile of such 
                                rates, respectively, for all mines of 
                                similar size and type; or
                                    ``(II) have been reduced by 70 
                                percent since such mine was placed on 
                                pattern status;
                            ``(ii) the operator's accident and injury 
                        rates are, on average, in the top performing 
                        35th percentile of such rates, respectively, 
                        for all mines of similar size and type; and
                            ``(iii) no citation or withdrawal order for 
                        a violation under section 104(d), no withdrawal 
                        order for imminent danger under section 107 
                        arising from a significant and substantial 
                        violation, and no flagrant violations within 
                        the meaning of section 110(b), were issued for 
                        such mine.
                    ``(B) Reissuance of withdrawal orders.--If an 
                operator being evaluated fails to achieve the 
                performance benchmarks described in subparagraph (A), 
                the Secretary may reissue a withdrawal order under 
                paragraph (2)(B) to remedy any recurring conditions 
                that led to pattern status under this subsection, and 
                may modify the remediation order, as necessary, to 
                protect the health and safety of miners.
            ``(6) Termination of pattern status.--
                    ``(A) Performance benchmarks.--The Secretary shall 
                remove an operator of a coal or other mine from pattern 
                status if, for a 1-year period during which the mine is 
                producing--
                            ``(i) the operator's rate of citations for 
                        significant and substantial violations--
                                    ``(I) are, on average, in the top 
                                performing 25th percentile of such 
                                rates, respectively, for all mines of 
                                similar size and type; or
                                    ``(II) have been reduced by 80 
                                percent since such mine was placed on 
                                pattern status;
                            ``(ii) the operator's accident and injury 
                        rates are, on average, in the top performing 
                        25th percentile of such rates, respectively, 
                        for all mines of similar size and type; and
                            ``(iii) no citation or withdrawal orders 
                        for violations under section 104(d), no 
                        withdrawal orders for imminent danger under 
                        section 107 arising from a significant and 
                        substantial violation, and no flagrant 
                        violations within the meaning of section 
                        110(b), were issued for such mine.
                    ``(B) Continuation of pattern status.--Should the 
                mine operator fail to meet the performance benchmarks 
                described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 
                extend the mine's placement in pattern status until 
                such benchmarks are achieved.
            ``(7) Expedited review.--If any order under this subsection 
        is contested, the review of such order shall be conducted on an 
        expedited basis, in accordance with section 105(d).
            ``(8) Regulations; information on performance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 120 days after 
                the date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and 
                Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, the Secretary 
                shall issue interim final regulations that shall 
                define--
                            ``(i) the threshold criteria to trigger 
                        pattern status under paragraph (1) and cause a 
                        withdrawal order to be issued or reissued; and
                            ``(ii) the performance benchmarks described 
                        in paragraphs (5)(A) and (6)(A).
                    ``(B) Threshold criteria.--In establishing 
                threshold criteria to trigger pattern status for mines 
                with significantly poor compliance that contributes to 
                unsafe or unhealthy conditions, the Secretary--
                            ``(i) shall consider frequency and rates of 
                        citations described in paragraph (1)(A) and 
                        rates of reportable accidents and injuries 
                        within the preceding 180-day period;
                            ``(ii) may include factors such as mine 
                        type, production levels, number of miners, 
                        hours worked by miners, number of mechanized 
                        mining units (or similar production 
                        characteristics), and the designation of a 
                        representative of miners at the mine;
                            ``(iii) may include the mine's history of 
                        citations, violations, orders, and other 
                        enforcement actions, or rates of reportable 
                        accidents and injuries, over any period 
                        determined relevant by the Secretary;
                            ``(iv) may assign weight to various types 
                        of citations, orders, accidents, injuries, 
                        illnesses, or other factors; and
                            ``(v) may include other factors the 
                        Secretary may determine appropriate to protect 
                        the safety and health of miners.
                    ``(C) Final regulation.--Not later than 2 years 
                after the date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine 
                and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, the 
                Secretary shall promulgate final regulations 
                implementing this paragraph.
                    ``(D) Government accountability office study.--Not 
                later than 2 years after the promulgation of the final 
                regulations under subparagraph (C), the Comptroller 
                General of the United States shall study the 
                effectiveness of the threshold criteria established in 
                this paragraph and issue to the Committee on Health, 
                Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
                of Representatives a report on the results of the 
                study. In conducting this study, the Comptroller 
                General shall consult with all appropriate 
                stakeholders.
            ``(9) Public database and information.--The Secretary shall 
        establish and maintain a publically available electronic 
        database containing the data used to determine pattern status 
        for all coal or other mines. Such database shall be searchable, 
        shall have the capacity to provide comparative data about the 
        health and safety at mines of similar sizes and types. The 
        Secretary shall also make publicly available--
                    ``(A) a list of all mines the Secretary places in 
                pattern status, updated not less frequently than 
                quarterly; and
                    ``(B) the metrics, including percentile 
                information, used for the purposes of the performance 
                benchmarks and threshold criteria described in 
                paragraphs (5), (6), and (8).
            ``(10) Operator fees for additional inspections.--
                    ``(A) Assessment and collection.--Beginning 120 
                days after the date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd 
                Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, the 
                Secretary shall assess and collect fees, in accordance 
                with this paragraph, from each coal or other mine in 
                pattern status for the costs of additional inspections 
                under this subsection. The Secretary shall issue, by 
                rule, a schedule of fees to be assessed against coal or 
                other mines of varying types and sizes, and shall 
                collect and assess amounts under this paragraph based 
                on the schedule.
                    ``(B) Mines in pattern status inspection fund.--
                There is established in the Treasury of the United 
                States a separate account for the deposit of fees 
                collected under this paragraph to be known as the Mines 
                in Pattern Status Inspection Fund. The Secretary shall 
                deposit any fees collected pursuant to subparagraph (A) 
                into the fund.
                    ``(C) Use.--Amounts in the Mines in Pattern Status 
                Inspection Fund shall be available to the Secretary, as 
                provided in subparagraph (D), for making expenditures 
                to carry out the additional inspections required under 
                paragraph (2)(D).
                    ``(D) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition 
                to any other amounts appropriated, there is authorized 
                to be appropriated from the Mines in Pattern Status 
                Inspection Fund to the Assistant Secretary for Mine 
                Safety and Health for each fiscal year in which fees 
                are collected under subparagraph (A) an amount equal to 
                the total amount collected during the previous fiscal 
                year from fees assessed pursuant to this paragraph. 
                Such amounts are authorized to remain available until 
                expended.
                    ``(E) Crediting and availability of fees.--Fees 
                authorized and collected under this paragraph shall be 
                available for obligation only to the extent and in the 
                amount provided in advance in appropriations Acts.''.

SEC. 203. INJUNCTIVE AUTHORITY.

    Section 108(a)(2) (30 U.S.C. 818(a)(2)) is amended by striking ``a 
pattern of violation of'' and all that follows and inserting ``a course 
of conduct that in the judgment of the Secretary constitutes a 
continuing hazard to the health or safety of miners, including 
violations of this Act or of mandatory health and safety standards or 
regulations under this Act.''.

SEC. 204. REVOCATION OF APPROVAL OF PLANS.

    Section 105 (30 U.S.C. 815) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Revocation of Approval of Plans.--
            ``(1) Revocation.--If the Secretary finds that any program 
        or plan of an operator, or part thereof, that was approved by 
        the Secretary under this Act is based on inaccurate information 
        or that circumstances that existed when such plan was approved 
        have materially changed and that continued operation of such 
        mine under such plan constitutes a hazard to the safety or 
        health of miners, the Secretary shall revoke the approval of 
        such program or plan.
            ``(2) Withdrawal orders.--Upon revocation of the approval 
        of a program or plan under subsection (a), the Secretary may 
        immediately issue an order requiring the operator to cause all 
        persons, except those persons referred to in section 104(c), to 
        be withdrawn from such mine, and to be prohibited from entering 
        such mine, until the operator has submitted and the Secretary 
        has approved a new plan.''.

SEC. 205. CHALLENGING A DECISION TO APPROVE, MODIFY, OR REVOKE A COAL 
              OR OTHER MINE PLAN.

    Section 105(e) (as redesignated by section 204(1)) (30 U.S.C. 
815(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``In any 
proceeding in which a party challenges the Secretary's decision to 
approve, modify, or revoke a coal or other mine plan under this Act, 
the Commission and the courts shall affirm the Secretary's decision 
unless the challenging party establishes that such decision was 
arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in 
accordance with law.''.

                          TITLE III--PENALTIES

SEC. 301. CIVIL PENALTIES.

