FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW
COMMISSION
JUSTIFICATION
OF
APPROPRIATION
ESTIMATES
FOR
COMMITTEE
ON APPROPRIATIONS
FISCAL YEAR 2013
Table of Contents
Fiscal
Year 2013 Budget Request and Annual Performance Plan
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................... 1
Mission .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Functions and Procedures .......................................................................................................... 4
Strategic Goals ............................................................................................................................ 5
Organization Chart....................................................................................................................... 6
Commission Members ............................................................................................................... 7
Appropriation Language............................................................................................................. 8
Authorizing Legislation................................................................................................................ 8
Justification by Function .................................................................................................... 9
General
Statement
Activities:
Administrative
Law Judge Function
Commission
Review Function
Office
of the Executive Director Function
Charts and Graphs ................................................................................................................... 20
Budget Authority by Object Class
Personnel Summary
Amounts Available for Obligation
Summary of Changes by Budget Authority
Appropriations and Staffing History Table
FEDERAL
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Federal Mine
Safety and Health Review Commission (“Commission”) is an independent
adjudicatory agency that provides administrative trial and appellate review of
legal disputes arising under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977
(“Mine Act”), as amended. Section 113 of
the Mine Act establishes the Commission and sets forth its responsibilities. The Mine Improvement and New Emergency
Response Act of 2006, P.L. 109-236 (“MINER Act”), enacted in June of 2006,
added an additional responsibility to the Commission, resolving disputes
between the Secretary of Labor and underground coal operators with respect to
the contents of emergency response plans or the Secretary’s refusal to approve
such plans.
Most cases that come before the Commission involve civil
penalties proposed by the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA) against mine operators.
The Commission is responsible for addressing whether the alleged
violations occurred, as well as the appropriateness of proposed penalties. Other types of cases include contests of MSHA
orders to close a mine for health or safety reasons, miners’ charges of
discrimination based on their complaints regarding health or safety, and
miners’ requests for compensation after being idled by a mine closure
order. Disputes involving the temporary
reinstatement of a miner or an emergency response plan must be decided on an
expedited basis.
The Commission’s Administrative Law Judges (“judges”)
decide cases at the trial level. The five-member
Commission provides administrative appellate review. Review of a judge’s decision by the
Commission is not automatic, and requires the approval of at least two
Commissioners. Most of the cases
accepted for review are generated from petitions filed by parties adversely
affected by a judge’s decision. In
addition, the Commission, on its own initiative, may decide to review a
case. A judge’s decision that is not
accepted for review becomes a final, non-precedential order of the
Commission. Appeals from the
Commission’s decisions are to the federal courts of appeals.
The Commission is requesting a budget of $16 million for
FY 2013 to support the full-time equivalent (FTE) of 74 staff members. This staffing level is two more than anticipated
in FY 2012, as a result of shifting resources from contracts to FTE. The requested FY 2013 funding level is $1.604
million below the FY 2012 budget level as a result of the one-time funding in
FY 2012 to support moving the Commission Headquarters to a new location in
Washington, DC and the purchase of a new electronic case management
system.
Cases at the trial level are handled by the Commission’s Office of
Administrative Law Judges (OALJ). The
backlog of trial-level cases has been the subject of much concern. The backlog is the result of a dramatic
increase in the number of
new cases filed with the Commission.
From FY 2000 through FY 2005, the average number of cases filed was 192
per month, or 2,307 per year. However,
since FY 2006 the number of new cases filed increased steadily, and in FY 2010 over
11,000 new cases were filed.
The Commission has taken a number of steps to dispose of
cases more efficiently and reduce the backlog. In an attempt to expedite
the processing of settlement decisions, the Commission promulgated a final rule
requiring that parties submit proposed settlement orders to the Commission in
electronic form. 75
Fed. Reg. 73955 (Nov. 30, 2010).
The rule became effective on December 30, 2010, and in the remaining ten
months of FY 2011, an estimated 6,400 such settlement motions were filed with
the Commission.
In December 2010, the Commission published a final rule
setting forth simplified procedures for litigating certain categories of cases
before the Commission’s judges. 75 Fed. Reg. 81459 (Dec. 28, 2010). The simplified proceedings rule became
effective on March 1, 2011. The
Commission will track cases disposed of through simplified proceedings in order
to assess the success of this alternative procedure for case disposition.
