House Bill 914
115th Congress(2017-2018)
Protecting America's Workers Act
Introduced
Introduced in House on Feb 7, 2017
Origin Chamber
House
Type
Bill
Bill
The primary form of legislative measure used to propose law. Depending on the chamber of origin, bills begin with a designation of either H.R. or S. Joint resolution is another form of legislative measure used to propose law.
Bill Number
914
Congress
115
Policy Area
Labor and Employment
Labor and Employment
Primary focus of measure is matters affecting hiring and composition of the workforce, wages and benefits, labor-management relations; occupational safety, personnel management, unemployment compensation. Measures concerning public-sector employment may fall under Government Operations and Politics policy area.
Joe Courtney
grade
Connecticut
Arizona
California
California
California
California
California
California
California
District of Columbia
Florida
Florida
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Illinois
Indiana
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Michigan
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
New York
New York
New York
New York
North Carolina
Oregon
Texas
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
No House votes have been held for this bill.
Summary
Protecting America's Workers Act
This bill amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to increase the scope of the Act by applying its coverage to federal, state, and local government employees. However, the bill makes OSHA inapplicable to working conditions covered by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.
The bill revises requirements governing worker protection, including by:
- increasing protections for whistle-blowers as well as employees participating in or aiding inspections;
- directing employers to furnish a hazard-free place of employment to all individuals, not just employees;
- requiring the posting of employee rights concerning protection from retaliation;
- requiring site logs of employees' work-related injuries and illnesses, including those of employees of other employers and contractors;
- directing employers to report work-related deaths or hospitalizations;
- prohibiting employers from discouraging accurate record keeping and reporting of work-related injuries or illnesses;
- requiring the Department of Labor to investigate an incident in the workplace that results in the death of an employee or one that results in the hospitalization of two or more employees;
- establishing rights for victims, or representatives of victims, with respect to inspections or investigations of work-related bodily injuries or deaths;
- setting the permitted period for employers to correct serious, willful, or repeated violations while citations for the violations are being contested;
- increasing civil and criminal penalties for certain violations;
- expanding enforcement requirements relating to state occupational safety and health plans, including by allowing Labor concurrent enforcement authority in states where the state plans fail to meet minimum requirements; and
- expanding requirements for workplace health hazard evaluations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
February 7, 2017
02/07/2017
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
02/07/2017
Introduced in House
Public Record
Record Updated
Jan 11, 2023 1:34:58 PM