House Subcommittee to Hear Pros, Cons on Risk Assessment Rule
Not waiting for the U.S. Labor Department to announce a public hearing on the "Requirements for DOL Agencies' Assessment of Occupational Health Risks" rule, the Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee has scheduled its own hearing on the rule Wednesday morning. It shapes up as a chance for both sides to defend their positions because the DOL official who so far has defended the rule against criticism, Leon Sequeira, assistant U.S. labor secretary for policy, is scheduled to testify, and so is Margaret "Peg" Seminario, director of the AFL-CIO's Department of Occupational Health and Safety.
Two other witnesses are listed for the hearing, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern time. The two are Randel Johnson, vice president and spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Celeste Monforton, Ph.D., MPH, of the George Washington University School of Public Health, who has opposed the rule.
Early comments posted at www.regulations.gov seek to have the rule withdrawn, a public hearing called, and the comment period extended. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao's office published the rule Aug. 29, and comments are due by Sept. 29.