[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH SMALL EMPLOYER ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 
                                  2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROSA L. DELAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 18, 2004

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this legislation. 
The bills before us today do not merely amend or modernize the historic 
Occupational Safety and Health Act, which put in place critical 
workplace protections--rather, they undermine it.
  One discourages OSHA from citing small employers who would otherwise 
be in violation of the law, while another weakens the ability of the 
Secretary of Labor to enforce those laws. Another allows this 
Administration to stack the OSHA commission for political purposes, 
while the last gives employers more leeway in challenging OSHA 
citations.
  In every sense, these are blatantly anti-employee changes to existing 
law, intended to take power away from average working people and put it 
in the hands of employers in the hope that they will not abuse that 
power. All of this is being done under the guise of ``reducing red 
tape.''
  But I suppose we should not be surprised. After all, this is merely 
another in a long line of anti-employee acts taken by this 
Administration and majority. First it was throwing out a decade of 
research that went into those carefully crafted ergonomics 
regulations--in a day, Republicans sent the American people a clear 
message that the corporate bottom line was more important than safety 
in the workplace. Then it was ramming through overtime rules that took 
away time-and-a-half pay for 8 million workers and endorsing the 
outsourcing of American jobs to other countries. Now they decimate a 
historic law to protect American workers from unsafe working 
conditions.
  The American people are increasingly finding themselves at odds with 
this Administration and its reckless disregard for working people--and 
it is no wonder. To them, regulations that protect people in the 
workplace are, quote, ``red tape.''
  Mr. Speaker, tell that to families of the 60,000 employees who die 
every year from job-related injuries or illnesses. Tell that to the 4.7 
million people who are injured each year at work. Because legislation 
like this not only insults the work the people of this country do 
everyday--it reveals a total lack of appreciation for the people, the 
institutions and the values that built this country and made it great. 
Oppose these unfair, un-American bills.

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