The Commission began FY 2011 with a backlog of 18,170
cases and 10,594 new cases were filed during the year. As a result of staff added using a supplemental
appropriation and efficiency measures implemented by the Commission to expedite
the disposition of certain cases, the backlog dropped to 15,797 undecided trial-level
cases by the beginning of FY 2012. This was
the first drop in the Commission’s trial-level case inventory from one year to
the next since FY 2004.
We project that the Commission will begin FY 2013 with 15,797
undecided trial cases. During FY 2013,
we anticipate that 11,000 new cases will be filed, and that Commission judges
will dispose of 11,000 cases. Thus, the
case inventory at the end of the year will be unchanged at 15,797.
In recent years, the Commission’s appellate review
function has also seen a dramatic increase in the number of filings. The
trend of parties filing an increased number of petitions for substantive review
each year is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, and even accelerate
as the Commission’s judges issue a greater number of decisions in the course of
addressing the Commission’s case backlog. Resolving
these substantive cases creates a great demand on the resources of the
five-member Commission and the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Typically, in these substantive cases, the
Commissioners, with the assistance of the OGC, review and analyze extensive
briefs filed by the parties, sometimes conduct an oral argument, and issue a
decision which fully addresses all the contentions raised by the parties.
In
addition to petitions for review in substantive cases, the Commission at the
appellate level considers requests to reopen cases in which a mine operator is
in default for failing to timely respond to the Secretary’s proposed penalty or
to a judge’s order. These cases are
generically referred to as default cases.
The number of these requests for reopening filed each year has remained
at historically high levels.
FEDERAL
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
MISSION
The Commission is an independent adjudicatory agency
charged with resolving disputes arising from the enforcement of safety and
health standards in the nation’s mines.
Under its enabling statute, the Mine Act, the Commission does not
regulate the mining industry, nor does it enforce the Mine Act; those functions
are delegated to the Secretary of Labor acting through MSHA. The Commission’s
mission is to provide just, speedy, and legally sound adjudication of
proceedings authorized under the Mine Act, thereby enhancing compliance with
the Act and contributing to the improved health and safety of the nation’s miners.
The scope of the Commission’s mission was expanded by the
passage of the MINER Act. That statute
amended the Mine Act and vested the Commission with the responsibility for
resolving disputes over the contents of mine emergency plans adopted by underground
coal mine operators and submitted to MSHA for review and approval. The MINER Act imposed tight deadlines on the
Commission and its judges with respect to these proceedings and the Commission
has adopted procedural rules to implement those deadlines.
FUNCTIONS
AND PROCEDURES
The Commission carries out its responsibilities through
trial-level adjudication by judges and appellate review of judges’ decisions by
a five-member Commission appointed by the President and confirmed by the
Senate. Most cases involve civil
penalties assessed against mine operators by MSHA and address whether or not
the alleged safety and health violations occurred and if so, the degree of
gravity and negligence involved, so that appropriate sanctions may be
imposed. Other types of cases involve
mine operators’ contests of mine closure orders, miners’ complaints of safety
or health related discrimination, miners’ applications for compensation after a
mine is idled by a closure order, and review of disputes between MSHA and underground
coal mine operators relating to those operators’ mine emergency plans.
Once a case is filed with the Commission, it is referred
to the Chief Administrative Law Judge (“Chief Judge”). Thereafter, litigants in the case must submit
additional filings before the case is assigned to a judge. To expedite the decisional process, the Chief
Judge may rule on certain motions and where appropriate, issue orders of
settlement, dismissal, or default.
Otherwise, once a case is assigned to an individual judge, that judge is
responsible for the case and rules upon motions and settlement proposals. If a hearing is necessary, the judge schedules
and presides over the hearing, and issues a decision based upon the
record. A judge’s decision becomes a
final, non-precedential order of the Commission unless it is accepted for
review by the five-member Commission.
The five-member Commission provides administrative
appellate review based on the record. It may, in its discretion, review
decisions issued by judges when requested by a litigant, or it may, on its own
initiative, direct cases for review. The
Commission’s decisions are precedential, and appeals from the Commission’s
decisions are heard in the federal courts of appeals.
