Mine Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2007

A bill to provide assistance to families of miners involved in mining accidents.

10/2/2007--Introduced.
Mine Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends the MINER Act to require the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, as soon as practicable after being notified of a mining accident involving a mine operator and resulting in a mine emergency more... response by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), to:
(1) designate and publicize the name and phone number of a director of a family support service as a point of contact within the federal government for the families of miners involved and as a liaison between the operator and the families; and
(2) designate an independent nonprofit organization with primary responsibility for coordinating the emotional care and support of the miners' families.
Sets forth responsibilities of the MSHA and the designated organization in such an accident.
Prohibits:
(1) impeding the ability of MSHA or the designated organization to carry out their responsibilities or the ability of families to have contact with one another;
(2) unsolicited communications by attorneys or parties to litigation to injured individuals or their families concerning a potential action for personal injury or wrongful death before the 45th day following the accident date; and
(3) preventing a designated organization from providing mental health and counseling services.
Directs operators that are subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to submit to the Secretary of Labor a plan for addressing the needs of the families of miners involved in such accidents. Shields an operator from liability for damages (except for gross negligence or intentional misconduct) in any action brought in a federal or state court arising out of the operator's performance in preparing or providing a miner list pursuant to such plan.
Requires the Secretary to establish a task force to develop guidelines and recommendations about responding to mining accidents.

Sponsor

• Sen. Patty Murray [D, WA]
• and 3 Co-Sponsors
  • Sen. Hillary Clinton [D, NY]
  • Sen. Thomas Harkin [D, IA]
  • Sen. Edward Kennedy [D, MA]
  close

Committees

• Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to S.2127

Number	Status	Purpose

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Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by Senate		Voted on by House		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
October 02, 2007

Related Issue Areas:

• Torts
• Social services
• Nonprofit organizations
• Miners
• 20 more
• Mine safety
• Mental health services
• Medicine
• Medical care
• Liability (Law)
• Legal ethics
• Law
• Government publicity
• Government information
• Federal advisory bodies
• Family services
• Families
• Executive departments
• Energy
• Damages
• Counseling
• Coal mines and mining
• Business
• Actions and defenses
• Labor

In the News

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Blog Coverage

October 27, 2007 Sago Miners

Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash) introduced a bill (S. 2127) to see that family members of miners involved in disasters like the 2006 Sago and 2007 Crandall tragedies receive accurate information about the rescue operations and appropriate ...

Source: Sago Miners
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October 04, 2007 “Mine Disaster Family Assistance Act” proposed in Senate

Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash) introduced a bill (S. 2127) to see that family members of miners involved in disasters like the 2006 Sago and 2007 Crandall tragedies receive accurate information about the rescue operations and appropriate ...

Source: The Pump Handle
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October 01, 2007 S. 2127, A bill to provide assistance to families of miners ...

S. 2127 would provide assistance to families of miners involved in mining accidents....

Source: washingtonwatch.com - Welcome to washingtonwatc...
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