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H.R. 5432: Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006

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H.R. 5432: Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006

109th Congress · introduced 2006-05-19 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2006-05-19 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV-2] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006

Plain summary

Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 or the MINER Act - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to require coal mine operators to: (1) carry out continuously a program to improve accident preparedness and response at each mine; and (2) adopt and update an accident response plan for evacuations and for maintenance of individuals trapped underground. Requires such a plan to provide for: (1) redundant means and local coordination of communication; (2) post-accident location of underground personnel; (3) emergency air supplies: (4) self-rescuer caches, maintenance, and replacement; (5) escapeways and flame-resistant directional lifelines; (6) emergency training; and (7) within three years, post accident wireless communication between underground and the surface and electronic tracking of trapped persons. Limits the liability of persons who carry out mine accident rescue or recovery operations. Directs the Secretary of Labor to require: (1) the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to establish and update criteria to certify the qualifications of mine rescue teams; and (2) mine operators to have one employee knowledgeable in emergency response on each shift and two certified mine rescue teams available at each mine within one hour. Requires notification of a mine accident to be provided to the Secretary by the operator within 15 minutes of knowledge of a death or potentially fatal injury. Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) an Office of Mine Safety and Health to enhance the development of new mine safety technology and applications and to expedite the commercial availability and implementation of such technology. Authorizes the Director of NIOSH to: (1) award competitive grants and contracts; and (2) establish an interagency working group to share technology, research, and developments concerning mine safety and accident response. Requires the Secretary to require: (1) the temporary assignment of a department official as a liaison with the families of victims of mine tragedies involving multiple deaths; and (2) MSHA to be as responsive as possible to family requests for information and to serve as the primary communicator. Prescribes penalties for operator violations of health or safety standards or orders. Requires the Secretary to finalize mandatory health and safety standards relating to the sealing of abandoned areas in coal mines, which shall increase the current 20 psi standard. Establishes a Technical Study Panel to provide independent scientific review and recommendations regarding the use of belt air and the composition and fire retardent properties of belt materials in mines. Requires the Secretary of Education to establish a program to provide scholarships to individuals to increase the skilled workforce for mine operators, mine safety inspectors, and other MSHA personnel. Requires NIOSH to provide for research about various refuge alternatives in coal mines. Requires the Secretary of Labor to award competitive grants for funding education and training programs to better identify and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV-2] · 13 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Harold Rogers (R-KY)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV-2] reported raising $5.4 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong109-hr5432 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109