Senate Dems Raise ‘Alarming Concern’ Over NIOSH Cuts

• U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have set a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenging his decision to cut NIOSH jobs.
• “We write today with alarming concern about reports that nearly the entire workforce that works to improve the health of miners was laid off and the office that oversees this work was eliminated,” they wrote in an April 8 letter.
• According to media reports, HHS is laying off approximately 873 employees, or two-thirds, of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
• The senators asked for an immediate response to their questions, “to better understand how the same amount of work can be done with hundreds fewer individuals.”
• Meanwhile, the United Auto Workers union said Tuesday it “adamantly opposes” the cuts to almost 900 workers at NIOSH.
• Kennedy has said that 20% of the cuts last week may have been in error. HHS didn’t respond to a request for comment, Bloomberg reported.
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Idaho Legislature Reworks ‘Medical Freedom’ Bill After Veto

• The Idaho State House of Representatives has rewritten a bill which would bar local businesses from restricting entry, employment or services based on requirements for medical interventions, such as vaccines, medical diagnosis or treatment, after an earlier veto by Gov. Brad Little.
• For businesses and any local, county or state government agencies, the bill bans requiring medical interventions for employment, admission to venues, transportation, or providing products or services.
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Wisconsin Roofing Firm Cited for Repeated Fall Protection Failures

• Appleton, Wisconsin roofing contractor Bacilio Rios Almanza has been cited by OSHA for failing to protect employees atop a residential roof from fatal fall hazards in September 2024.
• The federal safety agency’s probe resulted in Almanza’s citation for two willful violations and one serious violation for failing to provide fall protection equipment, not training workers on fall protection, and not ensuring workers wore hard hats.
• OSHA proposed $262,174 in penalties.
• The agency has inspected Almanza work sites 10 times and cited the contractor for similar violations.
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