On the recordNovember 21, 2019
This amendment is yet another example of Democrats assuming bad motives on the part of American employers and handcuffing them with additional, overly prescriptive micromanagement from Washington. The vast majority of employers in America follow the laws, take good care of their employees, respect their rights in the workplace, and do not need more red tape imposed on them. Yet this amendment adds additional requirements on America's small businesses without receiving any meaningful input from them or other stakeholders. Democratic amendments, such as the one we are debating, do not change the basic fact that H.R. 1309 is already overly prescriptive and forecloses important input from knowledgeable stakeholders. H.R. 1309 will require OSHA to enforce an interim final standard in healthcare and social service settings within a year. This legislation does not allow OSHA to consider important information, including the experience of California, which has a brand-new standard in place; the views of experts in the field; and the input of workers who have invaluable workplace experience. This data and evidence and the views of stakeholders may very well not align with the bill's requirements. Adopting H.R. 1309 discounts the complexity of the underlying issue and the importance of the knowledge and experience stakeholders can offer. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
