House Bill 398 would prohibit the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board or the secretary of the Education Labor Cabinet from enforcing any occupational safety and health regulation that is more stringent than the corresponding federal rule.
The bill sponsor, Hopkinsville Republican Walker Thomas, told a House committee one goal is to streamline the rules to make it easier for businesses to navigate them.
"These proposed changes will help align Kentucky's occupational health and safety rules with federal standards, support businesses and respond into claims, and improve regulatory compliance for all parties," Thomas said.
Kentucky AFL-CIO president Dustin Rienstedler challenged that reading of the proposal.
"This bill is not just simply a technicality. It's a direct assault on the workers of Kentucky. It weakens the state's ability to protect workers from unsafe condition. It reduces accountability for employers. It removes essential rights to report retaliation," he told the panel.
It's a tug-of-war that mirrors several other recent debates in the General Assembly over issues ranging from child labor laws to enforcement of clean air rules, with Republicans arguing the state need not go any further than federal standards. Opponents of the changes counter that stricter state rules are there for a reason and shouldn't be abandoned.
