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Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73not60

§804 Interim Compliance Panel

Title 30 › Chapter 22— MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH › § 804

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates an Interim Compliance Panel made up of five members: one each from Labor (Assistant Secretary for Labor Standards or a delegate), the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Consumer Protection and Environmental Health Service at HHS, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the National Science Foundation (each may send a delegate). Members do not get extra pay but can be repaid for travel, meals, lodging, and other necessary expenses. The Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Commerce, Interior, and Labor must provide staff and help if the Panel asks. Three members make a quorum. Decisions are by majority and the members pick the chair. The Panel can hire as many administrative law judges as needed; those judges follow the same rules that apply under section 3105 of title 5. The Panel must carry out its duties, hold public hearings on request by a mine operator or miners’ representative, keep a record, make findings, and issue a written decision under section 554 of title 5. Anyone harmed by a final decision may seek review under section 816. The Panel must also send a yearly written report to the Secretary for Congress and ends when its work is done.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §804

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is hereby established the Interim Compliance Panel, which shall be composed of five members as follows:
(1)Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor Standards, Department of Labor, or his delegate;
(2)Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce, or his delegate;
(3)Administrator of Consumer Protection and Environmental Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, or his delegate;
(4)Director of the United States Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior, or his delegate; and
(5)Director of the National Science Foundation, or his delegate.
(b)Members of the Panel shall serve without compensation in addition to that received in their regular employment, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of duties vested in the Panel.
(c)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary shall, upon request of the Panel, provide the Panel such personnel and other assistance as the Panel determines necessary to enable it to carry out its functions under this chapter.
(d)Three members of the Panel shall constitute a quorum for doing business. All decisions of the Panel shall be by majority vote. The chairman of the Panel shall be selected by the members from among the membership thereof.
(e)The Panel is authorized to appoint as many administrative law judges as are necessary for proceedings required to be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. The provisions applicable to administrative law judges appointed under section 3105 of title 5 shall be applicable to administrative law judges appointed pursuant to this subsection.
(f)(1)It shall be the function of the Panel to carry out the duties imposed on it pursuant to this chapter and to provide an opportunity for a public hearing, after notice, at the request of an operator of the affected coal mine or the representative of the miners of such mine. Any operator or representative of miners aggrieved by a final decision of the Panel may file a petition for review of such decision under section 816 of this title. The provisions of this section shall terminate upon completion of the Panel’s functions as set forth under this chapter. Any hearing held pursuant to this subsection shall be of record and the Panel shall make findings of fact and shall issue a written decision incorporating its findings therein in accordance with section 554 of title 5.
(2)The Panel shall make an annual report, in writing, to the Secretary for transmittal by him to the Congress concerning the achievement of its purposes, and any other relevant information (including any recommendations) which it deems appropriate.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (c), (e), and (f)(1), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 91–173, Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 742, known as the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 801 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–418 substituted “National Institute of Standards and Technology” for “Bureau of Standards”. 1978—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 95–251 substituted “administrative law judges” for “hearing examiners” wherever appearing. 1977—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–164 substituted “Secretary of the Interior” for “Secretary of Labor”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“United States Bureau of Mines” substituted for “Bureau of Mines” in subsec. (a)(4) pursuant to section 10(b) of Pub. L. 102–285, set out as a note under section 1 of this title. For provisions relating to closure and

Transfer of Functions

of the United States Bureau of Mines, see

Transfer of Functions

note set out under section 1 of this title. “Department of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Department of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (a) and “Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (c) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88 which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education.

Effective Date

of 1977 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–164 effective 120 days after Nov. 9, 1977, except as otherwise provided, see section 307 of Pub. L. 95–164, set out as a note under section 801 of this title. Termination of Reporting RequirementsFor termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions in subsec. (f)(2) of this section relating to transmitting annual report to Congress, see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance, and page 114 of House Document No. 103–7.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 804

Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60