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To amend the Black Lung Benefits Act to provide adequate benefits for miners suffering from black lung disease, and for other purposes.
Summary
- Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to increase monthly benefits for miners disabled by black lung disease.
- Sets the monthly benefit rate for 2026 at approximately $1,252.50, which matches the original 1969 benefit level adjusted for inflation.
- Establishes automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments for benefits beginning in 2027 based on the Consumer Price Index.
- Applies to coal miners receiving black lung benefits to help pay for healthcare and living expenses.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
2 cosponsors
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Summer L. Lee’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $73,753
- UPMC $30,910
- MPI $11,600
- UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH $10,554
- ADVOCATE AURORA HEALTH $10,000
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Summer L. Lee → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Jun 30, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. · house
- Jun 30, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 30, 2026
Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania (for herself, Mr. Deluzio, and Mr. McGarvey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Black Lung Benefits Act to provide adequate benefits for miners suffering from black lung disease, 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.
This Act may be cited as the “Support Our Miners Act”.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Tens of thousands of coal miners across the country are disabled by, or have died from, black lung disease. Such miners and their families rely on black lung benefits as provided under section 412 of the Black Lung Benefits Act (30 U.S.C.
922) to pay for their healthcare and to provide monthly compensation.
(2) When section 412 of the Black Lung Benefits Act (30 U.S.C. 922) was enacted in 1969, a miner received about $144.50 per month to help support their cost of living, equating to about $1,252.53 annually in today’s currency, adjusting for inflation.
(3) The benefit rate, as established in 1969, has not kept up with the cost of living. Today, miners receive nearly 40 percent less than the value of the original amount adjusting for inflation.
SEC. 3. ADEQUATE BENEFITS FOR MINERS.
Section 412(a) of the Black Lung Benefits Act (30 U.S.C. 922(a)(1)) is amended in the first paragraph—
(1) by striking “during the disability” and inserting “during the disability:”;
(2) by striking “at a rate” and inserting the following:
“(A) For any calendar year preceding 2026, at a rate”; and
(3) by striking “step 1.” and inserting “step 1.
“(B) For calendar year 2026, for each month after the date of enactment of the Support Our Miners Act for which benefits are payable to such miner, at a monthly pay rate equal to the quotient of—
“(i) $15,030, and
“(ii) 12.
“(C) For calendar year 2027 and each succeeding calendar year—
“(i) at an annual rate equal to the product of—
“(I)(aa) for calendar 2027, $15,030; or “(bb) for a calendar year after calendar year 2027, the annual rate determined under this subparagraph for the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year for which the determination is being made under this subparagraph, and
“(II) the greater of one or the ratio of— “(aa) the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year for which the determination is being made under this subparagraph; to “(bb) such Consumer Price Index for the second calendar year preceding the calendar year for which the determination is being made under this subparagraph; and
“(ii) at a monthly rate equal to the quotient of—
“(I) the annual rate determined under clause (i) for the calendar year for which the determination is being made under this subparagraph; and
“(II) 12.”. <all>
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