Regulations/Legislation

Washington — Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) have reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would require the secretary of transportation to create a working group to determine obstacles to safe operation for livestock, insect and agricultural haulers in an effort to reform federal hours-of-service and electronic logging device regulations.

Indianapolis — Indiana Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) has introduced state legislation that would create a public safety research fund aimed at understanding and improving the physical health and safety and psychological well-being of first responders.

Washington — More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers once again are trying to pass the Protecting America’s Workers Act – legislation that has been introduced many times in both houses of Congress over the past 15 years.

Washington — Department of Labor Inspector General Scott Dahl states that his office is “currently reviewing the integrity of the rulemaking process” at OSHA and DOL in a Jan. 25 written response to five lawmakers.

Indianapolis — Indiana Rep. Martin Carbaugh (R-Fort Wayne) has introduced legislation that would dramatically increase maximum fines for on-the-job fatalities.

Washington — The National Employment Law Project and the Economic Analysis and Research Network recently released a policy brief intended to advise incoming governors and state legislators on best practices “to protect workers in their states so that all communities can thrive and grow.”

Washington — Labor unions, the National Employment Law Project, and the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health are among the groups publicly opposing a Department of Labor proposed rule that would allow unsupervised 16- and 17-year-olds to operate powered patient lifts in hospitals, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.

Washington — In an effort to help stem the rising rate of workplace violence against health care and social service workers, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) has proposed legislation that would direct OSHA to issue a standard requiring employers in those industries to develop and implement workplace violence prevention plans.

Washington — Federal regulation of small distribution systems for propane and other liquefied petroleum gas should be revised for clarity, efficiency, enforceability and applicability to risk, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes.

Washington — The Senate on Oct. 3 passed an extensive package of bipartisan opioid legislation with provisions that include boosting efforts to improve the coordination of emergency department overdose care and advancing hair testing as an accepted drug-testing method for transportation industry employees.