News

ISSA LARU—ISSA Seeks Feedback on OSHA Standard

Happy holidays from your ISSA Government Affairs Team! And welcome to our latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update, a biweekly roundup of the latest public-policy issues impacting the full spectrum of the cleaning industry. This update touches on an ISSA summary of the state of play for the OSHA COVID-19 vaccine mandate, House passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021, ISSA urging House action on the Section 301 exclusions process, and more.

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And be sure to check out the latest installment of our new video series, ISSA Advocacy Cleaning Industry Alert with ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft, to learn about the top three advocacy issues impacting the cleaning industry right now, including House passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, tariff waivers, and the federal government avoiding default.

ISSA Advocacy

Vaccine Mandate Update; ISSA Seeks Feedback on OSHA Standard
There are a lot of moving parts related to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccine and testing Emergency Temporary Standard, as well as travel vaccine and testing requirements. This ISSA article summarizes the state of play as of December 3 on each of these issues as they currently stand for the cleaning industry.

ISSA Applauds House Passage of Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021
On December 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (OSRA21, HR 4996) by a vote of 364-60. In August, U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA-3) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD-at-large) introduced this bipartisan legislation that would update the Shipping Act to recognize the significant changes to the international maritime transportation system of the past two decades. ISSA strongly supported the bill.

ISSA Urges House Action on Section 301 China Product Exclusions Process 
ISSA signed on to a letter to U.S. House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA-1) and Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX-8), as well as House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade Chairman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3) and Ranking Member Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16) ahead of the Subcommittee on Trade’s hearing regarding U.S. competitiveness with China. In the letter, the signatories stated that “it is critical that the House join the Senate in passing legislation that, among other things, fully restarts and reinvigorates the Section 301 China tariff exclusion process administered by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).”

What Public Policy Issues Matter to You?
Help guide ISSA’s positions on important public policy issues for the industry and help us advocate on behalf of the full cleaning supply chain, as well as gauge overall member interest in ISSA government affairs by taking this brief ISSA Advocacy Survey 2021. As a thank you for your participation, all survey participants will be entered to win a free 2022 ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit registration.

Judicial

Judge Blocks Biden Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors
A federal judge blocked U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors, the latest in a string of victories for Republican-led states pushing back against Mr. Biden’s pandemic policies, CBS News reported.

Legislative

U.S. Senate Passes, Sends Biden Bill Paving Way for Debt Limit Hike
The U.S. Senate passed and sent to U.S. President Joe Biden the first of two bills needed to raise the federal government’s US$28.9 trillion debt limit and avert an unprecedented default, according to Reuters.

Congress Passes Bill to Avert Government Shutdown
The U.S. Congress passed a bill to fund the government through mid-February, averting the risk of a shutdown after overcoming a bid by some Republicans to delay the vote in a protest against vaccine mandates, Reuters reported. Passage of the legislation leaves government funding at current levels through February 18; U.S. President Joe Biden signed the measure before funding was set to run out on December 3.

Senate Votes to Nullify Biden’s Vaccine Requirement
The U.S. Senate voted to overturn U.S. President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine rule and testing requirements for private businesses, according to CBS News. The resolution now goes to the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, where the path to passage is “murky.” The White House Press Secretary said that the President would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

House Introduces Bill to Bring Back Employee Retention Tax Credit
A bipartisan group of U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers introduced a bill that would bring back the Employee Retention Tax Credit, which expired on September 30, Nation’s Restaurant News reported. ISSA strongly supports the continuation of this tax credit.

Regulatory

NLRB Considering Overhaul of Test for Approving Smaller Unions
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board called for input on whether it should revive an Obama-era standard making it easier for unions to organize small groups of employees within a workplace, according to Reuters.

EPA Decreases Annual Pesticide Registration Maintenance Fees 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a notification informing pesticide registrants of a decrease in the annual pesticide registration maintenance fee. The fee for 2022 is US$3,660 per product, an 8.5% decrease from the previous year.

Inflation Surged 6.8% in November; Fastest Rate Since 1982
Inflation accelerated at its fastest pace since 1982 in November, the U.S. Labor Department said, putting pressure on the economic recovery and raising the stakes for the U.S. Federal Reserve, CNBC reported.

State/Local News

Judge to Review New York City Vaccine Mandate for Public Sector
A New York judge scheduled a hearing for this Tuesday to consider whether to block New York City from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public-sector workers, according to Reuters. The mayor said New York City also would require private-sector workers to be vaccinated by December 27, a first-in-the-nation mandate affecting about 184,000 businesses.