    (a) Maximum Civil Penalties.--Section 110(a)(1) (30 U.S.C. 
820(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``including any regulation promulgated 
        under this Act,'' after ``this Act,''; and
            (2) by striking ``violation.'' and inserting ``violation, 
        except that, in the case of a significant and substantial 
        violation, the penalty shall be not more than $150,000 for each 
        such violation.''.
    (b) Increased Civil Penalties.--Section 110(b) (30 U.S.C. 820(b)) 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, a change in 
        ventilation in a coal or other mine that has not received prior 
        approval from the Secretary, or a failure to keep the records 
        required for the mine by the Secretary in accordance with this 
        Act, including keeping a record of all violations of this Act 
        (including any mandatory health or safety standard or 
        regulation promulgated under this Act)'' before the period at 
        the end; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, an operator 
of a coal or other mine that is in pattern status under section 104(e) 
and that fails to meet the performance benchmarks set forth by the 
Secretary under section 104(e)(5)(A) during any performance review of 
the mine following the first performance review shall be assessed an 
increased civil penalty for any violation of this Act, including any 
mandatory health or safety standard or regulation promulgated under 
this Act. Such increased penalty shall be twice the amount that would 
otherwise be assessed for the violation under this Act, including the 
regulations promulgated under this Act, subject to the maximum civil 
penalty established for the violation under this Act. This paragraph 
shall apply to violations at such mine that occur during the period 
beginning after the failed performance review following the first 
performance review, and ending when the Secretary determines at a 
subsequent performance review that the mine meets the performance 
benchmarks.''.
    (c) Civil Penalty for Retaliation.--Section 110(a) (30 U.S.C. 
820(a)) is further amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
    ``(4) If any person violates section 105(c), the Secretary shall 
propose, and the Commission shall assess, a civil penalty of not less 
than $10,000 or more than $100,000 for the first occurrence of such 
violation, and not less than $20,000 or more than $200,000 for any 
subsequent violation, during any 3-year period.''.

SEC. 302. CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY OF OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AND 
              AGENTS.

    Section 110(c) (30 U.S.C. 820(c)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Civil and Criminal Liability of Officers, Directors, and 
Agents.--Whenever an operator violates a provision of this Act, 
including any mandatory health or safety standard or regulation 
promulgated under this Act, or knowingly violates or fails or refuses 
to comply with any order issued under this Act or any order 
incorporated in a final decision issued under this Act, any director, 
officer, or agent of such operator who knowingly authorized, ordered, 
or carried out such violation, failure, or refusal, or any policy or 
practice that contributed to the occurrence of such violation, failure, 
or refusal, shall be subject to the same civil penalties, fines, and 
imprisonment that may be imposed upon a person under this section.''.

SEC. 303. CRIMINAL PENALTIES.

    (a) Intent Requirements for Criminal Penalty Standards.--Section 
110(d) (30 U.S.C. 820(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``willfully'' and inserting ``knowingly'';
            (2) by striking ``$250,000, or by imprisonment for not more 
        than one year'' and inserting ``$1,000,000, or by imprisonment 
        for not more than 5 years''; and
            (3) by striking ``$500,000, or by imprisonment for not more 
        than five years'' and inserting ``$2,000,000, or by 
        imprisonment for not more than 10 years''.
    (b) Criminal Penalty for Retaliation.--Section 110(d) is further 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``Any operator''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) Whoever knowingly takes any action that is directly or 
indirectly harmful to any person, including action that interferes with 
the lawful employment or livelihood of any person, because such person 
has provided an authorized representative of the Secretary or another 
law enforcement officer with any information related to the existence 
of a health or safety violation or an unhealthful or unsafe condition, 
policy, or practice under this Act shall be fined under title 18, 
United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both.''.
    (c) Advance Notice of Inspections.--
            (1) In general.--Section 110(e) (30 U.S.C. 820(e)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) by striking ``Unless'' and inserting ``(1) 
                Unless''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) Unless otherwise authorized by this Act, any operator, agent 
or contractor of any operator, miner, inspector, employee of the 
Administration, or State mine inspector, that knowingly gives, causes 
to give, or attempts to give or cause to give advance notice of any 
inspection to be conducted under this Act shall be fined under title 
18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or 
both.''.
            (2) Posting of advance notice penalties.--Section 109 (30 
        U.S.C. 819) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Posting of Advance Notice Penalties.--Each operator of a coal 
or other mine shall post, on the bulletin board described in subsection 
(a) and in a conspicuous place near each staffed entrance onto the mine 
property, a notice stating, in a form and manner to be prescribed by 
the Secretary--
            ``(1) that giving, causing to give, or attempting to give 
        or cause to give advance notice of any inspection to be 
        conducted under this Act is unlawful pursuant to section 
        110(e); and
            ``(2) the maximum penalties for a violation under such 
        subsection.''.

SEC. 304. COMMISSION REVIEW OF PENALTY ASSESSMENTS.

    Section 110(i) (30 U.S.C. 820(i)) is amended by striking ``In 
assessing civil monetary penalties, the Commission shall consider'' and 
inserting the following: ``In any review of a citation and proposed 
penalty assessment contested by an operator, the Commission shall 
assess not less than the penalty derived by using the same methodology 
(including any point system) prescribed in regulations under this Act, 
so as to ensure consistency in operator penalty assessments, except 
that the Commission may assess a penalty for less than the amount that 
would result from the utilization of such methodology if the Commission 
finds that there are extraordinary circumstances. If there is no such 
methodology prescribed for a citation or there are such extraordinary 
circumstances, the Commission shall assess the penalty by 
considering''.

SEC. 305. DELINQUENT PAYMENTS AND PREJUDGMENT INTEREST.

    (a) Pre-Final Order Interest.--Section 110(j) (30 U.S.C. 820(j)) is 
amended by striking the second and third sentences and inserting the 
following: ``Pre-final order interest on such penalties shall begin to 
accrue on the date the operator contests a citation issued under this 
Act, including any mandatory health or safety standard or regulation 
promulgated under this Act, and shall end upon the issuance of the 
final order. Such pre-final order interest shall be calculated at the 
current underpayment rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury 
pursuant to section 6621 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and 
shall be compounded daily. Post-final order interest shall begin to 
accrue 30 days after the date a final order of the Commission or the 
court is issued, and shall be charged at the rate of 8 percent per 
annum.''.
    (b) Ensuring Payment of Penalties.--
            (1) Amendments.--Section 110 (30 U.S.C. 820) is further 
        amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subsection (l) as subsection 
                (m); and
                    (B) by inserting after subsection (k) the 
                following:
    ``(l) Ensuring Payments of Penalties.--
            ``(1) Delinquent payment letter.--If the operator of a coal 
        or other mine fails to pay any civil penalty assessment that 
        has become a final order of the Commission or a court within 90 
        days after such assessment became a final order, the Secretary 
        shall send the operator a letter advising the operator of the 
        consequences under this subsection of such failure to pay. The 
        letter shall also advise the operator of the opportunity to 
        enter into or modify a payment plan with the Secretary based 
        upon a demonstrated inability to pay, the procedure for 
        entering into such plan, and the consequences of not entering 
        into or not complying with such plan.
            ``(2) Withdrawal orders following failure to pay.--If an 
        operator that receives a letter under paragraph (1) has not 
        paid the assessment by the date that is 180 days after such 
        assessment became a final order and has not entered into a 
        payment plan with the Secretary, the Secretary shall issue an 
        order requiring such operator to cause all persons, except 
        those referred to in section 104(c), to be withdrawn from, and 
        to be prohibited from entering, the mine that is covered by the 
        final order described in paragraph (1), until the operator pays 
        such assessment in full (including interest and administrative 
        costs) or enters into a payment plan with the Secretary. If 
        such operator enters into a payment plan with the Secretary and 
        at any time fails to comply with the terms specified in such 
        payment plan, the Secretary shall issue an order requiring such 
        operator to cause all persons, except those referred to in 
        section 104(c), to be withdrawn from the mine that is covered 
        by such final order, and to be prohibited from entering such 
        mine, until the operator rectifies the noncompliance with the 
        payment plan in the manner specified in such payment plan.''.
            (2) Applicability and effective date.--The amendments made 
        by paragraph (1) shall apply to all unpaid civil penalty 
        assessments under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 
        1977 (30 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), except that, for any unpaid civil 
        penalty assessment that became a final order of the Commission 
        or a court before the date of enactment of this Act, the time 
        periods under section 110(n) of the Federal Mine Safety and 
        Health Act of 1977 (as amended) (30 U.S.C. 820(n)) shall be 
        calculated as beginning on the date of enactment of this Act 
        instead of on the date of the final order.

                TITLE IV--WORKER RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS

SEC. 401. PROTECTION FROM RETALIATION.