The Office of the Executive Director (OED) supports the
above functions by providing budget and financial management, and administrative
and technical services, including human resources and information technology (IT),
procurement and contracting, and facilities management.
STRATEGIC
GOALS
The Commission has set forth the following strategic
goals: 1) to ensure expeditious, fair, and legally sound adjudication of cases
at the trial and appellate levels, and
2) manage the Commission’s human resources, operations, facilities, and IT
systems to ensure a continually improving, effective, and efficient
organization.
FEDERAL
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
Commission
Members
NAME TERM EXPIRATION
Mary Lu Jordan,
Chairman August 30, 2014
Michael F. Duffy August 30, 2012
Michael G. Young August 30, 2014
Robert F. Cohen, Jr. August 30, 2012
Patrick K. Nakamura August 30, 2016
*****
FEDERAL
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
APPROPRIATION LANGUAGE
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
For necessary expenses of the Federal Mine Safety and
Health Review Commission: $16,000,000.
AUTHORIZING
LEGISLATION
($ in thousands)
Authorizing
Legislation Containing
Indefinite Authority |
FY 2011* |
FY 2012 |
FY 2013 |
Federal
Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended (30
U.S.C. § 801 et seq.) |
$10,337* |
$17,604 |
$16,000 |
* In FY
2010, Congress provided the Commission with a Supplemental Appropriation (P.L.
111-212) of $3,800,000, which was available July 29, 2010—July 28, 2011.
JUSTIFICATION BY FUNCTION
GENERAL STATEMENT
The Commission
was established as an independent agency by section 113(a) of the Federal Mine
Safety and Health Act of 1977. The
Commission fulfills its mission through three main functions. The trial-level function
lies within the Office of the Administrative Law Judges (OALJ). At the trial level, the Commission’s judges hear
and decide cases initiated by the Secretary of Labor, mine operators, miners,
and miners’ representatives. The
appellate function is carried out by the five-member Commission, its staff, and
the Office of the General Counsel (OGC).
The Commission hears appeals of judges’ decisions by granting a petition
for discretionary review from one or more of the parties or by directing review
on its own motion.
In
addition, at the appellate level, the Commission considers motions to reopen
cases where an operator has failed to timely contest a proposed penalty or to timely
respond to the Secretary of Labor’s penalty petition. Finally, the Office of the Executive Director
(OED) supports both the trial-level and appellate functions by providing budget
management, administrative and technical services.
FTE by Function and Funding |
||||||||
|
FY 2010 Supplemental |
FY 2011 |
FY 2012
|
FY 2013
Request |
||||
|
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE* |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
Office of Administrative Law Judges |
10 |
3,445 |
36 |
6,292 |
47 |
12,705 |
47 |
11,299 |
Office of the Commission |
1 |
355 |
17 |
3,219 |
19 |
3,981 |
20 |
3,844 |
Office of the Executive Director |
0 |
0 |
5 |
847 |
6 |
918 |
7 |
857 |
Total |
11 |
3,800[1] |
58 |
10,337 |
72 |
17,604 |
74 |
16,000 |
*The Commission ended FY 2011 with 72 FTE on-board, initially made possible by the FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act.
ACTIVITIES
Administrative Law Judges
Function
The Commission employs administrative law judges to hear
and decide contested cases at the trial level.
The judges travel to hearing sites located at
or near the mine involved in order to afford mine operators, miners and their
representatives a full opportunity to participate in the hearing process. Commission judges are also responsible for
evaluating and approving or denying settlement agreements proposed by the
parties under the Mine Act.
The Commission estimates that 15,797 trial level cases
will be pending at the beginning of FY 2013.
New case filings are expected to remain steady,
as operators continue to elect to contest civil penalties proposed by MSHA and
as MSHA utilizes its “pattern of violations” sanctions. Therefore, the Commission anticipates that it
will receive 11,000 new cases during the fiscal year, and that 11,000
cases will be disposed of during the year.
Thus, the end-of-year inventory would be unchanged from the beginning of
FY 2013.
