Black Lung Benefits and Revenue Amendments of 1981

Summary

Black Lung Benefits and Revenues Amendments of 1981 - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 regarding eligibility and benefits on claims filed after enactment of this Act to: (1) eliminate restrictions on the Department of Labor's use of second opinion X-rays; (2) eliminate specified presumptions of black lung presence; (3) eliminate the presumption of eligibility for survivors of specified miners who died on or before March 1, 1978; (4) make only third -party affidavits sufficient to establish survivors' claims where there are no other supporting medical records; (5) limit survivors' benefits to cases where the miner died from black lung; (6) make previously determined eligible survivors' claim liable for revalidation; (7) apply excess earnings under the Social Security Act to offset specified black lung disability payments; and (8) set black lung benefit levels at 37 1/2 percent of the monthly pay for Federal employees in grade GS-2, step 1. Directs the Secretary of Labor to undertake studies of: (1) black lung disease; and (2) benefits available under such Act and under other assistance programs and to report those findings and recommendations to Congress within 18 months. Eliminates the obligation of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund to pay retroactive benefits in cases of operator nonpayment on claims filed after enactment of this Act. Provides that interest charges shall be made at the same rate as for other overdue debts owed to the Government, including retroactive payments based on final adjudications of operator liability. Makes such Fund liable (rather than the operators) for specified reopened claims subsequently approved. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the excise tax on coal sold by a producer from: (1) 50 cents per ton to $1 per ton for coal from underground mines, and (2) 25 cents per ton to 50 cents per ton for coal from surface mines. Increases the maximum amount of such tax from 2 percent to 4 per cent of the price at which a ton of coal is sold by the producer. Terminates such increase as of December 31, 1995, or earlier if both Houses of Congress do not disapprove a recommendation of earlier cutoff by the Trustees of the Fund.

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Timeline

1. 8 December 1981

   Introduced

   Read second time and referred to Senate Committee on Finance.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 8 December 1981

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 10 December 1981

   Introduced

   Referred jointly to Senate Committees on Labor and Human Resources; Finance by unanimous consent.

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 14 December 1981

   Committee

   Committee on Labor and Human Resources; Subcommittee on Labor. Hearings held prior to referral date.

   Source: Committee

5. 15 December 1981

   Committee

   Committee on Finance requested executive comment from OMB; Treasury Department; Health and Human Services Department; Labor Department.

   Source: Committee

6. 16 December 1981

   Referred

   Committee on Labor and Human Resources, referred to Subcommittee on Labor.

   Source: Committee

Votes

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Versions

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Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 8 December 1981

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Randolph, Jennings [D-WV] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Heinz, John [R-PA] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Nickles, Don [R-OK] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Percy, Charles H. [R-IL] · R · Cosponsor
• · sshr00 · Standing
• · ssfi00 · Standing

Related records

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