Better days may be coming for OSHA this fall. For most of 1995, anti-regulatory fever on Capitol Hill has run strongest in the House of Representatives. Feisty young Republicans-true believers in the need to cut government down to size-have held hearings, proposed bills, and whacked OSHA's budget by 15.5 percent, with enforcement spending cut by one-third.
But before the year is out, a number of observers believe the Senate will temper House plans like parents calling off a teenage party. One source predicts a 10-percent funding cut will be the final result. "It's just the way the institution works, it's always a more moderating influence," says a lobbyist.