Industry News > ISSA LARU—Georgia Proclaims Official Cleaning Week: Will Your State?

ISSA LARU—Georgia Proclaims Official Cleaning Week: Will Your State?

Welcome to the latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update, a biweekly roundup of the public policy issues currently impacting the full cleaning supply chain. This update touches on Georgia Governor Brian Kemp proclaiming an official Cleaning Week, registering for the 2023 ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit, a recent interview with ISSA Government Affairs Manager Stacy Seiden, and more.

Want to stay informed about critical government affairs impacting the industry? Sign up here to have the ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update emailed directly to you every other week.

And be sure to check out our latest Cleaning IS Essential video featuring ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft to learn more about the top three advocacy issues impacting the cleaning industry right now.

ISSA Advocacy

Georgia Proclaims Official Cleaning Week – Will Your State?
ISSA thanks Governors Brian Kemp and Kay Ivey, as well as the Puerto Rico Legislature for recently proclaiming an official Cleaning Week in Georgia, Alabama, and Puerto Rico, respectively, as part of National Cleaning Week, March 26-April 1–a time when the entire cleaning industry celebrates the value of clean. Help ISSA raise awareness about the industry by submitting a proclamation to designate an official week of cleaning for your state and/or city. Nearly every state and major city has an online proclamation form or process that a resident of that state or city can use to submit a proclamation request free of charge. ISSA has already written a template proclamation, but we need your help submitting proclamation requests in time for National Cleaning Week 2023. Learn more

Register for the Clean Advocacy Summit 
Register for the 2023 ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit, March 28-29 in Arlington, VA and Washington, DC as part of National Clean Week? Receive policy briefings on the top issues impacting your business and industry, such as labor shortages, tariffs/trade, healthy workplace incentives, period poverty, sustainability, and more. Companies already registered for this year’s summit include but are not limited to: Femly, Aunt Flow, Bobrick, Citron Hygiene, Ecolab, Hospeco Brands Group, Imperial Dade, MaskIT, Route, Spartan Chemical, Swept, and the Vonachen Group. Learn more

Who is ISSA’s Stacy Seiden, Anyway?
Who is the ISSA staff person behind ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Updates, as well as other association advocacy activities? Find out by viewing this recent interview with ISSA Government Affairs Manager Stacy Seiden and ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross. Learn more

Regulatory

OSHA Fines Mars Wrigley $14.5K for Chocolate Tank Accident
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined the Mars Wrigley candy factory in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania more than US$14,500 following a June 2022 accident in which two workers fell into a tank of chocolate that they were cleaning, Cleaning & Maintenance Management reported. Learn more

DOL Recovers $58K in Back Wages for 13 TN Hotel Workers
According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), investigators for its Wage and Hour Division recently found that Ashmi Hotel Corp.—operating in Pleasant View, Tennessee as Quality Inn—failed to correctly pay housekeepers and front office staff for their labor, according to Cleaning & Maintenance Management. Learn more

Employers of Foreign Workers Would Pay More under Biden Proposal
The Biden administration proposed to significantly increase fees for many employment-based visas while keeping prices for people applying to become U.S. citizens relatively static, the Los Angeles Times reported. Learn more

EPA Announces $2B to Fight Forever Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced US$2 billion in federal funding for states to address hazardous contaminants in drinking water in small and underserved communities, according to Route Fifty. Learn more

Judicial

Court Rules Workers Can’t Force OSHA to Conduct Inspections
A U.S. appeals court ruled that workers cannot go to court to force the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to act after the agency determines that alleged hazards do not present an “imminent danger” to employees, Reuters reported. Learn more

Title 42 Immigration Policy Removed from High Court Calendar
The U.S. Supreme Court removed a case concerning a controversial Trump-era immigration policy known as Title 42 from its calendar, according to CNN. The court gave no explanation for its action, but the Biden administration already announced that the COVID-19 public health emergency that serves as a legal underpinning of the program is set to expire on May 11. The program remains in effect. Earlier this month, the administration told the court that it believes that the expiration will moot the ongoing case. Learn more

State News

State Proposals Attempt to Address Forever Chemicals
State lawmakers across the nation want to address “forever chemicals,” which do not break down naturally. Several states have passed landmark laws in recent years, and now dozens of legislatures are considering hundreds of bills to crack down on using such compounds. The legislation would strengthen product disclosure laws, increase liability for polluters, bolster testing plans, and enact water quality standards, The Pew Charitable Trusts reported. Learn more