I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6644 
To amend title IV of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 
to provide for the timely payment of black lung benefits pending liability 
determinations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 6, 2023 
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky (for himself and Mr. BISHOP of Georgia) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title IV of the Federal Mine Safety and Health 
Act of 1977 to provide for the timely payment of black 
lung benefits pending liability determinations, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘John White Ensuring 
Timely Black Lung Benefits Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF BLACK LUNG BENEFITS PENDING LI-
ABILITY DETERMINATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 422(h) of the Federal 
Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 932(h)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary of Labor’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(1) The Secretary of Labor’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2)(A) In any case in which a determination of li-
ability described in paragraph (1) has not been made with 
respect to a benefit determination for a miner by the date 
that is 60 days after the date of such a benefit determina-
tion, the Secretary shall pay the benefits to which the 
miner is entitled under section 422 out of the fund (as 
defined in section 402(h)). 
‘‘(B) In no case shall payment of benefits under this 
paragraph be construed to relieve any operator subse-
quently determined responsible for the payment of such 
benefits of repayment liability described in section 424(b). 
‘‘(C) For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘ben-
efit determination for a miner’ means a determination by 
the Secretary that the miner is totally disabled due to 
pneumoconiosis or that the death of the miner was due 
to pneumoconiosis.’’. 
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(b) AUTHORIZATION
FOR
EXPENDITURES
FROM 
TRUST FUND.—Section 9501(d)(1) of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; 
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub-
paragraph (C); and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(B) a determination of liability described 
in paragraph (1) of section 422(h) of such Act 
has not been made with respect to a benefit de-
termination for a miner (as defined in para-
graph (2)(C) of such section) by the date that 
is 60 days after the date of such a benefit de-
termination, or’’. 
Æ 
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