    Section 105(c) (30 U.S.C. 815(c)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Protection From Retaliation.--
            ``(1) Retaliation prohibited.--
                    ``(A) Retaliation for complaint or testimony.--No 
                person shall discharge or in any manner discriminate 
                against or cause to be discharged or cause 
                discrimination against or otherwise interfere with the 
                exercise of the statutory rights of any miner or other 
                employee of an operator, representative of miners, or 
                applicant for employment, because--
                            ``(i) such miner or other employee, 
                        representative, or applicant for employment--
                                    ``(I) has filed or made a 
                                complaint, including a complaint 
                                notifying the operator or the 
                                operator's agent, or the representative 
                                of the miners at the coal or other mine 
                                of an alleged danger or safety or 
                                health violation in a coal or other 
                                mine;
                                    ``(II) instituted or caused to be 
                                instituted any proceeding under or 
                                related to this Act or has testified or 
                                is about to testify in any such 
                                proceeding, or because of the exercise 
                                by such miner or other employee, 
                                representative, or applicant for 
                                employment on behalf of him or herself 
                                or others of any right afforded by this 
                                Act;
                                    ``(III) has testified or is about 
                                to testify before Congress or any 
                                Federal or State proceeding related to 
                                safety or health in a coal or other 
                                mine; or
                                    ``(IV) refused to violate any 
                                provision of this Act; or
                            ``(ii) such miner is the subject of medical 
                        evaluations and potential transfer under a 
                        standard published pursuant to section 101.
                    ``(B) Retaliation for refusal to perform duties.--
                            ``(i) In general.--No person shall 
                        discharge or in any manner discriminate against 
                        a miner or other employee of an operator for 
                        refusing to perform the miner's or other 
                        employee's duties if the miner or other 
                        employee has a good-faith and reasonable belief 
                        that performing such duties would pose a safety 
                        or health hazard to the miner or other employee 
                        or to any other miner or employee.
                            ``(ii) Standard.--For purposes of clause 
                        (i), the circumstances causing the miner's or 
                        other employee's good-faith belief that 
                        performing such duties would pose a safety or 
                        health hazard shall be of such a nature that a 
                        reasonable person, under the circumstances 
                        confronting the miner or other employee, would 
                        conclude that there is such a hazard. In order 
                        to qualify for protection under this paragraph, 
                        the miner or other employee, when practicable, 
                        shall have communicated or attempted to 
                        communicate the safety or health concern to the 
                        operator and have not received from the 
                        operator a response reasonably calculated to 
                        allay such concern.
            ``(2) Complaint.--Any miner or other employee, 
        representative of miners, or applicant for employment who 
        believes that he or she has been discharged, disciplined, or 
        otherwise discriminated against by any person in violation of 
        paragraph (1) may file a complaint with the Secretary alleging 
        such discrimination not later than 180 days after the later of 
        the last date on which an alleged violation of such paragraph 
        occurs or the date on which the miner or other employee or 
        representative knows or should reasonably have known that such 
        alleged violation occurred.
            ``(3) Investigation and hearing.--
                    ``(A) Commencement of investigation and initial 
                determination.--Upon receipt of such complaint, the 
                Secretary shall--
                            ``(i) forward a copy of the complaint to 
                        the respondent;
                            ``(ii) commence an investigation within 15 
                        days of the Secretary's receipt of the 
                        complaint; and
                            ``(iii) as soon as practicable after 
                        commencing such investigation, make the 
                        determination required under subparagraph (B) 
                        regarding the reinstatement of the miner or 
                        other employee.
                    ``(B) Reinstatement.--If the Secretary finds that 
                such complaint was not frivolously brought, the 
                Commission, on an expedited basis upon application of 
                the Secretary, shall order the immediate reinstatement 
                of the miner or other employee until there has been a 
                final Commission order disposing of the underlying 
                complaint of the miner or other employee. If either the 
                Secretary or the miner or other employee pursues the 
                underlying complaint, such reinstatement shall remain 
                in effect until the Commission has disposed of such 
                complaint on the merits, regardless of whether the 
                Secretary pursues such complaint by filing a complaint 
                under subparagraph (D) or the miner or other employee 
                pursues such complaint by filing an action under 
                paragraph (4). If neither the Secretary nor the miner 
                or other employee pursues the underlying complaint 
                within the periods specified in paragraph (4), such 
                reinstatement shall remain in effect until such time as 
                the Commission may, upon motion of the operator and 
                after providing notice and an opportunity to be heard 
                to the parties, vacate such complaint for failure to 
                prosecute.
                    ``(C) Investigation.--Such investigation shall 
                include interviewing the complainant and--
                            ``(i) providing the respondent an 
                        opportunity to submit to the Secretary a 
                        written response to the complaint and to 
                        present statements from witnesses or provide 
                        evidence; and
                            ``(ii) providing the complainant an 
                        opportunity to receive any statements or 
                        evidence provided to the Secretary and rebut 
                        any statements or evidence.
                    ``(D) Action by the secretary.--If, upon such 
                investigation, the Secretary determines that the 
                provisions of this subsection have been violated, the 
                Secretary shall immediately file a complaint with the 
                Commission, with service upon the alleged violator and 
                the miner or other employee or representative of miners 
                alleging such discrimination or interference, and 
                propose an order granting appropriate relief.
                    ``(E) Action of the commission.--The Commission 
                shall afford an opportunity for a hearing (in 
                accordance with section 554 of title 5, United States 
                Code, but without regard to subsection (a)(3) of such 
                section) and thereafter shall issue an order, based 
                upon findings of fact, affirming, modifying, or 
                vacating the Secretary's proposed order, or directing 
                other appropriate relief. Such order shall become final 
                30 days after its issuance. The complaining miner or 
                other employee, representative, or applicant for 
                employment may present additional evidence on his or 
                her own behalf during any hearing held pursuant to this 
                paragraph.
                    ``(F) Relief.--The Commission shall have authority 
                in such proceedings to require a person committing a 
                violation of this subsection to take such affirmative 
                action to abate the violation and prescribe a remedy as 
                the Commission considers appropriate, including--
                            ``(i) the rehiring or reinstatement of the 
                        miner or other employee with back pay and 
                        interest and without loss of position or 
                        seniority, and restoration of the terms, 
                        rights, conditions, and privileges associated 
                        with the complainant's employment;
                            ``(ii) any other compensatory and 
                        consequential damages sufficient to make the 
                        complainant whole, and exemplary damages where 
                        appropriate; and
                            ``(iii) expungement of all warnings, 
                        reprimands, or derogatory references that have 
                        been placed in paper or electronic records or 
                        databases of any type relating to the actions 
                        by the complainant that gave rise to the 
                        unfavorable personnel action, and, at the 
                        complainant's direction, transmission of a copy 
                        of the decision on the complaint to any person 
                        whom the complainant reasonably believes may 
                        have received such unfavorable information.
            ``(4) Notice to and action of complainant.--
                    ``(A) Notice to complainant.--Not later than 90 
                days after the receipt of a complaint filed under 
                paragraph (2), the Secretary shall notify, in writing, 
                the miner or other employee, applicant for employment, 
                or representative of miners of his determination 
                whether a violation has occurred.
                    ``(B) Action of complainant.--If the Secretary, 
                upon investigation, determines that the provisions of 
                this subsection have not been violated, the complainant 
                shall have the right, within 30 days notice of the 
                Secretary's determination, to file an action in his or 
                her own behalf before the Commission, charging 
                discrimination or interference in violation of 
                paragraph (1).
                    ``(C) Hearing and decision.--The Commission shall 
                afford an opportunity for a hearing (in accordance with 
                section 554 of title 5, United States Code, but without 
                regard to subsection (a)(3) of such section), and 
                thereafter shall issue an order, based upon findings of 
                fact, dismissing or sustaining the complainant's 
                charges and, if the charges are sustained, granting 
                such relief as it deems appropriate as described in 
                paragraph (3)(F). Such order shall become final 30 days 
                after its issuance.
            ``(5) Burden of proof.--In adjudicating a complaint 
        pursuant to this subsection, the Commission may determine that 
        a violation of paragraph (1) has occurred only if the 
        complainant demonstrates that any conduct described in 
        paragraph (1) with respect to the complainant was a 
        contributing factor in the adverse action alleged in the 
        complaint. A decision or order that is favorable to the 
        complainant shall not be issued pursuant to this subsection if 
        the respondent demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence 
        that the respondent would have taken the same adverse action in 
        the absence of such conduct.
            ``(6) Attorney's fees.--Whenever an order is issued 
        sustaining the complainant's charges under this subsection, a 
        sum equal to the aggregate amount of all costs and expenses, 
        including attorney's fees, as determined by the Commission to 
        have been reasonably incurred by the complainant for, or in 
        connection with, the institution and prosecution of such 
        proceedings shall be assessed against the person committing 
        such violation. The Commission shall determine whether such 
        costs and expenses were reasonably incurred by the complainant 
        without reference to whether the Secretary also participated in 
        the proceeding.
            ``(7)  Expedited proceedings; judicial review.--Proceedings 
        under this subsection shall be expedited by the Secretary and 
        the Commission. Any order issued by the Commission under this 
        subsection shall be subject to judicial review in accordance 
        with section 106. Violations by any person of paragraph (1) 
        shall be subject to the provisions of sections 108 and 
        110(a)(4).
            ``(8)  Procedural rights.--The rights and remedies provided 
        for in this subsection may not be waived by any agreement, 
        policy, form, or condition of employment, including by any pre-
        dispute arbitration agreement or collective bargaining 
        agreement.
            ``(9) Savings.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        construed to diminish the rights, privileges, or remedies of 
        any employee who exercises rights under any Federal or State 
        law or common law, or under any collective bargaining 
        agreement.''.

SEC. 402. PROTECTION FROM LOSS OF PAY.

    Section 111 (30 U.S.C. 821) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 111. ENTITLEMENT OF MINERS.

    ``(a) Protection From Loss of Pay.--
            ``(1) Withdrawal order.--If a coal or other mine or area of 
        such mine is closed by an order issued under section 103, 104, 
        107, 108, or 110, all miners who are idled by such order shall 
        be entitled, regardless of the result of any review of such 
        order, to full compensation by the operator at their regular 
        rates of pay and in accordance with their regular schedules of 
        pay for the entire period for which they are idled.
            ``(2) Closure in advance of order.--If the Secretary finds 
        that such mine or such area of a mine was closed by the 
        operator in anticipation of the issuance of such an order, all 
        miners who are idled by such closure shall be entitled to full 
        compensation by the operator at their regular rates of pay and 
        in accordance with their regular schedules of pay, from the 
        time of such closure until such time as the Secretary 
        authorizes reopening of such mine or such area of the mine.
            ``(3) Refusal to comply.--Whenever an operator violates or 
        fails or refuses to comply with any order issued under section 
        103, 104, 107, 108, or 110, all miners employed at the affected 
        mine who would have been withdrawn from, or prevented from 
        entering, such mine or area thereof as a result of such order 
        shall be entitled to full compensation by the operator at their 
        regular rates of pay, in addition to pay received for work 
        performed after such order was issued, for the period beginning 
        when such order was issued and ending when such order is 
        complied with, vacated, or terminated.
    ``(b) Enforcement.--
            ``(1) Commission orders.--The Commission shall have 
        authority to order compensation due under this section upon the 
        filing of a complaint by a miner or his representative and 
        after opportunity for hearing subject to section 554 of title 
        5, United States Code. Whenever the Commission issues an order 
        sustaining the complaint under this subsection in whole or in 
        part, the Commission shall award the complainant reasonable 
        attorneys' fees and costs.
            ``(2) Failure to pay compensation due.--Consistent with the 
        authority of the Secretary to order miners withdrawn from a 
        mine under this Act, the Secretary shall order a mine that has 
        been subject to a withdrawal order under section 103, 104, 107, 
        108, or 110, and has reopened, to be closed again if 
        compensation in accordance with the provisions of this section 
        is not paid by the end of the next regularly scheduled payroll 
        period following the lifting of a withdrawal order.''.