Administrative Law
Judge Caseload Data
FY
2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY
2013
Actual Actual Estimate Estimate
Cases
pending beginning
of year 14,213 18,170 15,797 15,797
New
cases received 11,087 10,594 11,000 11,000
Total
case workload 25,300 28,764 26,797 26,797
Cases
decided 7,130 12,967 11,000 11,000
Cases
pending end of year 18,170 15,797 15,797 15,797
The Commission began FY 2012 with an inventory of 15,797
undecided cases, and 11,000 new cases are anticipated for the year. The Commission estimates that, depending on
experience, Judges will normally dispose of an average of 550 cases per year for
each of the Commission’s 20 FTE judge slots.
Therefore, the Commission anticipates that a total of 11,000 cases are
expected to be decided, resulting in an FY 2012 end-of-year inventory of 15,797
undecided cases.
The Commission also expects Judges to dispose of an
average of 550 cases each in FY 2013 for a total of 11,000 dispositions.1
The agency notes that this number may ultimately be slightly lower, because judges
will be deciding generally more difficult cases that were not already settled
as a part of the initiative to dispose of as many cases as possible in FY 2011
and FY 2012.
Performance Objective
and Goals for FY 2013
The Commission has established the following performance
objective and related goals to accurately measure performance.
The Commission’s FY 2013 budget includes the following
objective for the Administrative Law Judge function:
·
Dispose of cases in a timely manner.
The following performance goals have been established for
FY 2013 to support this objective.
Performance
Measurement Matrix
Office
of Administrative Law Judges*
Objective : Dispose
of cases in a timely manner |
|||||
|
FY
2010 |
FY
2011 |
FY
2012 |
FY
2013 |
|
Actual |
Goal |
Actual |
Goal |
Goal |
|
Average days from receipt to disposition of
penalty cases* |
499 |
550 |
524 |
525 |
525 |
Percent of cases disposed of within 365
days of receipt* |
28% |
30% |
33% |
33% |
33% |
Number of cases pending
over 365 days |
7,680 |
9,500 |
7,143 |
7,200 |
7,200 |
Percent of cases pending
over 365 days* |
42% |
49% |
45% |
45% |
45% |
Percent of settlement orders issued within
60 days of settlement motion |
54% |
55% |
77% |
77% |
77% |
Percent of dispositions under simplified
proceedings** |
n/a |
Baseline |
1.1% |
Baseline |
TBD |
Average days from receipt to disposition
under simplified proceedings** |
n/a |
Baseline |
99
days |
Baseline |
TBD |
* The timeframes above include time allowed under the
Commission’s Procedural Rules for the Secretary of Labor to file a
petition (generally 45 days), time under the rules for an operator to answer
(generally 30 days), and time granted by a judge when he or she
stays a proceeding.
** The Commission’s simplified proceedings rule became effective in
March 2011. Baseline metrics will be
established through FY 2012. Targets will be set for 2013 once 2012 data is
collected.
Office of the Administrative Law
Judges Staffing
The Commission’s FY 2013
budget includes 47 FTEs and $11.3 million for OALJ, to support the current full-time
equivalent (FTE) of 20 judges, which is the judge level first achieved through
the FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-212), and maintained
since the passage of that Act. The FY
2013 budget also includes six law clerks and seven legal assistants to support
the judges, and a number of docket clerks to maintain case files, and process
and record documents filed with the Commission.
The FY 2013 budget for OALJ represents the same number of FTE as
estimated for FY 2012, and will enable the Commission to prevent any growth in
the backlog of cases at the trial level.
The decrease in funding from
the FY 2012 level reflects the OALJ’s allocation of two non-recurring expenses
that have been provided in FY 2012. One
of those expenses was
moving the Commission’s headquarters to a new location in Washington, DC. The other was for the Commission to
purchase and implement an e-filing system that will allow for electronic filing by the
parties, fully electronic case files, electronic assignment and distribution of
cases, automated notifications to parties, and case tracking. The OALJ FY 2013 budget includes $300,000 to
maintain this system.
|
FY 2010 Supplemental* |
FY 2011 |
FY 2012
|
FY 2013
Request |
||||
|
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
Office of Administrative Law Judges |
10 |
3,445 |
36 |
6,292 |
47 |
12,705 |
47 |
11,299 |
* Available for expenditure July 29, 2010—July 28,
2011. The Commission carried this staff
over for the remaining two months of FY 2011, using funds appropriated in FY
2011.
