Coal Miners' Unemployment Assistance Act of 1989

Coal Miners' Unemployment Assistance Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a temporary program of supplemental unemployment benefits for unemployed coal miners who have exhausted their rights to regular unemployment benefits.

Authorizes appropriations.

 
HR 2182 IH
101st CONGRESS
1st Session
 H. R. 2182
To establish a temporary program of supplemental unemployment benefits
for unemployed coal miners who have exhausted their rights to regular
unemployment benefits.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 2, 1989
Mr. KOLTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means
A BILL
To establish a temporary program of supplemental unemployment benefits
for unemployed coal miners who have exhausted their rights to regular
unemployment benefits.
  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 `Coal Miners' Unemployment Assistance Act
  of 1989'.
SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR UNEMPLOYED COAL MINERS.
  (a) GENERAL RULE- The Secretary of Labor (hereinafter in this Act referred
  to as the `Secretary') shall make payments of Federal supplemental benefits
  to individuals who are eligible unemployed coal miners for any week of
  unemployment which begins in the individual's period of eligibility. Such
  benefits may be provided through agreements with State unemployment agencies.
  (b) ELIGIBLE UNEMPLOYED COAL MINER- For purposes of this Act, the term
  `eligible unemployed coal miner' means any individual if--
  (1) such individual exhausted his rights to regular compensation under
  State law,
  (2) such individual has no rights to compensation (including both regular
  compensation and extended compensation) with respect to the week under
  any State unemployment compensation law or under any other Federal law
  (and is not paid or entitled to be paid any additional compensation under
  any State or Federal law), and
  (3) at least 75 percent of the individual's base period wages were for
  services performed directly in connection with the mining of coal.
  (c) PERIOD OF ELIGIBILITY- For purposes of this Act, the term `period of
  eligibility' means weeks beginning after the date of the enactment of this
  Act and before January 1, 1991; except that an individual shall not have
  a period of eligibility if the benefit year for which he exhausted his
  rights to regular compensation ended before January 1, 1988.
  (d) AMOUNT OF WEEKLY BENEFIT, ETC- For purposes of this Act--
  (1) the amount of the Federal supplemental benefit payable to any individual
  for any week of total unemployment shall be equal to the amount of the
  regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable to him
  during his benefit year under State law for a week of total unemployment, and
  (2) the terms and conditions of the State law which apply to claims
  for regular compensation and to the payment thereof shall (except where
  inconsistent with the provisions of this Act or regulations of the Secretary
  prescribed to carry out the purposes of this Act) apply to claims for
  Federal supplemental benefits and the payment thereof.
  (e) FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL ACCOUNT-
  (1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall establish, for each eligible unemployed
  coal miner who files a claim for Federal supplemental benefits, a Federal
  supplemental account with respect to such miner's benefit year.
  (2) AMOUNT IN ACCOUNT- The amount established in eligible unemployed coal
  miner's Federal supplemental account shall be equal to the lesser of--
  (A) 100 percent of the total amount of regular compensation (including
  dependents' allowances) payable to him with respect to the benefit year
  (as determined under the State law) on the basis of which he most recently
  received regular compensation, or
  (B) 26 times the amount of regular compensation (including dependents'
  allowances) under the State law payable to such individual during such
  benefit year for a week of total unemployment.
  (3) LIMITATION- The amount of Federal supplemental benefits payable to an
  eligible unemployed coal miner shall not exceed the amount in such miner's
  account established under this subsection.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  There are authorized to be appropriated, from the general fund of the
  Treasury, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of
  this Act.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
  For purposes of this Act--
  (1) The term `State unemployment agency' means the agency administering
  the State law.
  (2) The terms `compensation', `regular compensation', `base period',
  `benefit year', `State', `State law', and `week' have the respective
  meanings given such terms under section 205 of the Federal-State Extended
  Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970.
  (3) The determination of whether an individual exhausted his rights to
  regular compensation shall be made as provided in section 202(a)(1) of
  the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970.