To establish the Energy Workers Compensation Fund to compensate energy workers for certain medical expenses.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · August 15, 2023
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.
The Energy Workers Health Improvement and Compensation Fund Act establishes a federal trust fund to compensate energy workers and nearby residents for medical expenses related to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases caused by oil and gas operations. Oil companies with annual revenue exceeding fifty million dollars would be required to contribute to the fund annually by March 31st, with contributions equal to the total compensation paid to their ten highest-paid employees in the previous year, plus penalties for underpayments. Eligible workers include individuals who have worked at or lived within twenty miles of an oil and gas site for at least one year, as well as their family members meeting similar residency requirements. The fund would cover medical expenses such as copayments and uninsured costs related to asthma, heat-related illness, and other respiratory or cardiovascular diseases linked to methane emissions, smog, and exposure to particulate matter. The Secretary of Labor would administer the compensation program and process claims in the order they are received, with no additional congressional appropriations needed to operate the fund.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.