The Clinton Administration has requested a $426 million budget for OSHA in fiscal year 2001, a $44.4 million increase -- or 11.6 percent more than the $381.6 million appropriated by Congress for the current fiscal year. Nearly half of the $12.1 million increase is earmarked to hire 63 compliance officers who will help conduct wall-to-wall inspections at industries and worksites with above average illness and injury rates.

• Expanded Outreach Through Compliance Assistance and Training Under the President's proposal, OSHA will receive $67.1 million — a 23.9 percent increase — for expanded outreach activities, most of which is compliance assistance to businesses. Nearly $3.4 million of the $12.9 million increase will be used to hire 35 additional compliance assistance specialists, achieving the agency's goal of staffing each Federal OSHA area office with one specialist whose sole job is to assist businesses that request help.
• Strong Enforcement
• Under the President's proposal, OSHA will receive $153.1 million — an 8.6 percent increase — for enforcement activities.The budget request also includes $300,000 and five new investigators to help OSHA handle its increased responsibilities for protecting workers who allege retaliation for raising safety and health issues at their worksites, or for blowing the whistle on environmental violations.
• Improved Rulemaking The FY2001 budget proposal includes $2 million to better equip the agency to enhance its standard development activities and to develop additional economic and scientific information on which standards are based.
• Creative Partnerships Finally, the President's proposal requests an additional $3 million to help the 25 existing state-plan-states strengthen their enforcement and expand their partnerships with the private sector, and designate new Voluntary Protection Program sites.