Legislative and Regulatory News for the Week of April 5, 2009

Posted on April 11, 2009 by Governmental Affairs Team

The following is a summary of the legislative and regulatory news for the week of April 5, 2009:

Agency Changes

President Obama has named Jane Oates as his nominee for assistant secretary of the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA).

Jordan Barab has been appointed as both deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Employee Benefits

The Internal Revenue Service has released guidance on the COBRA premium subsidy provided for in the stimulus package.  The Department of Labor (DOL) has likewise issued expanded guidance on the COBRA subsidy notice requirements.

Immigration

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will continue to accept applications for initial H-1B status more than a week after the filing season opened.

Workplace Safety

OSHA has released a guidance document on assigned protection factors for respirators.  The agency has also released a revised Field Operations Manual.
 
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Jordan Barab Named As Acting Head of OSHA

Posted on April 10, 2009 by Jay Sumner

U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has appointed Jordan Barab as deputy assistant secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Barab will also serve as acting assistant secretary for OSHA as of April 13.

Until his appointment, Barab had been serving as a senior policy advisor to the House Education and Labor Committee, specializing in worker health and safety issues. Prior to working on this committee, Barab spent four years at the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. From 1998 to 2001, Barab was appointed as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary for OSHA. In this position he served, among other things, as national labor liaison and ergonomics coordinator. Before that, he spent 16 years directing the safety and health program for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Additionally, from March 2003 until January 2007, Barab ran Confined Space, a blog devoted to “news and commentary on workplace health & safety, labor and politics.” Barab ceased writing for this blog when he began working for the House Education and Labor Committee.

In response to Barab’s appointment, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said in a statement:

I congratulate Jordan for being named as the acting head of OSHA. Jordan will bring a tremendous amount of valuable health and safety experience to an agency that has been neglected for far too long. Throughout his career, Jordan has demonstrated the specialized knowledge of health and safety issues needed to revamp the agency and strengthen its efforts to protect Americans while on the job. I look forward to working with Jordan and Secretary Solis to ensure that the agency works to protect the health and safety of our nation’s workers.
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