The U.S. House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee wants OSHA to halt four rulemaking efforts. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MN), chair of the committee, asked Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a March 19 letter to rescind or withdraw OSHA’s proposed rules on heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings and emergency response, and final rules on worker walkaround representation and annual injury and illness data submission requirements.

Walbert writes “the committee recognizes that many burdensome regulations were developed at DOL (Department of Labor) during the Biden-Harris administration… I encourage you to consider the issues raised in this letter and to remain in proactive contact with the committee as other agenda items arise.”

Walberg also requested several proposals and final rules in other DOL departments to be withdrawn or rescinded, and he asked DOL to address three committee concerns:

• Returning federal employees to in-person work;
• Use of taxpayer money for federal employee unions’ priorities;
• The Employee Benefits Security Administration “inefficient, overly aggressive, and limitless enforcement efforts.”

The committee chair encouraged “DOL to enforce its laws while providing robust compliance assistance to workers and businesses instead of continuing the enforcement-only approach” taken by the Biden-Harris administration.