Some safety agencies see budget increases for FY 2012

Washington – After several close calls during which a government shutdown loomed, Congress finalized a budget for the remainder of fiscal year 2012, providing some occupational safety and health agencies with a slight funding increase.

Funding includes:

• $565.9 million to OSHA. Compared to FY 2011, this represents a $7.2 million increase, most of which comes from $6.4 million in additional funds for federal compliance assistance and state consultation grants.
• $374 million to the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The agency received across-the-board increases from FY 2011, except for a $1.2 million decrease in metal/non-metal enforcement.
• $17.6 million to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. The $7.3 million funding increase from FY 2011 is part of a recent trend of providing more money to FMSHRC to reduce a massive backlog of contested cases.
• $11.7 million to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, which is identical to the commission’s FY 2011 funding.
• $182.9 million to NIOSH, a funding cut of more than $41 million for the research institute compared with the previous fiscal year.

President Barack Obama signed the budget bill (H.R. 2055) into law Dec. 23. It will fund the agencies through the rest of the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.