Week ahead: Republicans push new round of reg reform bills

Republicans are ready to resume their attack on Obama-era regulations as Congress returns Monday after a week-long break.

Next up on their list is a rule from the Labor Department’s Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intended to ensure employers keep more accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses.

Under the rule, employers must record workplace injuries and illnesses within seven days and maintain accurate records for five years.

But critics worry the rule just creates more red tape and will do little to help improve workplace safety.

{mosads}House Republicans are likely to vote on a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the rule.

Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, introduced the resolution on Tuesday, calling the rule “an unlawful power grab by the Obama administration.”

In a statement, Byrne said Republicans have consistently called on OSHA to improve its enforcement efforts and collaborate with employers to address gaps in safety. 

“Unfortunately, the Obama administration consistently doubled down on failed, punitive policies that do more to tie small businesses in red tape than protect workers,” he said. “With this rule, OSHA rewrote federal law while doing nothing to improve worker health and safety.”

The House is also slated to consider legislation to create a bipartisan commission to review existing federal regulations and identify rules that should be repealed.

The Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome, or SCRUB Act passed the House in January, but never went anywhere in the Senate. 

Now with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, they are revisiting the bill.

Critics have argued that creating a new commission could cost taxpayers as much as $30 million to do something Congress is already doing. 

Legislation to give Congress oversight of the office tasked with reviewing and signing off on all proposed and final rules is also likely to get a vote next week. 

The Office of Information and Regulatory Reform (OIRA) Insight, Reform and Accountability Act, introduced by Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), would require OIRA to submit a written report on proposed regulations and do a retrospective review of past rules.

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