            TITLE V--MODERNIZING HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS

SEC. 501. PRE-SHIFT REVIEW OF MINE CONDITIONS.

    Section 303(d) (30 U.S.C. 863(d)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(3)(A) Not later than 30 days after the issuance of the interim 
final rules promulgated under subparagraph (C), each operator of an 
underground coal mine shall implement a communication program at the 
underground coal mine to ensure that each miner entering the mine is 
made aware, at the start of such miner's shift, of the current 
conditions of the mine, including--
            ``(i) any conditions that are hazardous or that violate a 
        mandatory health or safety standard or a plan approved under 
        this Act; and
            ``(ii) the general conditions of that miner's assigned 
        working section or other area.
    ``(B) In an effort to facilitate the communications described in 
subparagraph (A), each agent of the operator who is responsible for 
ensuring the safe and healthful working conditions at the mine, 
including mine foremen, assistant mine foremen, and mine examiners, 
shall, upon exiting the mine or workplace, verbally communicate with 
any oncoming agent replacing the exiting agent on duty in order to 
update the oncoming agent on the conditions the exiting agent observed 
during the exiting agent's shift, including any conditions that are 
hazardous or that violate a mandatory health or safety standard or a 
plan approved under this Act. Such communications process shall be 
completed prior to the start of each shift at the mine and recorded in 
a book designated for that purpose and available for inspection by all 
interested parties. In the event the mine operation is idle prior to 
the start of any shift, the oncoming agent of the operator shall meet 
with the individual who was responsible for examining the mine to 
obtain the necessary information.
    ``(C) Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the 
Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, the 
Secretary shall promulgate interim final rules implementing the 
requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B).''.

SEC. 502. ROCK DUST STANDARDS.

    (a) Standards.--Section 304(d) (30 U.S.C. 864(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Where rock'' and inserting the following: 
        ``Rock Dust.--
            ``(1) In general.--Where rock'';
            (2) by striking ``65 per centum'' and all that follows and 
        inserting ``80 percent. Where methane is present in any 
        ventilating current, the percentage of incombustible content of 
        such combined dusts shall be increased 0.4 percent for each 0.1 
        percent of methane.''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Methods of measurement.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Each operator of an underground 
                coal mine shall take accurate samples of the amount of 
                coal dust, including float coal dust deposited on rock-
                dusted surfaces, loose coal, and other combustible 
                materials in the active workings of such mines, to 
                ensure that the coal dust is kept below explosive 
                levels through the appropriate application of rock 
                dusting.
                    ``(B) Direct reading monitors.--By the later of 
                September 30, 2012, or the date that is 30 days after 
                the Secretary of Health and Human Services has 
                certified in writing that direct reading monitors are 
                commercially available to measure total incombustible 
                content in coal dust and the Department of Labor has 
                approved such monitors for use in underground coal 
                mines, the Secretary shall require operators to take 
                coal dust samples using direct reading monitors.
                    ``(C) Regulations.--The Secretary shall, not later 
                than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Robert 
                C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 
                2012 promulgate an interim final rule that prescribes 
                methods for sampling of total incombustible content of 
                coal dust using direct reading monitors and includes 
                requirements for locations, methods, and intervals for 
                mandatory operator sampling.
                    ``(D) Recommendations.--Not later than 1 year after 
                the date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and 
                Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, the Secretary 
                of Health and Human Services shall, based upon the 
                latest research, recommend to the Secretary of Labor 
                any revisions to the mandatory operator sampling 
                locations, methods, and intervals included in the 
                interim final rule described in subparagraph (C) that 
                may be warranted in light of such research.''.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Labor, shall prepare and submit, to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a 
report--
            (1) regarding whether any direct reading device described 
        in section 304(d)(2)(B) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health 
        Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 864(d)(2)(B)) is sufficiently reliable 
        and accurate for the enforcement of the mandatory health or 
        safety standards by the Secretary of Labor under such Act, and 
        whether additional improvement to such direct reading device, 
        or additional verification regarding reliability and accuracy, 
        would be needed for enforcement purposes; and
            (2) identifying any limitations or impediments for such use 
        in underground coal mines.
    (c) Additional Rock Dust Reporting.--Section 103(h) (30 U.S.C. 
813(h)) is amended by inserting after the first sentence the following: 
``An operator of a coal or other mine shall, as part of the record-
keeping requirements of this Act, maintain up-to-date records of the 
amount of rock dust purchased and dispersed.''.

SEC. 503. ATMOSPHERIC MONITORING SYSTEMS AND ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGICAL 
              IMPROVEMENTS.

    Section 317 (30 U.S.C. 877) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(u) Atmospheric Monitoring Systems.--
            ``(1) NIOSH recommendations.--Not later than 6 months after 
        the date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace 
        Safety and Health Act of 2012, the Director of the National 
        Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, acting through 
        the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, shall issue 
        recommendations to the Secretary regarding--
                    ``(A) how to ensure that atmospheric monitoring 
                systems are utilized in the underground coal mining 
                industry to maximize the health and safety of 
                underground coal miners; and
                    ``(B) the implementation of redundant systems, such 
                as the bundle tubing system, that can continuously 
                monitor the mine atmosphere following incidents such as 
                fires, explosions, entrapments, and inundations.
            ``(2) Atmospheric monitoring system regulations.--Not later 
        than 270 days following the receipt of the recommendations 
        described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall promulgate 
        regulations requiring that each operator of an underground coal 
        mine install atmospheric monitoring systems, consistent with 
        such recommendations, that--
                    ``(A) protect miners where the miners normally work 
                and travel;
                    ``(B) provide real-time information regarding 
                methane and carbon monoxide levels, and airflow 
                direction, as appropriate, with sensing, annunciating, 
                and recording capabilities; and
                    ``(C) can, to the maximum extent practicable, 
                withstand explosions and fires.
    ``(v) Additional Technological Improvements.--Not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and 
Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2012, the Secretary shall promulgate 
regulations requiring that mining equipment used in a coal mine 
incorporate an atmospheric monitoring and recording device that samples 
and records the methane, oxygen, carbon monoxide and coal dust levels 
in the mine.''.

SEC. 504. TECHNOLOGY RELATED TO RESPIRABLE DUST.

    Section 202(d) (30 U.S.C. 842(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``of Health, Education, and Welfare''; and
            (2) by striking the second sentence and inserting the 
        following: ``Not later than 6 months after the date of 
        enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and 
        Health Act of 2012, the Secretary shall issue a final 
        regulation lowering permissible exposure levels to respirable 
        dust and updating sampling and testing procedures, in order to 
        provide the maximum feasible protection from respirable dust, 
        including coal and silica dust, that is achievable through 
        environmental controls. Not later than 5 years after the date 
        of issuance of such final regulation, and once every 5 years 
        thereafter, the Secretary shall reexamine the incidence of 
        pneumoconiosis in miners and, unless there is a decline in 
        pneumoconiosis, shall update the regulation.''.

SEC. 505. REFRESHER TRAINING ON MINER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 115(a)(3) (30 U.S.C. 825(a)(3)) is amended 
to read as follows:
            ``(3) all miners shall receive not less than 9 hours of 
        refresher training not less frequently than once every 12 
        months, and such training shall include one hour of training on 
        the statutory rights and responsibilities of miners and their 
        representatives under this Act and other applicable Federal and 
        State law, pursuant to a program of instruction developed by 
        the Secretary and delivered by an employee of the 
        Administration or by a trainer approved by the Administration 
        that is a party independent from the operator;''.
    (b) Timing of Initial Statutory Rights Training.--Notwithstanding 
section 115 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (as 
amended by subsection (a)) (30 U.S.C. 825) or the health and safety 
training program approved under such section, an operator shall ensure 
that all miners already employed by the operator on the date of 
enactment of this Act shall receive the one hour of statutory rights 
and responsibilities training described in section 115(a)(3) of such 
Act not later than 180 days after such date.

SEC. 506. ADDITIONAL TRAINING.

