High Country Times

Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx has called on the Department of Labor's Acting Secretary Julie Su to reconsider the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) proposed federal heat rule. Foxx argues that the rule imposes excessive paperwork burdens on small businesses without effectively enhancing worker safety.

In her letter, Foxx stated, "This proposed rule, pushed by climate activists and other Democrat special interest groups, is yet another example of the out-of-touch, top down federal mandates that have come from the Biden-Harris DOL." She emphasized that regulating heat hazards federally without considering regional climate differences is impractical. "It is common sense that climate varies from region to region," she wrote, noting that a construction worker in Florida may be more accustomed to higher temperatures than one in Maine.

Foxx also highlighted concerns from small business entities about potential staffing challenges and unnecessary recordkeeping requirements. She mentioned their preference for direct communication with employees over extensive paperwork: "[S]mall business entities reported that they may be forced to hire additional staff or take time away from other safety initiatives in order to complete the paperwork required by the proposed rule."

The letter concludes with a critique of using climate change as a justification for broad federal mandates. Foxx noted OSHA's historical approach under the General Duty Clause and expressed concern about the new rule's impact on job creators and workers: "With this proposed rule, the Biden-Harris DOL uses climate change as a pretext to impose one-size-fits-all federal mandates that will burden job creators and workers alike."

Foxx urged abandoning what she described as an overly burdensome proposal.