The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) applauds the passage of four bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. It says the four bills will help enhance worker safety, advance housing affordability, and improve the enforcement of OSHA's rules and regulations among small-business owners.
Two bills are of particular note to home builders. The first, HR 739, would allow OSHA to give businesses more than 15 days to respond to a citation. The second is HR 742, an act that would make it easier for companies to recover attorneys' fees when they successfully defend themselves against a citation.
Another bill, HR 720, adds two more administrative law judges to the three-panel Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), which hears appeals of violations. At its current size, the commission frequently has to delay hearings because it lacks a quorum. HR 741 requires judges to defer to the OSHRC when OSHA cases are appealed to the courts.
Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., have committed to introducing companion reform measures to the U.S. Senate later this year.