    (a) Authority To Mandate Additional Training.--
            (1) In general.--Section 115 (30 U.S.C. 825) is further 
        amended by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f) and 
        inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) Authority To Mandate Additional Training.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to issue an 
        order requiring that an operator of a coal or other mine 
        provide additional training beyond what is otherwise required 
        by law, and specifying the time within which such training 
        shall be provided, if the Secretary finds that--
                    ``(A)(i) a serious or fatal accident has occurred 
                at such mine; or
                    ``(ii) such mine has experienced accident and 
                injury rates, citations for violations of this Act 
                (including mandatory health or safety standards or 
                regulations promulgated under this Act), citations for 
                significant and substantial violations, or withdrawal 
                orders issued under this Act at a rate above the 
                average for mines of similar size and type; and
                    ``(B) additional training would benefit the health 
                and safety of miners at the mine.
            ``(2) Withdrawal order.--If the operator fails to provide 
        training ordered under paragraph (1) within the specified time, 
        the Secretary shall issue an order requiring such operator to 
        cause all affected persons, except those persons referred to in 
        section 104(c), to be withdrawn, and to be prohibited from 
        entering such mine, until such operator has provided such 
        training.''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Section 104(g)(2) (30 U.S.C. 
        814(g)(2)) is amended by striking ``under paragraph (1)'' both 
        places it appears and inserting ``under paragraph (1) or under 
        section 115(e)''.
    (b) Additional Training.--Section 115(a) (30 U.S.C. 825(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (5), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) each miner in an underground coal mine shall receive 
        quarterly training on the use of self-rescue devices, which 
        shall be conducted in circumstances that approximate actual 
        operating circumstances as closely as practicable, including 
        practice during production events and during shift changes.''.

SEC. 507. CERTIFICATION OF PERSONNEL.

    (a) In General.--Title I is further amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 117. CERTIFICATION OF PERSONNEL.

    ``(a) Certification Required.--Any person who is authorized or 
designated by the operator of a coal or other mine to perform any 
duties or provide any training that this Act, including a mandatory 
health or safety standard or regulation promulgated pursuant to this 
Act, requires to be performed or provided by a certified, registered, 
qualified, or otherwise approved person, shall be permitted to perform 
such duties or provide such training only if such person has a current 
certification, registration, qualification, or approval to perform such 
duties or provide such training consistent with the requirements of 
this section.
    ``(b) Establishment of Certification Requirements and Procedures.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and 
        Health Act of 2012, the Secretary shall issue mandatory 
        standards to establish--
                    ``(A) requirements for such certification, 
                registration, qualification, or other approval, 
                including the experience, examinations, and references 
                that may be required as appropriate;
                    ``(B) time limits for such certifications and 
                procedures for obtaining and renewing such 
                certification, registration, qualification, or other 
                approval; and
                    ``(C) procedures and criteria for revoking such 
                certification, registration, qualification, or other 
                approval, including procedures that ensure that the 
                Secretary responds to requests for revocation.
            ``(2) Coordination with states.--In developing such 
        standards, the Secretary shall consult with States that have 
        miner certification programs to ensure effective coordination 
        with existing State standards and requirements for 
        certification. The standards required under paragraph (1) may 
        provide that the certification, registration, qualification, or 
        other approval of the State in which the coal or other mine is 
        located satisfies the requirement of subsection (a) if the 
        State's program of certification, registration, qualification, 
        or other approval is no less stringent than the standards 
        established by the Secretary under paragraph (1).
    ``(c) Operator Fees for Certification.--
            ``(1) Assessment and collection.--Beginning 180 days after 
        the date of enactment of the Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace 
        Safety and Health Act of 2012, the Secretary shall assess and 
        collect fees, in accordance with this subsection, from each 
        operator for each person certified under this section. Fees 
        shall be assessed and collected in amounts determined by the 
        Secretary as necessary to fund the certification programs 
        established under this section.
            ``(2) Mine safety and health certification fund.--There is 
        established in the Treasury of the United States a separate 
        account for the deposit of fees collected under this subsection 
        to be known as the Mine Safety and Health Certification Fund. 
        The Secretary shall deposit any fees collected pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) into the fund.
            ``(3) Use.--Amounts in the Mine Safety and Health 
        Certification Fund shall be available to the Secretary, as 
        provided in paragraph (4), for making expenditures to carry out 
        the certification programs established under this subsection.
            ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to 
        funds appropriated under section 114, there is authorized to be 
        appropriated from the Mine Safety and Health Certification Fund 
        to the Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health for each 
        fiscal year in which fees are collected under paragraph (1) an 
        amount equal to the total amount collected during the previous 
        fiscal year from fees assessed pursuant to this subsection. 
        Such amounts are authorized to remain available until expended.
            ``(5) Crediting and availability of fees.--Fees authorized 
        and collected under this subsection shall be available for 
        obligation only to the extent and in the amount provided in 
        advance in appropriations Acts.
    ``(d) Citation; Withdrawal Order.--Any operator who permits a 
person to perform any of the health or safety related functions 
described in subsection (a) without a current certification which meets 
the requirements of this section shall be considered to have committed 
an unwarrantable failure under section 104(d)(1), and the Secretary 
shall issue an order requiring that the miner be withdrawn or 
reassigned to duties that do not require such certification.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 318 (30 U.S.C. 878) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking subsections (a) and (b);
            (2) in subsection (c), by redesignating paragraphs (1) 
        through (3) as subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively;
            (3) in subsection (g), by redesignating paragraphs (1) 
        through (4) as subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively; and
            (4) by redesignating subsections (c) through (j) as 
        paragraphs (1) through (8), respectively.

              TITLE VI--ADDITIONAL MINE SAFETY PROVISIONS

SEC. 601. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Definition of Operator.--Section 3(d) (30 U.S.C. 802) is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) `operator' means--
            ``(1) any owner, lessee, or other person that--
                    ``(A) operates or supervises a coal or other mine; 
                or
                    ``(B) controls such mine by making or having the 
                authority to make management or operational decisions 
                that affect, directly or indirectly, the health or 
                safety at such mine; or
            ``(2) any independent contractor performing services or 
        construction at such mine;''.
    (b) Definition of Agent.--Section 3(e) (30 U.S.C. 802(e)) is 
amended by striking ``the miners'' and inserting ``any miner''.
    (c) Definition of Miner.--Section 3(g) (30 U.S.C. 802(g)) is 
amended by inserting after ``or other mine'' the following: ``, and 
includes any individual who is not currently working in a coal or other 
mine but would be currently working in such mine, but for an accident 
in such mine''.
    (d) Definition of Imminent Danger.--Section 3(j) (30 U.S.C. 802(j)) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``means the'' and inserting the following: 
        ``means--
            ``(1) the'';
            (2) by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting ``; 
        or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) the existence of multiple conditions or practices 
        (regardless of whether related to each other) that, when 
        considered in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to 
        cause death or serious physical harm before such conditions or 
        practices can be abated;''.
    (e) Definition of Significant and Substantial Violations.--Section 
3 (30 U.S.C. 802) is further amended--
            (1) in subsection (m), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) in subsection (n), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon;
            (3) in subsection (o), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(p) `significant and substantial violation' means a violation of 
this Act, including any mandatory health or safety standard or 
regulation promulgated under this Act, that is of such nature as could 
significantly and substantially contribute to the cause and effect of a 
coal or other mine safety or health hazard as described in section 
104(d).''.

SEC. 602. ASSISTANCE TO STATES.

    Section 503 (30 U.S.C. 953(a)) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                striking ``, in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Health, Education, and Welfare and the Secretary of the 
                Interior,'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) to assist such State in developing and implementing 
        any certification program for coal or other mines required for 
        compliance with section 117.''; and
            (2) in subsection (h), by striking ``$3,000,000 for fiscal 
        year 1970, and $10,000,000 in each succeeding fiscal year'' and 
        inserting ``$20,000,000 for each fiscal year''.

SEC. 603. BLACK LUNG MEDICAL REPORTS.

    Title IV of the Black Lung Benefits Act (30 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 435. MEDICAL REPORTS.

    ``In any claim for benefits for a miner under this title, an 
operator that requires a miner to submit to a medical examination 
regarding the miner's respiratory or pulmonary condition shall, not 
later than 14 days after the miner has been examined, deliver to the 
claimant a complete copy of the examining physician's report. The 
examining physician's report shall be in writing and shall set out in 
detail the examiner's findings, including any diagnoses and conclusions 
and the results of any diagnostic imaging techniques and tests that 
were performed on the miner.''.

SEC. 604. STUDY ON WORKFORCE NEEDS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall conduct a study on the workforce needs of the mining industry and 
Federal and State enforcement agencies, including the need for 
engineers and mine safety and health professionals.
    (b) Issues To Be Studied.--The study in subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) an analysis of the training and expertise of the mine 
        engineers and the safety and health workforce; and
            (2) the need for a highly trained workforce of engineers 
        and safety and health professionals within--
                    (A) the mining industry;
                    (B) the Mine Safety Health Administration; and
                    (C) State enforcement agencies responsible for mine 
                safety and health.
    (c) Report.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate and to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives a report on the study in 
subsection (a).
    (d) Recommendations.--As needed, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall provide recommendations for improvement in the 
report in subsection (c).

SEC. 605. MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION STRATEGIC PLANNING.

