The FIRE Act would extend workplace safety protections under OSHA and labor rights under FLSA to incarcerated firefighters who work in correctional facilities. It defines "incarcerated firefighter" as someone performing firefighting duties while incarcerated, including in prison work programs, facility maintenance, or emergency response services. The bill requires states and federal prisons to report on workplace safety conditions and provides grants to help states implement these protections. It also establishes an expungement process for certain criminal records of eligible incarcerated firefighters who have completed their sentences. This legislation aims to improve safety for incarcerated firefighters while creating pathways for their successful reentry into communities as firefighters.
The Warehouse Worker Protection Act establishes new requirements for employers in warehouse facilities to protect workers from harmful quotas and workplace surveillance practices. It requires employers to provide written descriptions of quotas and workplace monitoring to workers, prohibits quotas that interfere with breaks, safety compliance, or anti-discrimination rights, and gives workers the right to access their work speed data. The bill creates a Fairness and Transparency Office within the Department of Labor to enforce these requirements and investigate violations, with enforcement also involving the Federal Trade Commission. Employers with more than 200 employees at covered warehouse facilities (including distribution centers, couriers, and warehouses) are directly affected by these new requirements, which include new protections against retaliation for workers who exercise these rights.
The Safe Workplaces Act requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop nonmandatory guidance for workplaces to reduce violence threats. Within 4 years of enactment, OSHA must issue this guidance, tailored to specific settings like hospitals, retail stores, schools, and restaurants, based on a study and report completed within 15 months. The guidance will cover practical safety measures such as staff training, security personnel, physical barriers, and environmental improvements (e.g., better lighting or weapon detectors). It directly affects employers and employees across diverse workplaces by providing voluntary strategies to address violence risks. The bill does not create new laws but establishes a process for OSHA to share best practices on preventing workplace violence incidents.
The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act establishes minimum standards for collective bargaining rights for public safety employees, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel. It requires states to substantially provide specific rights such as forming labor organizations, negotiating terms of employment, and using binding interest arbitration to resolve disputes. The Federal Labor Relations Authority would determine if states meet these standards, and states that don't would be subject to federal regulations for public safety bargaining. The law also prohibits strikes and lockouts in public safety sectors while respecting existing state laws that provide stronger protections for these workers.
Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in health care, social service, and similar sectors. Specifically, Labor must issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires certain employers to take actions to protect workers and other personnel from workplace violence. The standard applies to employers in the health care sector, in the social service sector, and in sectors that conduct activities similar to those in the health care and social service sectors. Among other elements, the standard must require each employer to (1) develop a workplace violence prevention plan, (2) promptly investigate incidents of workplace violence, and (3) provide relevant training and education to employees. The bill requires certain hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to comply with this standard as a condition of Medicare participation.
This bill requires health care and social service employers to develop and implement workplace violence prevention plans for their employees. The plans must include risk assessments, hazard prevention measures, incident reporting procedures, and annual evaluations. Employers must provide specific training to employees, maintain incident records for 5 years, and protect employees from retaliation for reporting violence. The bill applies to hospitals, residential treatment facilities, clinics, and other covered facilities that provide health care or social services. It establishes specific definitions for types of workplace violence and requires employers to follow detailed safety protocols.
This bill expands eligibility for workers' compensation medical care under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act by adding nurse practitioners and physician assistants as covered providers. It directly affects injured federal workers who can now receive care from these professionals within their state-authorized scope of practice. Key provisions redefine "other eligible provider" in the law and update related sections to replace "physician" with "physician or other eligible provider" throughout the statute. The bill requires the Secretary of Labor to issue final regulations within six months of enactment to implement these changes.
HR 4095, the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act of 2025, extends existing duty hour limits for train employees to specifically include yardmasters. The bill amends federal law to define "yardmaster employee" as someone who supervises and coordinates train movements within rail yards, and adds this role to the rules limiting consecutive work hours. It directly affects rail yard supervisors by requiring the same duty hour restrictions that currently apply to train operators. The key change is formally incorporating yardmasters into the existing regulatory framework without altering the specific hour limits.
HR 2844 establishes the Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program, a new Department of Labor initiative recognizing employers who implement comprehensive safety and health management systems. Employers participating in the program must demonstrate systematic hazard assessments, prevention programs, employee involvement, and safety training, and undergo annual self-evaluations and periodic onsite reviews by OSHA (which cannot issue enforcement citations during these visits). Participating worksites are exempt from routine OSHA inspections during their participation, and the program requires no fees for employers. The bill mandates OSHA to modernize the program's technology within two years and dedicate at least 5% of its annual funding to administer the program.
This bill allows states to use federal highway safety funds for specific work zone safety improvements. It authorizes states to fund law enforcement patrols, driver education modules, safety technologies (like alert systems), worker training programs, and crash data collection in work zones. States must prioritize assistance for Tribal governments and rural areas when implementing these measures. The bill also requires a GAO study within two years to evaluate the effectiveness of work zone safety programs, including those funded under this law.
