Congress·In Committee·H.R. 6757

Relief for Survivors of Miners Act of 2025

Congress proposes easier black lung survivor benefits and aid for legal and medical claim costs

Dec 16, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Part of: New Legislation Aims to Strengthen Black Lung Benefits and Survivor Support

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

StalledNext up: A house committeeNo action in 7 months

This bill is currently sitting in the House Committee on Education and Workforce. No action has been taken on the proposal since December 2025, which means it has been stalled for about six months. The committee must review the bill before it can move forward, but most bills like this never receive a vote.

Legislative Progress

House

No action since December 2025

Senate

President

Law

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 6761 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 6761 (118th) →

Key Points

Makes it easier for a miner’s surviving family to qualify for benefits when the miner worked at least 10 years in coal mining and died with black lung disease.
Adds a new rule: if the miner was totally disabled by black lung while alive, the law will generally assume black lung helped cause the death unless an employer proves it played no role.
Applies to some newer and still-open claims, including certain claims filed up to 5 years before the law is enacted if they’re still pending.
Creates a Labor Department program to help pay claim-related costs in long-running, contested cases, including up to $4,500 for attorney fees and up to $3,000 for medical expenses.
Orders the Government Accountability Office to study interim payments, whether benefits are enough, and options to let survivors file another claim after a final decision.

Labor EmploymentVeteransHealthcareConsumer Protection