    (a) Strategic Plan.--Not later than December 31, 2012, the 
Secretary of Labor, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Mine Safety and Health, shall submit to the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget and to the Congress and post on the public 
website of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, a 5-year 
strategic plan for program activities. Such plan shall be--
            (1) prepared in accordance with the requirements for agency 
        strategic plans under section 306 of title 5, United States 
        Code, except as otherwise provided in this section;
            (2) aligned with the strategic plan of the Department of 
        Labor; and
            (3) revised at least once every 4 years.
    (b) Annual Performance Plan.--Beginning with the Mine Safety and 
Health Administration budget submission for fiscal year 2014, the 
Secretary of Labor, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Mine Safety and Health, shall submit to the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget an annual performance plan covering each program 
activity set forth in the budget of the Mine Safety and Health 
Administration. Such plan shall--
            (1) be prepared in accordance with the requirements for 
        performance plans under section 1115 of title 31, United States 
        Code, except as otherwise provided in this section;
            (2) be consistent with the strategic plan of the Mine 
        Safety and Health Administration under subsection (a); and
            (3) include a strategic workforce plan that provides a 
        clear line of sight between the performance goals and 
        objectives of the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the 
        human capital strategies employed to meet such goals and 
        objectives.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 150 days after the end of a fiscal 
year, beginning with fiscal year 2014, the Secretary of Labor, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, 
shall prepare and submit to the President and the Congress and post on 
the public website of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, a 
report on the program performance for the previous fiscal year. Such 
report shall--
            (1) be prepared in accordance with the requirements for 
        program performance reports under section 1116 of title 31, 
        United States Code; and
            (2) address the extent to which the Mine Safety and Health 
        Administration is using performance information to improve 
        program performance.

TITLE VII--AMENDMENTS TO THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT OF 1970

SEC. 701. ENHANCED PROTECTIONS FROM RETALIATION.

    (a) Employee Actions.--Section 11(c)(1) of the Occupational Safety 
and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 660(c)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``discharge'' and all that follows through 
        ``because such'' and inserting the following: ``discharge or 
        cause to be discharged, or in any manner discriminate against 
        or cause to be discriminated against, any employee because--
            ``(A) such'';
            (2) by striking ``this Act or has'' and inserting the 
        following: ``this Act;
            ``(B) such employee has'';
            (3) by striking ``such proceeding or because of the 
        exercise'' and inserting the following: ``before Congress or in 
        any Federal or State proceeding related to safety or health;
            ``(C) such employee has refused to violate any provision of 
        this Act; or
            ``(D) of the exercise''; and
            (4) by inserting before the period at the end the 
        following: ``, including the reporting of any injury, illness, 
        or unsafe condition to the employer, agent of the employer, 
        safety and health committee involved, or employee safety and 
        health representative involved''.
    (b) Prohibition of Retaliation.--Section 11(c) of such Act (29 
U.S.C. 660(c)) is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
following:
    ``(2)(A) No person shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, or 
in any manner discriminate against, or cause to be discriminated 
against, an employee for refusing to perform the employee's duties if 
the employee has a reasonable apprehension that performing such duties 
would result in serious injury to, or serious impairment of the health 
of, the employee or other employees.
    ``(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the circumstances causing 
the employee's good-faith belief that performing such duties would pose 
a safety or health hazard shall be of such a nature that a reasonable 
person, under the circumstances confronting the employee, would 
conclude that there is such a hazard. In order to qualify for 
protection under this paragraph, the employee, when practicable, shall 
have communicated or attempted to communicate the safety or health 
concern to the employer and have not received from the employer a 
response reasonably calculated to allay such concern.''.
    (c) Procedure.--Section 11(c) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 660(c)) is 
amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:
            ``(3) Complaint.--Any employee who believes that the 
        employee has been discharged, disciplined, or otherwise 
        discriminated against by any person in violation of paragraph 
        (1) or (2) may seek relief for such violation by filing a 
        complaint with the Secretary under paragraph (5).
            ``(4) Statute of limitations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An employee may take the action 
                permitted by paragraph (3) not later than 180 days 
                after the later of--
                            ``(i) the date on which an alleged 
                        violation of paragraph (1) or (2) occurs; or
                            ``(ii) the date on which the employee knows 
                        or should reasonably have known that such 
                        alleged violation occurred.
                    ``(B) Repeat violation.--Except in cases when the 
                employee has been discharged, a violation of paragraph 
                (1) or (2) shall be considered to have occurred on the 
                last date an alleged repeat violation occurred.
            ``(5) Investigation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An employee may, within the time 
                period required under paragraph (4), file a complaint 
                with the Secretary alleging a violation of paragraph 
                (1) or (2). If the complaint alleges a prima facie 
                case, the Secretary shall conduct an investigation of 
                the allegations in the complaint, which--
                            ``(i) shall include--
                                    ``(I) interviewing the complainant;
                                    ``(II) providing the respondent an 
                                opportunity to--
                                            ``(aa) submit to the 
                                        Secretary a written response to 
                                        the complaint; and
                                            ``(bb) meet with the 
                                        Secretary to present statements 
                                        from witnesses or provide 
                                        evidence; and
                                    ``(III) providing the complainant 
                                an opportunity to--
                                            ``(aa) receive any 
                                        statements or evidence provided 
                                        to the Secretary;
                                            ``(bb) meet with the 
                                        Secretary; and
                                            ``(cc) rebut any statements 
                                        or evidence; and
                            ``(ii) may include issuing subpoenas for 
                        the purposes of such investigation.
                    ``(B) Decision.--Not later than 90 days after the 
                filing of the complaint, the Secretary shall--
                            ``(i) determine whether reasonable cause 
                        exists to believe that a violation of paragraph 
                        (1) or (2) has occurred; and
                            ``(ii) issue a decision granting or denying 
                        relief.
            ``(6) Preliminary order following investigation.--If, after 
        completion of an investigation under paragraph (5)(A), the 
        Secretary finds reasonable cause to believe that a violation of 
        paragraph (1) or (2) has occurred, the Secretary shall issue a 
        preliminary order providing relief authorized under paragraph 
        (14) at the same time the Secretary issues a decision under 
        paragraph (5)(B). If a de novo hearing is not requested within 
        the time period required under paragraph (7)(A)(i), such 
        preliminary order shall be deemed a final order of the 
        Secretary and is not subject to judicial review.
            ``(7) Hearing.--
                    ``(A) Request for hearing.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A de novo hearing on the 
                        record before an administrative law judge may 
                        be requested--
                                    ``(I) by the complainant or 
                                respondent within 30 days after 
                                receiving notification of a decision 
                                granting or denying relief issued under 
                                paragraph 5(D) or paragraph (6) 
                                respectively;
                                    ``(II) by the complainant within 30 
                                days after the date the complaint is 
                                dismissed without investigation by the 
                                Secretary under paragraph (5)(A); or
                                    ``(III) by the complainant within 
                                120 days after the date of filing the 
                                complaint, if the Secretary has not 
                                issued a decision under paragraph 
                                (5)(B).
                            ``(ii) Reinstatement order.--The request 
                        for a hearing shall not operate to stay any 
                        preliminary reinstatement order issued under 
                        paragraph (6).
                    ``(B) Procedures.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A hearing requested 
                        under this paragraph shall be conducted 
                        expeditiously and in accordance with rules 
                        established by the Secretary for hearings 
                        conducted by administrative law judges.
                            ``(ii) Subpoenas; production of evidence.--
                        In conducting any such hearing, the 
                        administrative law judge may issue subpoenas. 
                        The respondent or complainant may request the 
                        issuance of subpoenas that require the 
                        deposition of, or the attendance and testimony 
                        of, witnesses and the production of any 
                        evidence (including any books, papers, 
                        documents, or recordings) relating to the 
                        matter under consideration.
                            ``(iii) Decision.--The administrative law 
                        judge shall issue a decision not later than 90 
                        days after the date on which a hearing was 
                        requested under this paragraph and promptly 
                        notify, in writing, the parties and the 
                        Secretary of such decision, including the 
                        findings of fact and conclusions of law. If the 
                        administrative law judge finds that a violation 
                        of paragraph (1) or (2) has occurred, the judge 
                        shall issue an order for relief under paragraph 
                        (14). If review under paragraph (8) is not 
                        timely requested, such order shall be deemed a 
                        final order of the Secretary that is not 
                        subject to judicial review.
            ``(8) Administrative appeal.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the 
                date of notification of a decision and order issued by 
                an administrative law judge under paragraph (7), the 
                complainant or respondent may file, with objections, an 
                administrative appeal with an administrative review 
                body designated by the Secretary (referred to in this 
                paragraph as the `review board').
                    ``(B) Standard of review.--In reviewing the 
                decision and order of the administrative law judge, the 
                review board shall affirm the decision and order if it 
                is determined that the factual findings set forth 
                therein are supported by substantial evidence and the 
                decision and order are made in accordance with 
                applicable law.
                    ``(C) Decisions.--If the review board grants an 
                administrative appeal, the review board shall issue a 
                final decision and order affirming or reversing, in 
                whole or in part, the decision under review by not 
                later than 90 days after receipt of the administrative 
                appeal. If it is determined that a violation of 
                paragraph (1) or (2) has occurred, the review board 
                shall issue a final decision and order providing relief 
                authorized under paragraph (14). Such decision and 
                order shall constitute final agency action with respect 
                to the matter appealed.
            ``(9) Settlement in the administrative process.--
                    ``(A) In general.--At any time before issuance of a 
                final order, an investigation or proceeding under this 
                subsection may be terminated on the basis of a 
                settlement agreement entered into by the parties.
                    ``(B) Public policy considerations.--Neither the 
                Secretary, an administrative law judge, or review board 
                conducting a hearing under this subsection shall accept 
                a settlement that contains conditions conflicting with 
                the rights protected under this Act or that are 
                contrary to public policy, including a restriction on a 
                complainant's right to future employment with employers 
                other than the specific employers named in a complaint.
            ``(10) Inaction by the review board or administrative law 
        judge.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The complainant may bring a de 
                novo action described in subparagraph (B) if--
                            ``(i) an administrative law judge has not 
                        issued a decision and order within the 90-day 
                        time period required under paragraph 
                        (7)(B)(iii); or
                            ``(ii) the review board has not issued a 
                        decision and order within the 90-day time 
                        period required under paragraph (8)(C).
                    ``(B) De novo action.--Such de novo action may be 
                brought at law or equity in the United States district 
                court for the district where a violation of paragraph 
                (1) or (2) allegedly occurred or where the complainant 
                resided on the date of such alleged violation. The 
                court shall have jurisdiction over such action without 
                regard to the amount in controversy and to order 
                appropriate relief under paragraph (14). Such action 
                shall, at the request of either party to such action, 
                be tried by the court with a jury.
            ``(11) Judicial review.--
                    ``(A) Timely appeal to the court of appeals.--Any 
                party adversely affected or aggrieved by a final 
                decision and order issued under this subsection may 
                obtain review of such decision and order in the United 
                States Court of Appeals for the circuit where the 
                violation, with respect to which such final decision 
                and order was issued, allegedly occurred or where the 
                complainant resided on the date of such alleged 
                violation. To obtain such review, a party shall file a 
                petition for review not later than 60 days after the 
                final decision and order was issued. Such review shall 
                conform to chapter 7 of title 5, United States Code. 
                The commencement of proceedings under this subparagraph 
                shall not, unless ordered by the court, operate as a 
                stay of the final decision and order.
                    ``(B) Limitation on collateral attack.--An order 
                and decision with respect to which review may be 
                obtained under subparagraph (A) shall not be subject to 
                judicial review in any criminal or other civil 
                proceeding.
            ``(12) Enforcement of order.--If a respondent fails to 
        comply with an order issued under this subsection, the 
        Secretary or the complainant on whose behalf the order was 
        issued may file a civil action for enforcement in the United 
        States district court for the district in which the violation 
        was found to occur to enforce such order. If both the Secretary 
        and the complainant file such action, the action of the 
        Secretary shall take precedence. The district court shall have 
        jurisdiction to grant all appropriate relief described in 
        paragraph (14).
            ``(13) Burdens of proof.--
                    ``(A) Criteria for determination.--In making a 
                determination or adjudicating a complaint pursuant to 
                this subsection, the Secretary, administrative law 
                judge, review board, or a court may determine that a 
                violation of paragraph (1) or (2) has occurred only if 
                the complainant demonstrates that any conduct described 
                in paragraph (1) or (2) with respect to the complainant 
                was a contributing factor in the adverse action alleged 
                in the complaint.
                    ``(B) Prohibition.--Notwithstanding subparagraph 
                (A), a decision or order that is favorable to the 
                complainant shall not be issued in any administrative 
                or judicial action pursuant to this subsection if the 
                respondent demonstrates by clear and convincing 
                evidence that the respondent would have taken the same 
                adverse action in the absence of such conduct.
            ``(14) Relief.--
                    ``(A) Order for relief.--If the Secretary, 
                administrative law judge, review board, or a court 
                determines that a violation of paragraph (1) or (2) has 
                occurred, the Secretary or court, respectively, shall 
                have jurisdiction to order all appropriate relief, 
                including injunctive relief, compensatory and exemplary 
                damages, including--
                            ``(i) affirmative action to abate the 
                        violation;
                            ``(ii) reinstatement without loss of 
                        position or seniority, and restoration of the 
                        terms, rights, conditions, and privileges 
                        associated with the complainant's employment, 
                        including opportunities for promotions to 
                        positions with equivalent or better 
                        compensation for which the complainant is 
                        qualified;
                            ``(iii) compensatory and consequential 
                        damages sufficient to make the complainant 
                        whole, (including back pay, prejudgment 
                        interest, and other damages); and
                            ``(iv) expungement of all warnings, 
                        reprimands, or derogatory references that have 
                        been placed in paper or electronic records or 
                        databases of any type relating to the actions 
                        by the complainant that gave rise to the 
                        unfavorable personnel action, and, at the 
                        complainant's direction, transmission of a copy 
                        of the decision on the complaint to any person 
                        whom the complainant reasonably believes may 
                        have received such unfavorable information.
                    ``(B) Attorneys' fees and costs.--If the Secretary 
                or an administrative law judge, review board, or court 
                grants an order for relief under subparagraph (A), the 
                Secretary, administrative law judge, review board, or 
                court, respectively, shall assess, at the request of 
                the employee against the employer--
                            ``(i) reasonable attorneys' fees; and
                            ``(ii) costs (including expert witness 
                        fees)) reasonably incurred, as determined by 
                        the Secretary, administrative law judge, review 
                        board, or court, respectively, in connection 
                        with bringing the complaint upon which the 
                        order was issued.
            ``(15)  Procedural rights.--The rights and remedies 
        provided for in this subsection may not be waived by any 
        agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment, including 
        by any pre-dispute arbitration agreement or collective 
        bargaining agreement.
            ``(16) Savings.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        construed to diminish the rights, privileges, or remedies of 
        any employee who exercises rights under any Federal or State 
        law or common law, or under any collective bargaining 
        agreement.
            ``(17) Election of venue.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An employee of an employer who 
                is located in a State that has a State plan approved 
                under section 18 may file a complaint alleging a 
                violation of paragraph (1) or (2) by such employer 
                with--
                            ``(i) the Secretary under paragraph (5); or
                            ``(ii) a State plan administrator in such 
                        State.
                    ``(B) Referrals.--If--
                            ``(i) the Secretary receives a complaint 
                        pursuant to subparagraph (A)(i), the Secretary 
                        shall not refer such complaint to a State plan 
                        administrator for resolution; or
                            ``(ii) a State plan administrator receives 
                        a complaint pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii), 
                        the State plan administrator shall not refer 
                        such complaint to the Secretary for 
                        resolution.''.
    (d) Relation to Enforcement.--Section 17(j) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 
666(j)) is amended by inserting before the period the following: ``, 
including the history of violations under section 11(c)''.

