Regulations/Legislation

Washington — Three days after the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration determined that hazardous materials transporters do not have to comply with California’s rest and meal break requirements, the American Trucking Associations filed a petition asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to pre-empt the requirements for all commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington — The Department of Labor is accepting comment until Nov. 26 on a proposed rule that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to operate powered patient lifts in hospitals, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.

Federal regulations often take years – sometimes decades – to come to fruition. In the current presidential administration, the focus is on deregulation – and experts say the process of rolling back a rule can prove just as slow.

Washington — A sizable contingent of House Democrats is expressing concerns with the Department of Labor’s proposal to allow certain 16- and 17-year-olds to perform hazardous jobs, in a letter sent Aug. 1 to Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.

Washington — The House on June 27 unanimously passed a bipartisan bill that would require the U.S. Coast Guard to perform maritime vessel inspections that include ensuring crews and ships have necessary safety equipment and current weather forecast charts.

Washington — The Federal Aviation Administration should relax its “overly conservative” safety rules for commercial drone use to boost continued progress and integration, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes.

Washington — The House on June 13 passed a series of opioid-related legislation, including a unanimously approved bill that would establish a committee to advise Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta on ways the Department of Labor could help combat opioid misuse and addiction in the workforce.

Washington — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) lauded government regulation as a vital societal institution during a June 5 speech, saying “good rules empower people to live, work and do business freely and safely.”

Washington — Lawmakers have proposed bipartisan legislation that would create a committee to advise Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta on ways the Department of Labor could help combat opioid misuse and addiction in the workforce.

Washington — Three lawmakers have introduced a pair of bipartisan bills that would grant electronic logging device exemptions to certain segments of the commercial motor vehicle industry.