Washington Report - August 23, 2023

Workforce
Congress remains out of town and will not return until after Labor Day. However, that does not mean that legislation cannot be introduced. There is typically what is known as a “pro forma” business day each week in August where bills may be introduced, despite the fact that Members are not in Washington. In fact, bipartisan legislation has been drafted and will likely be introduced later this month that would address worker shortages in the forestry and lumber sectors. 

Specifically, the bill would authorize a grant program to:

• Establish education programs by states, non-profits, and colleges through grants of $500,000-$2,000,000.
• Create a pool of talented, trained, and qualified applicants to fill forestry and lumber industry job openings. Programs would be tailored to build skills ranging from logging and forest management to sawmilling.
• Partner with programs that have proven to help students achieve forestry industry jobs and programs that engage with their local communities.
  

More details will be available once this bill is unveiled later this month. 

Heat Standard
Earlier this month, the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy held a Small Business Labor Safety Roundtable to discuss the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) upcoming Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) panel on a possible “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings” rule. As we noted in earlier newsletters, OSHA’s possible rule would apply to employers whose employees are exposed to hazardous heat in the workplace and could cover outdoor and indoor work in General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Agriculture sectors. The roundtable is being convened to hear from businesses about the effect that a heat standard would have on their operations. WMMA is monitoring action on this rulemaking closely and will report regularly on developments.

Tax and Supply Chain Legislation
When Congress returns after Labor Day, funding the government past September 30 will be the highest priority. While the Senate returns Labor Day week, the House does not come back into town until the second week of September—leaving very little time for Speaker McCarthy to forge a consensus on a government funding measure. McCarthy has floated the idea of a short-term Continuing Resolution or CR to move the funding deadline from September 30 until sometime in December. Members of his conservative flank have stated publicly that they will not vote for a CR unless it includes provisions around border security and other issues, which may pose challenges and result in a federal government shutdown. 

During the August break, WMMA has been advocating with staff that remain here in town about our tax policy and supply chain priorities and the need to move expeditiously on both. The tax reform package that was reported out of the House Ways & Means Committee earlier this summer remains stalled due to disagreement over the SALT deduction and whether to address removing the SALT cap in this legislative effort. 

The supply chain package also awaits action when House Members return to Washington. This package incorporates a number of WMMA priorities, including the LICENSE Act and language allowing more efficient truck travel on our nation’s interstate highway system. We remain hopeful that the House will act on this package by the end of September.