An effort to derail OSHA’s silica rule – which is expected to be finalized in February of 2016 – was defeated in the appropriations bill released by Congress this week.

American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Government Affairs Director Aaron K. Trippler explains what the figures just released by the House Appropriations Committee’s Labor subcommittee mean to occupational safety and health agencies, going forward:

If it seems like we just finished talking about the FY15 budget, we did! But in Washington the federal budget has become a year-round discussion.

It’s a subject that never seems to go away. Just when Congress has succeeded in finalizing the FY14 federal budget, the FY15 budget is ready to push its way onto the agenda and demand attention. How quickly will it get it?