[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MANCHIN (for himself, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Casey, Mr. Brown, 
        Mr. Kaine, Mr. Warner, Mr. Portman, Mr. Tester, Mrs. Murray, 
        Mr. Sanders, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Franken, Mr. Booker, Mr. Donnelly, 
        Mr. Heinrich, Mrs. McCaskill, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Nelson, Mr. 
        Burr, and Mr. Sullivan):
  S. 175. A bill to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation 
Act of 1977 to transfer certain funds to the Multiemployer Health 
Benefit Plan and the 1974 United Mine Workers of America Pension Plan, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I am back again to introduce the Miners 
Protection Act.
  It is bipartisan. We worked on it in a bipartisan manner, and we 
said: If it comes to the floor, we will pass it. So we are here again.
  This is a promise that was made since 1946. These are men who have 
worked hard. They paid through the hard work they have accomplished 
through their own sweat, and we are trying to make sure they have their 
permanent fix to their health care and to their pensions. This is 
something that has a pay-for. It is back up again. It should have been 
done last year. We had an extension at the end until April. April is 
going to come and go again, and then we are going to start playing 
politics with this. If we get this done now and get it done quickly, it 
is something that we can move on, and we can take care of the other 
problems we have.
  Again, this is the Miners Protection Act, which our miners have 
worked for, earned, and deserved. Their widows and families are 
expecting this. They need this in order to live any type of a quality 
life.
  I thank you, again. I thank all of my colleagues--my Republican 
friends for signing onto this piece of legislation and all of my 
Democratic caucus, which unanimously signed onto it. It is something 
that should be done and done quickly.
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