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THE VOICE OF THE MERIT SHOP

ABC is the voice of the merit shop on Capitol Hill! Sending letters to Congress allows ABC to publicly advocate for the views and interests of our more than 23,000 members. By corresponding with U.S. House of Representatives and Senate members, ABC promotes fair and open competition in the construction industry and fights to protect merit shop contractors around the country.

ABC-Supported VPP Bill Clears Committee Vote

On September 17, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce passed the ABC-supported H.R. 2844, Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program Act, authored by Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn. ABC joined with more than 30 organizations in the Coalition for Workplace Safety to support H.R. 2844.

The bill makes permanent the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program and requires the agency to allocate a minimum of 5% of its annual budget to the program. ABC believes that encouraging collaborative partnerships between the regulated community and OSHA such as VPPs, is a win-win approach as they benefit both parties by improve compliance efficacy, reduce financial and administrative costs for both parties, and strengthen trust and transparency between the agency and the private sector.

On July 16, Kevin Sell, senior manager of corporate development at ABC member Kwest Group, Perrysburg, Ohio, testified on behalf of ABC before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections at the hearing, “Safe Workplaces, Stronger Partnerships: The Future of OSHA Compliance Assistance,” in support of support H.R. 2844. Watch the hearing and read Sell’s full testimony.

The bill now awaits consideration on the House floor.