Commission Review Function
The five-member Commission decides two principal types of
cases: (1) substantive cases, which are cases where a judge has issued a
decision on the merits and either a party has filed a petition for review with
the Commission or at least two Commissioners have decided to grant review on
their own initiative; and (2) default cases, which are cases where an
operator has failed to timely contest a proposed penalty or to respond to the
Secretary’s penalty petition and the operator has filed a motion to reopen the
final order.
The authority for the review of judges’ decisions is set
forth in section 113(d)(1) of the Act. The Act states that a judge’s decision shall
become final 40 days after its issuance, unless within that period any two
Commissioners direct that the decision be reviewed. Most substantive cases come before the
Commission when two or more Commis-sioners vote to grant a petition for
discretionary review filed by a party adversely affected or aggrieved by the
judge’s decision.
Two
or more Commissioners may also direct any judge’s decision for review sua
sponte (on the Commission’s own motion, without the parties filing a
petition). Sua sponte review is
limited to judges’ decisions that are contrary to law or Commission policy, or
that present a novel question of policy.
By
law, a quorum of three Commissioners is required to decide substantive cases. Many of the Commission’s cases present issues
of first impression under the Mine Act.
That is, the cases raise issues that have not been resolved by prior
decisions of the Commission or the courts, or the cases involve the interpretation
of safety and health standards and regulations newly promulgated by MSHA.
In recent years, the Commission’s appellate review
function has seen a significant increase in the number of filings of both substantive
and default cases. The trend of an increased
number of petitions being filed for substantive review is likely to continue for
the foreseeable future, and perhaps accelerate as the Commission’s judges issue
a greater number of decisions in the course of addressing the Commission’s case
backlog.
In FY 2008,
8 petitions for review of judges’ decisions were filed with the Commission, and
4 of those petitions were granted. In FY
2009, 14 petitions for review of judges’ decisions were filed with the
Commission, and 10 of those petitions were granted. In FY 2010, 32 petitions were filed with the
Commission, and 19 of the petitions were granted. In FY 2011, 66 petitions were filed with the
Commission, and 43 of the petitions were granted.
Thus, the recent trend is
for the number of new substantive cases on the Commission’s docket to roughly
double each year. The following chart
illustrates this trend. The
increase in petitions filed by parties and granted by the Commission will have
a significant impact on the Office of General Counsel (OGC), which is
responsible for conducting the initial research in substantive cases and
preparing draft opinions for Commission members.
FMSHRC Appellate
Level
Petitions for
Substantive Review
In addition, during FY 2011, the high number of default
cases filed before the Commission continued to be a major challenge. Historically,
the number of motions to reopen filed by operators with the Commission has been
fewer than 50 per year. However, the
number of motions to reopen filed with the Commission increased substantially
from 68 in FY 2007 to 177 in FY 2008 – a 2.5 fold increase in such cases. Since then, the number of motions to reopen
has remained steady at about 200 per year.
Each
default case must be carefully analyzed by an OGC attorney-advisor, who then
prepares a draft order for consideration by the Commissioners.
OGC plays an important role in handling substantive cases
that have been accepted for review by the Commissioners. The OGC attorneys also
perform other duties, such as responding to FOIA requests, ethics counseling
and training, review of financial disclosure forms, and equal employment
opportunity counseling and training.
Those duties have substantially increased with the size of the Commission’s
staff. In addition, OGC is primarily
responsible for formulating and drafting the Commission’s rulemaking
initiatives, such as those involving more efficient settlement procedures and
simplified proceedings for litigating certain categories of cases.
The
Commission began FY 2011 with an inventory of 119 undecided appellate cases and
received 259 new cases during the year. During
FY 2011, 276 case dispositions were made, 27 of which were substantive cases
and 249 were default cases. In FY 2012,
the Commission began the year with an inventory of 102 undecided cases, and 270
new cases are anticipated for the year.
An estimated 250 case dispositions are expected, consisting of 35
dispositions in substantive cases and 215 dispositions in default cases.
