Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for SB 929

Deletes everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Coal Mining Act. Defines "lifeline cord", "self-contained self-rescue (SCSR) device", "surface supervisor of an underground mine", "tag-line", "rescue chamber", and "cache". Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall use the telecommunications center maintained by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to notify agents of the Department and other State, federal, and local agencies in the event of an emergency in or about any coal mine. Provides that the 4 mine rescue stations that are required to serve the coal fields of the State must be certified by the Mine Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. Provides that rescue teams shall be based out of each mine rescue station and that every mine operator must provide employees to serve on a rescue team. Provides that an operator must require each person underground to carry a SCSR device on his or her person or, alternatively, a SCSR device must be kept within 25 feet of the person underground. Requires the provision of rescue chambers and materials for barricade within mines. Provides that tag-lines must be provided in every working section of a mine and on any vehicle capable of hauling 4 or more people within the mine. Prohibits methane extraction from sealed areas of active mines or abandoned mines that are attached to active working mines. Provides that at least one of the 2 travelable passageways designated as escape ways in a working section of a mine must be equipped with a lifeline cord. Provides that the return air passageway to the surface must be marked with reflectors or other appropriate signage, as approved by the Department. Provides that a vehicle suitable for transporting all persons underground working on a unit and injured persons shall be maintained in each underground working section (now, a vehicle suitable for transporting injured persons must be maintained on each underground working section where workers are working for use in case of accident). Requires the operator of a mine to provide wireless emergency communication devices and wireless tracking devices that must be worn by each person underground. Provides criminal penalties for any person who, without the authorization of the operator or the Mining Board, knowingly removes or attempts to remove from a mine or mine site or knowingly tampers with or attempts to tamper with any SCSR device, battery-powered strobe light, wireless emergency communication device, or wireless tracking device. Requires the Mining Board and the Department to work in consultation with the mining industry to study communication and tracking systems technology. Sets forth provisions concerning general surface supervisors and independent contractor supervisors. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Deletes everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the bill, as amended by Senate Amendment 1, with the following changes. Requires an operator to provide for an adequate number of SCSR devices to be maintained in all rescue chambers and caches located throughout a mine (instead of requiring an operator to provide a minimum of SCSR devices in each cache located within a mine and requiring caches to be located no more than 4,000 feet apart throughout a mine). Provides that rescue chambers approved by the Mining Board must be provided at suitable locations (instead of 3,000 feet apart) throughout a mine. Replaces the provision concerning communication and tracking systems technology with a provision requiring the Director of the Office of Mines and Minerals to establish a Mine Technology Task Force to review and make recommendations to the Mining Board concerning mine safety technologies. Provides that rescue chambers, wireless emergency communications devices, and wireless tracking devices must be provided in each underground mine once this equipment is federally approved and commercially available. Provides that each applicant for a certificate as a general surface supervisor of an underground mine must have a minimum of 2 years of work experience at a coal mine surface facility (instead of an underground coal mine surface facility) or coal preparation plant. Effective immediately.

Provides that each group represented on the Mine Technology Task Force shall submit the name of its representative to the Director. Provides that rescue chambers, wireless emergency communications devices, and wireless tracking devices must be provided in each underground mine within 90 days after the equipment is federally approved (instead of once the equipment is federally approved and commercially available). Provides that to the extent any of the devices have already been federally approved, the operator shall provide the equipment in each underground mine within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act.

Deletes everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Makes a change to the definition of "self-contained self-rescue (SCSR) device". Removes the provision requiring an operator to provide an adequate number of SCSR devices to be maintained in all rescue chambers and caches throughout a mine. Adds a provision requiring an operator to provide at least one SCSR device for each person underground, in addition to the device already required by this amendatory Act, that provides protection for a period of one hour or longer and to provide additional SCSR devices for all persons using a mantrip or mobile equipment if such transportation is used to enter or exit the mine. Provides that if the required SCSR devices are not adequate to provide enough oxygen for all persons to safely evacuate the mine under mine emergency conditions, the mine operator must provide additional SCSR devices in the primary and alternate escapeways to ensure safe evacuation for all persons underground through both primary and alternate escapeways; includes requirements for the SCSR storage plan. Requires the Mining Board to determine the time needed for safe evacuation from each of those locations at 1,000 foot intervals. Provides that, beginning January 31, 2007, an operator must provide a minimum of 30 SCSR devices in each cache located within a mine, in addition to federal Mine Safety and Health Administration requirements, and that caches must be located no more than 4,000 feet apart throughout a mine. Provides that, beginning January 31, 2007, rescue chambers approved by the Mining Board must be provided and located within 3,000 feet of each working section of a mine. Requires an operator to submit a plan for approval concerning the construction and maintenance of the required rescue chambers. Sets forth requirements for methane extraction from sealed areas of active mines or abandoned mines that are attached to active working mines (instead of prohibiting such methane extraction). Provides that the membership of the Mine Technology Task Force shall include representatives of an organization representing mine employees (instead of representatives of the United Mine Workers of America). Provides for a temporary waiver of the requirement that rescue chambers, wireless emergency communication devices, and wireless tracking devices be provided. Effective immediately.

