Protecting America's Workers Act
Latest action · Jul 9, 2007 Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 26, 2007
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting America's Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to expand its coverage to federal, state, and local government employees.
Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, under specified conditions, to cede OSHA jurisdiction to another federal agency with respect to certain occupational standards or regulations for such agency's employees. Declares OSHA inapplicable to working conditions covered by the Federal Mine Safety and Heath Act of 1977.
Sets forth increased protections for whistleblowers under OSHA.
Increases civil and criminal penalties for certain OSHA violators. Sets forth provisions relating to: (1) victims' rights; (2) posting of employee rights; (3) investigations of fatalities and serious injuries; (4) prohibition of unclassified citations; (5) right to contest citations and penalties; and (6) objections to modifications of citations.
Directs the Secretary to revise regulations and promulgate OSHA standards to require employers to provide personal protective equipment for employees at no cost to employees.
Cosponsors 72
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 26, 2007 to Nov 20, 2008; 12 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NH | Carol Shea-Porter | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-MI | Dale E. Kildee | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-IA | David Loebsack | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-CA | George Miller | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-MA | John F. Tierney | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-PA | Michael F. Doyle | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-IL | Phil Hare | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-NJ | Rush Holt | Original | Apr 26, 2007 |
| D-MA | Barney Frank | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-PA | Chaka Fattah | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-CA | Hilda L. Solis | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Timothy H. Bishop | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | May 16, 2007 | |
| D-AZ | Ed Pastor | May 24, 2007 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | May 24, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-FL | Corrine Brown | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-MO | Emanuel Cleaver | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-KY | John A. Yarmuth | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-MI | Sander M. Levin | Jun 19, 2007 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Jun 25, 2007 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Jun 25, 2007 | |
| D-CA | Susan A. Davis | Jun 25, 2007 | |
| D-CA | Bob Filner | Jul 11, 2007 | |
| D-OH | Dennis J. Kucinich | Jul 11, 2007 | |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Jul 11, 2007 | |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Jul 11, 2007 | |
| D-FL | Robert Wexler | Jul 11, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Maurice D. Hinchey | Jul 18, 2007 | |
| D-PA | Joe Sestak | Jul 27, 2007 | |
| D-HI | Neil Abercrombie | Aug 3, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Michael R. McNulty | Sep 4, 2007 | |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Oct 3, 2007 | |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Oct 3, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Oct 3, 2007 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | Oct 17, 2007 | |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Oct 17, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn McCarthy | Oct 23, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Oct 23, 2007 | |
| D-ME | Michael H. Michaud | Oct 31, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Anthony D. Weiner | Nov 6, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Brian Higgins | Nov 6, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Dec 4, 2007 | |
| D-NY | Edolphus Towns | Dec 4, 2007 | |
| D-NY | John J. Hall | Dec 4, 2007 | |
| D-PA | Allyson Y. Schwartz | Dec 11, 2007 | |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | Dec 12, 2007 | |
| D-OH | Betty Sutton | Jan 17, 2008 | |
| D-NY | Steve Israel | Jan 29, 2008 | |
| D-NY | Nita M. Lowey | Feb 7, 2008 | |
| D-NY | Joseph Crowley | Apr 1, 2008 | |
| D-PA | Robert A. Brady | Apr 22, 2008 | |
| D-IN | André Carson | May 5, 2008 | |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | May 5, 2008 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | May 5, 2008 | |
| D-NY | Jose E. Serrano | May 5, 2008 | |
| D-TX | Gene Green | May 7, 2008 | |
| D-NV | Shelley Berkley | May 13, 2008 | |
| D-NJ | Steven R. Rothman | May 20, 2008 | |
| D-IN | Peter J. Visclosky | Jun 9, 2008 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Nov 20, 2008 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Apr 26, 2007 |
| Workforce Protections Subcommittee | Referred Jul 9, 2007 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 9, 2007Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
- Apr 26, 2007Introduced in House
- Apr 26, 2007Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E879)
- Apr 26, 2007Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H2662 | Phil Hare D-IL | Apr 24, 2008 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E932 | Lynn C. Woolsey D-CA | May 2, 2007 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E879 | Lynn C. Woolsey D-CA | Apr 26, 2007 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 110-41 | WORKPLACE SAFETY: WHY DO MILLIONS OF WORKERS REMAIN WITHOUT OSHA COVERAGE?59 pages | Education and Workforce Committee | May 24, 2007 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1244 | Protecting America's Workers Act | Identical bill | Apr 26, 2007 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to expand coverage under the Act, to increase protections for whistleblowers, to increase penalties for certain violators, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Protecting America's Workers Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Labor and Employment.
- Administrative procedure
- Administrative remedies
- Civil actions and liability
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Damages
- Death
- Department of Labor
- Disciplining of employees
- Discrimination in employment
- Dismissal of employees
- Economics and Public Finance
- Employee rights
- Employers' liability
- Equipment and supplies
- Federal employees
- Fines (Penalties)
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Government publicity
- Governmental investigations
- Grievance procedures
- Health
- Indexing (Economic policy)
- Injunctions
- Judicial review
- Labor and Employment
- Labor unions
- Law
- Legal fees
- Local employees
- Local laws
- Occupational health and safety
- Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
- Prosecution
- State employees
- State laws
- Victims
- Wage restitution
- Whistle blowing
- Witnesses
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 26, 2007Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