In FY 2013, it is expected
that 122 cases will be pending before the Commission at the beginning of the
year, and an estimated 280 new cases will be filed during the year. Approximately 250 dispositions are expected,
of which an estimated 40 will be in substantive cases and 210 in default
cases. Thus, it is anticipated that the
Commission’s appellate docket will contain 152 undecided cases at the end of FY
2013.
Commission
Review Caseload Data
FY
2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY
2013
Actual Actual Estimate Estimate
Cases
pending beginning
of year 95 119 102 122
New
cases received 213 259 270 280
Total
case workload 308 378 372 402
Cases
decided 189 276 250 250
Cases
pending end of year 119 102 122 152
Commission Review Staffing
The Commission is requesting a budget of $3.8 million and
20 FTE for its appellate review activities in FY 2013. This includes 10 FTEs for the Chairman, the
other four Commissioners, and their immediate staff. It also includes 10 FTEs for OGC. This is one more FTE than anticipated in FY
2012. The decrease in funding over FY
2012 reflects OGC’s share of the one-time cost of the Commission’s move of its
Headquarters to a new location in FY 2012.
|
FY 2010 Supplemental* |
FY 2011 |
FY 2012
|
FY 2013
Request |
||||
|
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
Office of the Commission |
1 |
355 |
17 |
3,219 |
19 |
3,981 |
20 |
3,844 |
* Available
for expenditure July 29, 2010—July 28, 2011.
The Commission carried this staff over for the remaining two months of
FY 2011, using funds appropriated in FY 2011.
Performance Objective
and Goals for FY 2013
The
Commission has updated and clarified its performance objectives and goals for
its Commission review function. Our FY
2013 budget includes the following two objectives for this function:
·
Issue decisions in substantive cases accepted
for review in a timely manner
·
Issue orders in default cases in a timely
manner
The following performance goals have been developed for FY
2013 to support this objective.
Performance Measurement Matrix
Commission
Review FUNCTION
|
|
||||
|
FY
2010 |
FY
2011 |
FY
2012 |
FY
2013 |
|
Actual |
Goal |
Actual |
Goal |
Goal |
|
Objective: Issue opinions in substantive cases accepted
for review in a timely manner |
|||||
Undecided substantive cases over 18 months
of age |
2 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
Percent of undecided substantive cases over
18 months of age |
7% |
10% |
10% |
8% |
5% |
Undecided substantive cases 12—18 months of
age |
9 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
9 |
Percent of undecided substantive cases
12—18 months of age |
32% |
20% |
15% |
16% |
15% |
Decisions in substantive cases greater than
18 months of age* |
0 |
baseline |
7 |
8 |
10 |
Percent of substantive decisions greater
than 18 months of age* |
0% |
baseline |
44% |
33% |
33% |
Objective: Issue orders in default cases in a
timely manner |
|||||
Undecided default cases over 6 months of
age * |
36 |
20 |
19 |
15 |
15 |
Percent of undecided default cases over 6
months of age |
38% |
20% |
24% |
15% |
15% |
* New metric established for FY
2012.
Office of the Executive
Director Function
The OED provides administrative services to support the
Commission in fulfilling its mission and strategic goals. The primary functions are financial
management, human resources, procurement and contracting, IT, facilities
management, and general administrative service support.
The financial management services function includes the
areas of budget and accounting, such as budget formulation, budget execution,
funds control, financial reporting, and vendor payments.
Human resources covers the areas of recruitment and
placement, classification and pay administration, performance management and
incentive awards, employee benefits and retirement, personnel security, coordination
of employee training program, and wellness and employee assistance programs.
Procurement and contracting covers specific matters such
as maintaining a simplified acquisition program for supplies and services,
contract implementation and oversight, and coordination of services and
supplies.
IT entails help desk functions, network administration,
policy formulation for IT, and telecommunication.
Facilities management covers property and space
management, organization management, and physical security.
Other general administrative
services provided by OED include the administration of employee travel
authorizations and reimbursements, and the Metro subsidy program.
