On Sept. 19, Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-NY., introduced the CTE Student Mental Health and Wellness Act. This legislation would make area career and technical education schools eligible for mental health and substance use disorder services grants provided by the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention grant program. Notably, institutions of higher education already have access to GLS grant dollars, and this bill would expand the list of covered institutions eligible to receive GLS grant dollars to include CTEs. Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., joined Rep. Langworthy in introducing the legislation.

ABC recently participated in a White House-sponsored roundtable discussion, “Recovery in the Workplace: Investing to Build the Workforce of Tomorrow,” which convened a dozen leading corporations and business groups to highlight the importance of recovery-ready and recovery-friendly workplaces and share best practices. Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development, discussed ABC’s Total Human Health Initiative and more at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Recovery Month Roundtable.

ABC has sent 67 ABC chapter staff and members through the "VitalCog: Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry’s Train the Trainer" program to become an instructor. Over that time, ABC instructors have provided 95 trainings and 1,617 ABC members and chapter staff have received this vital education.

On July 27, President Joe Biden announced a series of actions aimed at protecting workers from the impact of extreme heat, including asking the U.S. Department of Labor to issue a first-ever hazard alert for heat.

On July 17, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in response to OSHA’s request for comments on its efforts to develop a leading indicators resource for usage by employers to improve safety management systems.

On June 22, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it will be holding Small Business Advocacy Review panel (also known as a SBREFA panel) meetings this summer to gather input on a possible Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings rule.

On May 18, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published a Field Assistance Bulletin on Enforcement of Protections for Employees to Pump Breast Milk at Work, which is intended to provide enforcement support and guidance to field staff regarding the application and requirements of the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, or PUMP Act.

Beginning April 1, 2023, states that maintained continuous Medicaid enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic may start terminating coverage for individuals who are no longer eligible. Employers will likely see an increase in midyear enrollment requests as individuals lose eligibility for Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage.

On Feb. 9, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2023-1, “Telework Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act,” which provides guidance to WHD field staff on how to ensure teleworking employees are properly paid and protected under the FLSA and how to apply eligibility rules under the FMLA.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is promoting its Workplace Stress Safety and Health Topics page as a resource to help support workforce mental well-being. The webpage offers guidance to employers on how they can alleviate stress and shares outreach materials, including posters, with tips on how employers and workers can work t