§804 Interim Compliance Panel

Summary

Creates an Interim Compliance Panel made of five members: the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor Standards (or a delegate), the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (or a delegate), the Administrator of the Consumer Protection and Environmental Health Service at HHS (or a delegate), the Director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines (or a delegate), and the Director of the National Science Foundation (or a delegate). Members do not get extra pay beyond their regular jobs but can be reimbursed for travel, lodging, and other necessary expenses. When the Panel asks, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary must provide staff and other help the Panel needs. Three members make a quorum, decisions are by majority vote, and the members pick the chair. The Panel can appoint as many administrative law judges as needed, subject to the rules that apply under section 3105 of title 5. The Panel must carry out its duties under this chapter and must offer a public hearing, after notice, if an affected coal mine operator or the miners’ representative requests one. Any operator or miners’ representative unhappy with a final Panel decision may seek review under section 816 of this title. Hearings must be on the record, and the Panel must write findings of fact and a written decision in line with section 554 of title 5. The Panel ends when its duties under this chapter are finished. Each year the Panel must send a written report to the Secretary for transmittal to Congress about its work and any other relevant information or recommendations.