[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H8844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     OSHA AND MSHA SHOULD BE MERGED

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Madam Speaker, last Congress I proposed legislation to 
merge two Federal workplace safety and health agencies, OSHA and MSHA, 
into a single agency. In my view, merging these two agencies would more 
effectively promote workplace safety. It would also help reduce 
Washington bureaucracy.
  The Clinton administration strongly opposed my proposed merger. But 
after he criticized my plan to merge the agencies, the Clinton 
administration made the head of MSHA a part-time job. And 2\1/2\ years 
later, the Clinton administration still considers MSHA so important 
that the Acting Solicitor of Labor is running the agency in a couple of 
hours a week.
  Madam Speaker, I am all for saving taxpayer money and combining 
Federal Government jobs where possible, but I am curious whether this 
sharing of top-level jobs might be part of a larger strategy. I know 
the Department of Labor has criticized companies in the past for 
filling too many lower level positions with part-time workers. Is the 
Clinton administration trying to turn the tables by putting part-timers 
in top positions?
  Madam Speaker, how far will the administration carry this? Will the 
Attorney General be officially splitting time as a White House Press 
Secretary?

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