House Democrats are planning to quickly advance legislation setting deadlines for OSHA to craft a standard addressing workplace violence in the healthcare sector, but the legislation is facing stiff opposition from Republicans, suggesting that pending companion legislation in the Senate is unlikely to advance.
September 16, 2026
Democratic and Republican lawmakers, along with Trump administration officials, agreed during a Feb. 27 hearing on the need for a long-term reauthorization of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) chemical facility safety program but lawmakers appeared divided on whether to provide additional regulatory flexibility to industrial facilities.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pledging to renew efforts to get the Defense Department (DOD) to weigh contractors' safety records before awarding contracts after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found a series of contractor violations as well as problems with OSHA and DOD tracking systems.
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An Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) has upheld a penalty OSHA imposed on a healthcare facility under its General Duty authority for not adequately addressing workplace violence, highlighting the issue just as House Democrats prepare to push newly reintroduced legislation requiring the agency to craft a workplace violence standard.
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Exxon Mobil is urging an appellate court to uphold a ruling that barred the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) from enforcing document requests about chemicals that are stored on site but not released as a result of an incident, arguing the Clean Air Act does not provide CSB with power to subpoena for documents related to “potential” releases.
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Labor groups are petitioning the Trump administration to retract a proposed Labor Department (DOL) rule easing child labor safety laws in the health sector because it violates the Information Quality Act (IQA), a little-used law that courts have found to be unenforceable, though advocates say the petition could bolster a future suit under other laws.
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Taking a page out of Republicans' playbook, House Democrats are trying to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to rescind the Trump OSHA's rule rolling back Obama-era recordkeeping requirements, a messaging exercise as the effort will almost certainly not be considered in the GOP-controlled Senate.
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House Democrats have reintroduced and expanded legislation seeking to strengthen the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act by covering additional workers and bolstering protections for whistleblowers while also enhancing penalties, though an employers’ attorney suggests the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate or reach the president’s desk.
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Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), incoming chairwoman of the House subcommittee overseeing worker safety is aiming to ensure vigorous OSHA enforcement, block Trump administration rollback of worker safety rules and reduce opioid abuse among construction workers but says boosting the minimum wage is her top priority.
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The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has indefinitely delayed a Feb. 6 hearing to consider the nomination of former FedEx executive Scott Mugno, who the Trump administration first nominated to lead OSHA in 2017, and who faces slim prospects for confirmation given senators’ differences over labor personnel.
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