Senate Passes Bill That Lets KEMI Return Fund Money to Coal Companies Sooner

The Kentucky Senate has approved a bill that would make it a little easier to wind down the state's black-lung compensation fund and return some money to the state's once-proud coal-mining industry. “The coal industry is hurting and there's a pot of money here that we want to give back as soon as we can,” said Jon Stewart, CEO of Kentucky Employers Mutual Insurance. KEMI is the state's largest comp carrier and administrator of the state's coal workers' pneumoconiosis fund. The Senate on Tuesday voted 35-0 in favor of SB 141, which would give KEMI more flex...