SEC. 702. VICTIMS' RIGHTS.

    The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 651 et 
seq.) is amended by inserting after section 9 (29 U.S.C. 658) the 
following:

``SEC. 9A. VICTIMS' RIGHTS.

    ``(a) Rights Before the Secretary.--A victim or the representative 
of a victim, shall be afforded the right, with respect to an inspection 
or investigation conducted under section 8 to--
            ``(1) meet with the Secretary regarding the inspection or 
        investigation conducted under such section before the 
        Secretary's decision to issue a citation or take no action;
            ``(2) receive, at no cost, a copy of any citation or 
        report, issued as a result of such inspection or investigation, 
        at the same time as the employer receives such citation or 
        report;
            ``(3) be informed of any notice of contest or addition of 
        parties to the proceedings filed under section 10(c); and
            ``(4) be provided notification of the date and time or any 
        proceedings, service of pleadings, and other relevant 
        documents, and an explanation of the rights of the employer, 
        employee and employee representative, and victim to participate 
        in proceedings conducted under section 10(c).
    ``(b) Rights Before the Commission.--Upon request, a victim or 
representative of a victim shall be afforded the right with respect to 
a work-related bodily injury or death to--
            ``(1) be notified of the time and date of any proceeding 
        before the Commission;
            ``(2) receive pleadings and any decisions relating to the 
        proceedings; and
            ``(3) be provided an opportunity to appear and make a 
        statement in accordance with the rules prescribed by the 
        Commission.
    ``(c) Modification of Citation.--Before entering into an agreement 
to withdraw or modify a citation issued as a result of an inspection or 
investigation of an incident under section 8, the Secretary shall 
notify a victim or representative of a victim and provide the victim or 
representative of a victim with an opportunity to appear and make a 
statement before the parties conducting settlement negotiations. In 
lieu of an appearance, the victim or representative of the victim may 
elect to submit a letter to the Secretary and the parties.
    ``(d) Secretary Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish 
procedures--
            ``(1) to inform victims of their rights under this section; 
        and
            ``(2) for the informal review of any claim of a denial of 
        such a right.
    ``(e) Commission Procedures and Considerations.--The Commission 
shall--
            ``(1) establish procedures relating to the rights of 
        victims to be heard in proceedings before the Commission; and
            ``(2) in rendering any decision, provide due consideration 
        to any statement or information provided by any victim before 
        the Commission.
    ``(f) Family Liaisons.--The Secretary shall designate at least 1 
employee at each area office of the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration to serve as a family liaison to--
            ``(1) keep victims informed of the status of 
        investigations, enforcement actions, and settlement 
        negotiations; and
            ``(2) assist victims in asserting their rights under this 
        section.
    ``(g) Definition.--In this section, the term `victim' means--
            ``(1) an employee, including a former employee, who has 
        sustained a work-related injury or illness that is the subject 
        of an inspection or investigation conducted under section 8; or
            ``(2) a family member (as further defined by the Secretary) 
        of a victim described in paragraph (1), if--
                    ``(A) the victim dies as a result of a incident 
                that is the subject of an inspection or investigation 
                conducted under section 8; or
                    ``(B) the victim sustains a work-related injury or 
                illness that is the subject of an inspection or 
                investigation conducted under section 8, and the victim 
                because of incapacity cannot reasonably exercise the 
                rights under this section.''.

SEC. 703. CORRECTION OF SERIOUS, WILLFUL, OR REPEATED VIOLATIONS 
              PENDING CONTEST AND PROCEDURES FOR A STAY.