Office of the Executive
Director Staffing
The Commission is requesting an FY 2013 budget of $0.857
million and 8 FTE for the Office of the Executive Director. This is one more FTE than anticipated in FY
2012. The decrease in funding over FY
2012 reflects OED’s allocation of the one-time cost of the Commission’s move of
its Headquarters to a new location in FY 2012.
|
FY
2011 |
FY
2012 |
FY
2013 |
|||
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
FTE |
AMOUNT (000) |
|
Office of the Executive Director |
5 |
847 |
7 |
918 |
8 |
857 |
CHARTS AND GRAPHS
FEDERAL MINE SAFETY
AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
Budget Authority by
Object Class
(In thousands)
|
FY 2010 Supplemental Actual* |
FY 2011 Actual |
FY 2012 Estimate** |
FY 2013 Estimate |
Personnel
Compensation |
1,032 |
6,034 |
7513 |
7,672 |
Other
than Full-Time Permanent |
0 |
360 |
380 |
380 |
Total, Personnel Compensation |
1,032 |
6,394 |
7,893 |
8,052 |
Personnel
Benefits, Civilian |
149 |
1,352 |
2,070 |
2,101 |
Benefits
to Former Employees |
- |
- |
11 |
12 |
Travel
and Transportation of Persons |
20 |
136 |
240 |
331 |
Transportation
of Things |
6 |
8 |
31 |
32 |
Rental
Payments to GSA |
442 |
1,385 |
1,547 |
1,547 |
Communications,
Utilities, and Misc. |
124 |
112 |
369 |
369 |
Printing
and Reproduction |
2 |
7 |
24 |
24 |
Other
Services |
1,898 |
811 |
2,628 |
2,784 |
Supplies
and Materials |
64 |
133 |
855 |
321 |
Equipment |
63 |
0 |
1,936 |
427 |
Total |
3,800 |
10,337 |
17,604 |
16,000 |
* FY
2010 Supplemental costs include staff loaned or detailed from other federal
agencies, contract staff, exploration of electronic case filing, and rental for
temporary space, which are included in “Other Services.”
** In
FY 2012, the $1.98 million provided for moving the Washington, D.C.
headquarters is distributed between “Other Services”, “Supplies and Materials”
and “Equipment”. The $1 million provided
for implementation of electronic case filing is distributed between “Other
Services” and “Equipment”.
Personnel Summary
|
2010 SUPPLE-MENTAL |
2011 ACTUAL |
2012 ESTIMATE |
2013 REQUEST |
|
Account: Salaries &
Expenses |
|||||
Executive
Level III Executive
Level IV |
|
1 4 |
1 4 |
1 4 |
|
Subtotal |
|
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
ES |
|
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Subtotal |
|
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
AL-2 AL-3 |
6 |
1 13 |
1 19 |
1 19 |
|
Subtotal |
6 |
14 |
20 |
20 |
|
GS-15 GS-14 GS-13 GS-12 GS-11 GS-9 GS-8 GS-7 GS-6 GS-5 |
5 2 |
5 4 2 3 12 5 7 0 1 - |
5 4 3 3 16 4 5 3 2 - |
5 4 3 3 16 4 7 3 2 - |
|
Subtotal |
7 |
39 |
45 |
47 |
|
Total Permanent
Full-time Positions |
13 |
59 |
72 |
74 |
|
Unfilled
positions end-of-year |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total,
full-time permanent employment end-of-year |
|
59 |
- |
- |
|
Cumulative Full-time
equivalent (FTE) usage |
11 |
58 |
- |
- |
|
________________________________________________________________
|
FY 2011 |
FY 2012 Est. |
FY 2013 Est. |
Average EX Salary Average ES Salary Average AL Salary Average GS Salary |
$157,460 $156,673 $164,427 $78,273 |
$157,460 $167,337 $166,427 $81,285 |
$157,460 $167,337 $166,427 $81,285 |
Amounts
Available for Obligation
(in millions)
|
FY
2011* |
FY
2012 |
FY
2013 |
|||
|
FTE |
Amount |
FTE |
Amount |
FTE |
Amount |
Appropriation,
total estimated
obligations |
69 |
10.337 |
72 |
17.604 |
74 |
16.000 |
* The Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-212), provided the
Commission with $3.8 million, available 7/29/10 – 7/28/11 to reduce the backlog
of cases before the Commission. This
supplemental funding enabled the Commission to add 11 FTE, which the Commission
then carried over for the final two months of FY 2011, using FY 2011 funding.
