[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2627 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2627

  To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to 
        protect the health care benefits of our Nation's miners.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 8, 2013

 Mr. Whitfield (for himself, Mr. McKinley, and Mrs. Capito) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to 
        protect the health care benefits of our Nation's miners.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Caring for Coal Miners Act''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF RETIREES AFTER 2006.

    (a) In General.--Section 402(h)(2)(C) of the Surface Mining Control 
and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1232(h)(2)(C)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(i)'' before ``A transfer'';
            (2) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) (as in effect 
        immediately before the enactment of this Act) as subclauses (I) 
        and (II) of clause (i) as designated by the amendment made by 
        paragraph (1) of this section, and moving such subclauses 2 ems 
        to the right; and
            (3) by striking the matter following such subclause (II) 
        and inserting the following:
                    ``(ii) Such excess shall be calculated by taking 
                into account only--
                            ``(I) those beneficiaries actually enrolled 
                        in the Plan as of the date of enactment of the 
                        Caring for Coal Miners Act, who are eligible to 
                        receive health benefits under the Plan on the 
                        first day of the calendar year for which the 
                        transfer is made; and
                            ``(II) those beneficiaries who would be 
                        denied health benefits payable directly by an 
                        employer in the bituminous coal industry under 
                        a coal wage agreement, as that term is defined 
                        in section 9701(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue 
                        Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 9701(b)(1)), as a 
                        result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 
                        2012.
                    ``(iii) An individual referred to in clause 
                (ii)(II) shall be considered eligible to receive health 
                benefits under the Plan.''.
    (b) Limitation on Duplication of Benefits.--
            (1) Limitation.--The amount made available as a result of 
        the enactment of this Act shall be reduced by the amount of any 
        benefits actually paid by a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary 
        Association to or on behalf of a covered beneficiary, so that 
        no covered beneficiary receives a greater benefit than would 
        have been payable before the establishment of such association.
            (2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) Covered beneficiary.--The term ``covered 
                beneficiary'' means a person eligible for health 
                benefits under both the plan referred to in section 
                402(h)(C) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation 
                Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1232(h)(2)(C)) and a Voluntary 
                Employees' Beneficiary Association.
                    (B) Voluntary employees' beneficiary association.--
                The term ``Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary 
                Association'' means such an association established 
                pursuant to the Order entered May 29, 2013, by the 
                Court in the case In re: Patriot Coal Corporation (Case 
                No. 12-51502, Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District 
                of Missouri).
                                 <all>