    Section 10 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 
U.S.C. 659) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Correction of Serious, Willful, or Repeated Violations 
Pending Contest and Procedures for a Stay.--
            ``(1) Period permitted for correction of serious, willful, 
        or repeated violations.--For each violation which the Secretary 
        designates as serious, willful, or repeated, the period 
        permitted for the correction of the violation shall begin to 
        run upon receipt of the citation.
            ``(2) Filing of a motion of contest.--The filing of a 
        notice of contest by an employer--
                    ``(A) shall not operate as a stay of the period for 
                correction of a violation designated as serious, 
                willful, or repeated; and
                    ``(B) may operate as a stay of the period for 
                correction of a violation not designated by the 
                Secretary as serious, willful, or repeated.
            ``(3) Criteria and rules of procedure for stays.--
                    ``(A) Motion for a stay.--An employer may file with 
                the Commission a motion to stay a period for the 
                correction of a violation designated as serious, 
                willful, or repeated.
                    ``(B) Criteria.--In determining whether a stay 
                should be issued on the basis of a motion filed under 
                subparagraph (A), the Commission shall consider 
                whether--
                            ``(i) the employer has demonstrated a 
                        substantial likelihood of success on its 
                        contest to the citation;
                            ``(ii) the employer will suffer irreparable 
                        harm absent a stay; and
                            ``(iii) a stay will adversely affect the 
                        health and safety of workers.
                    ``(C) Rules of procedure.--The Commission shall 
                develop rules of procedure for conducting a hearing on 
                a motion filed under subparagraph (A) on an expedited 
                basis. At a minimum, such rules shall provide:
                            ``(i) That a hearing before an 
                        administrative law judge shall occur not later 
                        than 15 days following the filing of the motion 
                        for a stay (unless extended at the request of 
                        the employer), and shall provide for a decision 
                        on the motion not later than 15 days following 
                        the hearing (unless extended at the request of 
                        the employer).
                            ``(ii) That a decision of an administrative 
                        law judge on a motion for stay is rendered on a 
                        timely basis.
                            ``(iii) That if a party is aggrieved by a 
                        decision issued by an administrative law judge 
                        regarding the stay, such party has the right to 
                        file an objection with the Commission not later 
                        than 5 days after receipt of the administrative 
                        law judge's decision. Within 10 days after 
                        receipt of the objection, a Commissioner, if a 
                        quorum is seated pursuant to section 12(f), 
                        shall decide whether to grant review of the 
                        objection. If, within 10 days after receipt of 
                        the objection, no decision is made on whether 
                        to review the decision of the administrative 
                        law judge, the Commission declines to review 
                        such decision, or no quorum is seated, the 
                        decision of the administrative law judge shall 
                        become a final order of the Commission. If the 
                        Commission grants review of the objection, the 
                        Commission shall issue a decision regarding the 
                        stay not later than 30 days after receipt of 
                        the objection. If the Commission fails to issue 
                        such decision within 30 days, the decision of 
                        the administrative law judge shall become a 
                        final order of the Commission.
                            ``(iv) For notification to employees or 
                        representatives of affected employees of 
                        requests for such hearings and shall provide 
                        affected employees or representatives of 
                        affected employees an opportunity to 
                        participate as parties to such hearings.''.

SEC. 704. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    Section 17(d) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 
U.S.C. 666(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Any employer who fails to correct a violation designated by 
the Secretary as serious, willful, or repeated and for which a citation 
has been issued under section 9(a) within the period permitted for its 
correction (and a stay has not been issued by the Commission under 
section 10(d)) may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $7,000 
for each day during which such failure or violation continues. Any 
employer who fails to correct any other violation for which a citation 
has been issued under section 9(a) of this title within the period 
permitted for its correction (which period shall not begin to run until 
the date of the final order of the Commission in the case of any review 
proceeding under section 10 initiated by the employer in good faith and 
not solely for delay of avoidance of penalties) may be assessed a civil 
penalty of not more than $7,000 for each day during which such failure 
or violation continues.''.

SEC. 705. CIVIL PENALTIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 17 of the Occupational Safety and Health 
Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 666) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``$70,000'' and inserting 
                ``$120,000'';
                    (B) by striking ``$5,000'' and inserting 
                ``$8,000''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following: ``In 
                determining whether a violation is repeated, the 
                Secretary shall consider the employer's history of 
                violations under this Act and under State occupational 
                safety and health plans established under section 18. 
                If such a willful or repeated violation caused or 
                contributed to the death of an employee, such civil 
                penalty amounts shall be increased to not more than 
                $250,000 for each such violation, but not less than 
                $50,000 for each such violation, except that for an 
                employer with 25 or fewer employees such penalty shall 
                not be less than $25,000 for each such violation.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``$7,000'' and inserting 
                ``$12,000''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following: ``If such a 
                violation caused or contributed to the death of an 
                employee, such civil penalty amounts shall be increased 
                to not more than $50,000 for each such violation, but 
                not less than $20,000 for each such violation, except 
                that for an employer with 25 or fewer employees such 
                penalty shall not be less than $10,000 for each such 
                violation.'';
            (3) in subsection (c), by striking ``$7,000'' and inserting 
        ``$12,000'';
            (4) in subsection (d), as amended by section 704, by 
        striking ``$7,000'' each place it occurs and inserting 
        ``$12,000'';
            (5) by redesignating subsections (e) through (l) as 
        subsections (f) through (m), respectively; and
            (6) in subsection (j) (as redesignated by paragraph (5)), 
        by striking ``$7,000'' and inserting ``$12,000;''.
    (b) Inflation Adjustment.--Section 17 is further amended by 
inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) Amounts provided under this section for civil penalties shall 
be adjusted by the Secretary at least once during each 4-year period 
beginning January 1, 2016, to account for the percentage increase or 
decrease in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers during 
such period.''.

SEC. 706. CRIMINAL PENALTIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 17 (29 U.S.C. 666) (as amended by sections 
704 and 705) is further amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (f) to read as follows:
    ``(f)(1) Any employer who knowingly violates any standard, rule, or 
order promulgated under section 6, or of any regulation prescribed 
under this Act, and that violation caused or contributed to the death 
of any employee, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine in 
accordance with title 18, United States Code, or by imprisonment for 
not more than 10 years, or both, except that if the conviction is for a 
violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this 
subsection or subsection (i), punishment shall be by a fine in 
accordance title 18, United States Code, or by imprisonment for not 
more than 20 years, or by both.
    ``(2) For the purpose of this subsection, the term `employer' 
means, in addition to the definition contained in section 3, any 
officer or director.'';
            (2) in subsection (g), by striking ``fine of not more than 
        $1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than six months,'' and 
        inserting ``fine in accordance with title 18, United States 
        Code, or by imprisonment for not more than 2 years,'';
            (3) in subsection (h), by striking ``fine of not more than 
        $10,000, or by imprisonment for not more than six months,'' and 
        inserting ``fine in accordance with title 18, United States 
        Code, or by imprisonment for not more than 5 years,'';
            (4) by redesignating subsections (j) through (m) as 
        subsections (k) through (n), respectively; and
            (5) by inserting after subsection (i) the following:
    ``(j)(1) Any employer who knowingly violates any standard, rule, or 
order promulgated under section 6, or any regulation prescribed under 
this Act, and that violation causes or contributes to serious bodily 
harm to any employee but does not cause death to any employee, shall, 
upon conviction, be punished by a fine in accordance with title 18, 
United States Code, or by imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or by 
both, except that if the conviction is for a violation committed after 
a first conviction of such person under this subsection or subsection 
(e), punishment shall be by a fine in accordance with title 18, United 
States Code, or by imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or by both.
    ``(2) For the purpose of this subsection, the term `employer' 
means, in addition to the definition contained in section 3, any 
officer or director.
    ``(3) For purposes of this subsection, the term `serious bodily 
harm' means bodily injury or illness that involves--
            ``(A) a substantial risk of death;
            ``(B) protracted unconsciousness;
            ``(C) protracted and obvious physical disfigurement; or
            ``(D) protracted loss or impairment, either temporary or 
        permanent, of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental 
        faculty.''.
    (b) Jurisdiction for Prosecution Under State and Local Criminal 
Laws.--Section 17 (29 U.S.C. 666) (as amended by this Act) is further 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(o) Nothing in this Act shall preclude a State or local law 
enforcement agency from conducting criminal prosecutions in accordance 
with the laws of such State or locality.''.

SEC. 707. PENALTIES.

    Section 17(n) (as redesignated by section 706(a)(4)) (29 U.S.C. 
666(n)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``Pre-final 
order interest on such penalties shall begin to accrue on the date the 
party contests a citation issued under this Act, and shall end upon the 
issuance of the final order. Such pre-final order interest shall be 
calculated at the current underpayment rate determined by the Secretary 
of the Treasury pursuant to section 6621 of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986, and shall be compounded daily. Post-final order interest shall 
begin to accrue 30 days after the date a final order of the Commission 
or the court is issued, and shall be charged at the rate of 8 percent 
per year.''.

SEC. 708. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) General Rule.--Except as provided for in subsection (b), this 
title and the amendments made by this title shall take effect not later 
than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Exception for States and Political Subdivisions.--A State that 
has a State plan approved under section 18 (29 U.S.C. 667) shall amend 
its State plan to conform with the requirements of this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act not later than 12 months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. The Secretary of Labor may extend the period 
for a State to make such amendments to its State plan by not more than 
12 months, if the State's legislature is not in session during the 12-
month period beginning with the date of the enactment of this Act. Such 
amendments to the State plan shall take effect not later than 90 days 
after the adoption of such amendments by such State.
                                 <all>