Worker training bill would block OSHA heat rules

A federal House spending bill would put new money behind job training and apprenticeships, while also drawing a line around workplace heat rules. The measure would steer funding to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, known as WIOA, and the National Apprenticeship Act. It would also block the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, from using the money to advance a heat standard.

Training money for workers

The bill sets aside $2,601,912,000 for WIOA and apprenticeship programs. That money would support people looking for their first job, workers trying to move up, and people who need to switch careers after a layoff.

A large share of the funding would go to adult employment and training activities and to dislocated-worker training. In plain terms, that is the part of the system many workers turn to when they need help quickly and need it to be tied closely to the local job market.

It would also provide $75,000,000 for educational or career training programs at community colleges. That could help schools offer short-term credentials and hands-on training that are built around employer demand.

A hard limit on heat rules

OSHA would still be funded under the bill, with $576,900,000 for the agency. The measure would also allow up to $120,000,000 for state grants under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which help keep state occupational safety and health programs running.

But the bill would not let OSHA use the money to finalize, implement or enforce its proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings standard. It also bars the agency from moving ahead with any substantially similar rule.

For workers who spend long hours in heat, that matters. A heat standard could shape what employers are required to do to reduce the risk of illness on the job. The bill would leave OSHA funded, but it would limit how far the agency can go on that issue.