Summary of Changes by
Budget Authority
(in
millions)
Budget Authority |
FY 2010 Supplemental |
FY 2011 |
FY 2012 |
FY 2013 |
Net Change (FY 2012 to FY 2013) |
Appropriations |
3.800 |
10.337 |
17.604 |
16.000 |
(1.604) |
Full-time Equivalent* |
11 |
58 |
72 |
74 |
2 |
FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND
HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
Appropriations and FTE
History
Fiscal Year |
Budget Estimate to Congress |
House Allowance |
Senate Allowance |
Appropriation |
FTE[2] |
2000 |
6,159,000 |
6,060,000 |
6,159,000 |
6,136,000[3] |
43 |
2001 |
6,320,000 |
6,200,000 |
6,320,000 |
6,320,000 |
42 |
2002 |
6,939,000 |
6,939,000 |
6,939,000 |
6,934,000[4] |
38 |
2003 |
7,127,000 |
– |
– |
7,131,343[5] |
35 |
2004 |
7,774,000 |
7,774,000 |
7,774,000 |
7,728,133[6] |
40 |
2005 |
7,813,000 |
7,813,000 |
7,813,000 |
7,809,024[7] |
40 |
2006 |
7,809,000 |
7,809,000 |
7,809,000 |
7,730,910[8] |
40 |
2007 |
7,576,000 |
7,731,000 |
7,731,000 |
7,777,652[9] |
44 |
2008 |
8,096,000 |
8,096,000 |
7,954,563 |
7,954,563 |
48 |
2009 |
8,653,000 |
8,653,000 |
8,653,000 |
8,653,000 |
50 |
2010 |
9,857,567 |
9,857,567 |
10,358,000 |
10,358,000[10] |
63 |
|
|
3,800,000 |
3,800,000 |
3,800,000[11] |
17[12] |
2011 |
13,105,000 |
13,905,000 |
15,755,000 |
10,337,000[13] |
63 |
2012 |
22,417,000 |
– |
17,637,000 |
17,604,000[14] |
72 |
2013 |
16,000,000 |
|
|
|
74(e) |
(e) = estimated
[1]
Available
for expenditure July 29, 2010—July 28, 2011. The Commission carried this staff over for
the final two months of FY 2011, using funds appropriated in FY 2011.
1Settlement decisions
are a significant portion of the Commission’s dispositions. The volume of settlement motions considered
for approval is entirely dependent upon the number submitted by the Solicitor’s
Office. That volume may drop if there
are fewer non-complex cases or the Department of Labor’s funding level is
reduced.
[2] FTE for
FY 2011 and before represent the FTE ceiling given budget authority, not the
actual FTE.
[3] Reflects reduction of
$23,000 pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2000, P.L. 106-113.
[4]
Reflects reduction of $5,000 pursuant to Section 1403 of P.L.
107-206.
[5]
Reflects adjustments pursuant to the Omnibus Appropriations
Act, P.L. 108-7.
[6]
Reflects reduction of $45,867 pursuant to the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, P.L. 108-199.
[7]
Reflects a congressional add-on of $59,000 and a reduction of
$62,976 pursuant to Section 122(a) of P.L.108-447.
[8] Reflects reduction of $78,090 pursuant
to Title III, Chapter 8, of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, P.L.
109-148.
[9] Reflects
reduction of $144,437 pursuant to Sec. 528(a) of P.L.
110-161.
[10] Reflects
Senate Approved Mark-up of $500,000 pursuant to P.L. 111-117.
[11] Reflects supplemental funding of $3,800,000 pursuant of P.L.
111-212.
[12] Temporary
FTE provided July 29, 2010—July 28, 2011 though FY 2010 supplemental appropriation.
The Commission carried this staff over for the last two months of FY 2011,
using FY 2011 funding.
[13]
Reflects
reduction of $21,000 pursuant to Sec. 1119(a) of the
Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, P.L. 112-10.
[14] Reflects reduction of
$33,334 pursuant to Section 527(a) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2012, P.L. 112-74.