To The Coal Miners

      My father started working in the coal mines when he was 10 years old, right here on this mountain where I live now. Almost all of my family back through history have been coal miners. My lieutenant governor, Richard Robbins, is an 18-year coal miner.

      Coal miners with blacklung don't often to bother with the benefits. Only 168 coal miners bothered to apply for blacklung benefits during the past year. You have mines begging for qualified miners. The National Blacklung Assocation estimated 1,500 people die each year due to the disease and new cases continue despite efforts to reduced the coal dust inhaled by miners. Lawmakers in Kentucky made slight changes to the state workers' compensation law in 2002 to loosen restrictions on black lung claims. A complete revamping of the black lung program in 1996 prevented most miners from winning awards from the state. Uner the 1996 law, the Office of Workers Claims approved only 11 claims over a five-year period. - Associated Press

      I don't believe in fixing and old fence. What I want to do is throw the old laws out into the yard and build a brand new system that works so that each miner can reopen their case and apply for their money, and that every case will heard. This will be one of my top priorities as your governor of the state of Kentucky.