Washington – In his final budget request to Congress, President Barack Obama is seeking to increase funding for several safety agencies, including OSHA and the Chemical Safety Board.
The president’s fiscal year 2017 budget would give OSHA $595 million – a $42 million jump above the current year’s budget. Specific budget line increases include $18 million for federal enforcement, $6.4 million for compliance assistance programs, $5.9 million for safety and health statistics, and $4.1 million for whistleblower programs.
The overall budget increase for OSHA is similar to the one Obama requested for the current year. Congress did not increase OSHA’s budget in FY 2016, choosing instead to maintain its 2015 funding level of $552.8 million.
Other safety agency funding requests for FY 2017:
- $397.4 million for the Mine Safety and Health Administration – an increase of more than $20 million
- $12.4 million for CSB – a $1.4 million increase
- A $312 million increase and a $1.2 million increase, respectively, for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board