Provides that the Mining Board must adopt and impose a plan for the daily inspection of certain required SCSR devices to ensure that the devices perform their designated functions each working day and provides that certain additional required SCSR devices must be inspected every 90 days to ensure that the devices perform their designated functions, in addition to meeting all federal Mine Safety and Health Administration requirements (instead of requiring the Mining Board to adopt and impose all federal requirements concerning the testing and storage of the SCSR devices).

Date	Chamber	Action
7/24/2006	Senate	Public Act . . . . . . . . . 94-1041

Date	Chamber	Action
2/18/2005	Senate	Filed with Secretary by Sen. Deanna Demuzio
2/18/2005	Senate	Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Emil Jones, Jr.
2/18/2005	Senate	First Reading
2/18/2005	Senate	Referred to Rules
2/24/2005	Senate	Assigned to Licensed Activities
3/10/2005	Senate	Do Pass Licensed Activities; 005-004-000
3/10/2005	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading March 15, 2005
3/16/2005	Senate	Second Reading
3/16/2005	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading March 17, 2005
4/14/2005	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading ** April 15, 2005
4/15/2005	Senate	Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Extended to December 31, 2005
7/1/2005	Senate	Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Rules
11/4/2005	Senate	Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Extended to January 9, 2007
3/28/2006	Senate	Approved for Consideration Rules
3/28/2006	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading March 29, 2006
3/28/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Gary Forby
3/28/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules
3/29/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Environment & Energy
3/29/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Recommend Do Adopt Environment & Energy; 008-000-000
3/29/2006	Senate	Chief Sponsor Changed to Sen. Gary Forby
3/30/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Gary Forby
3/30/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Gary Forby
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Referred to Rules
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Rules Refers to Environment & Energy
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Rules Refers to Environment & Energy
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Recommend Do Adopt Environment & Energy; 009-000-000
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Recommend Do Adopt Environment & Energy; 009-000-000
4/5/2006	Senate	Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mike Jacobs
4/5/2006	Senate	Recalled to Second Reading
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Adopted; Forby
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Adopted; Forby
4/5/2006	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Adopted; Forby
4/5/2006	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading
4/5/2006	Senate	Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Deanna Demuzio
4/5/2006	Senate	Third Reading - Passed; 059-000-000
4/6/2006	House	Arrived in House
4/6/2006	House	Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading
4/6/2006	House	Chief House Sponsor Rep. Dan Reitz
4/6/2006	House	First Reading
4/6/2006	House	Referred to Rules Committee
4/10/2006	House	Final Action Deadline Extended-9(b) April 13, 2006
4/10/2006	House	Assigned to Executive Committee
4/13/2006	House	Final Action Deadline Extended-9(b) April 30, 2006
4/18/2006	House	Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. John E. Bradley
4/24/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Daniel V. Beiser
4/24/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Brandon W. Phelps
4/30/2006	House	Final Action Deadline Extended-9(b) May 5, 2006
5/1/2006	House	House Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Executive Committee
5/1/2006	House	House Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Executive Committee; by Voice Vote
5/1/2006	House	Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Executive Committee; 013-000-000
5/1/2006	House	Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
5/1/2006	House	House Amendment No. 2 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Dan Reitz
5/1/2006	House	House Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules Committee
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Mike Bost
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. John A. Fritchey
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. David Reis
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Kurt M. Granberg
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Jack D. Franks
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Patrick J Verschoore
5/1/2006	House	Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Donald L. Moffitt
5/1/2006	House	Second Reading - Short Debate
5/1/2006	House	Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading - Short Debate
5/2/2006	House	Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. William B. Black
5/2/2006	House	Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Bill Mitchell
5/2/2006	House	Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Brandon W. Phelps
5/2/2006	House	Alternate Co-Sponsor Removed Rep. Brandon W. Phelps
5/2/2006	House	House Amendment No. 2 Recommends Be Adopted Rules Committee; 003-002-000
5/2/2006	House	House Amendment No. 2 Adopted by Voice Vote
5/2/2006	House	Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
5/2/2006	House	Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 111-000-000
5/2/2006	Senate	Secretary's Desk - Concurrence House Amendment(s) 01,02
5/2/2006	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of Concurrence House Amendment(s) 01,02-May 3, 2006
5/2/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Filed with Secretary Sen. Gary Forby
5/2/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Referred to Rules
5/2/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Filed with Secretary Sen. Gary Forby
5/2/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Referred to Rules
5/2/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Rules Referred to Environment & Energy
5/2/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Rules Referred to Environment & Energy
5/3/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 1 Motion To Concur Recommended Do Adopt Environment & Energy; 010-001-000
5/3/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 2 Motion To Concur Recommended Do Adopt Environment & Energy; 010-001-000
5/3/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 1 Senate Concurs 057-001-000
5/3/2006	Senate	House Amendment No. 2 Senate Concurs 057-001-000
5/3/2006	Senate	Passed Both Houses
6/1/2006	Senate	Sent to the Governor
7/24/2006	Senate	Governor Approved
7/24/2006	Senate	Effective Date July 24, 2006
7/24/2006	Senate	Public Act . . . . . . . . . 94-1041

	Deletes reference to:
	225 ILCS 2/20

	Adds reference to:
	225 ILCS 705/1.19 new