News
ISSA LARU—Meet Your Government Affairs Team
October 7, 2022
Welcome to the latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update, a biweekly roundup of the public-policy issues currently impacting the full cleaning industry supply chain. This update touches on government affairs opportunities at ISSA Show North American 2022, including the ISSA-HCPA regulatory workshop; ISSA calling for the extension of Section 301 China tariff exclusions; an EPA update on pesticide registration; and more.
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ISSA Advocacy
ISSA Show North America 2022 – Come Meet Your Government Affairs Team
We have a myriad of opportunities to engage with ISSA’s Government Affairs Team and learn about the hot-button, public-policy issues facing your business and the cleaning industry at ISSA Show North America 2022, October 10-13 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois!
Last Chance – Register Now for Hot Topics: Cleaning Products Workshop 2022
Ensure your continued success in the marketplace by attending the Cleaning Products Workshop, a one-day live and in-person event that will address the latest regulatory and sustainability issues along with other trending topics that impact the manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and sale of household and commercial cleaning products. This one-of-a-kind program, presented by HCPA and ISSA, features the following hot topics that will impact your business for years to come:
- Update on packaging
- News from Green Seal, EPA Safer Choice, and ECOLOGO
- Update on California Proposition 65, Short Form Warnings, and other news
- State and federal regulation of PFAS
- VOC regulatory update on states and Canada
- Microplastics and the cleaning industry
This workshop will be conducted in conjunction with ISSA Show North America 2022 on October 10, starting with breakfast at 8 am; the program runs from 9 am to 5 pm at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. ISSA members should use the promo code “ISSA2022” when registering to receive discounted member pricing.
ISSA Calls for Extension of Section 301 China Tariff Exclusions
ISSA, as a member of Americans for Free Trade, wrote a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, requesting an immediate extension to the limited China 301 tariff exclusions, which are set to expire on December 31, as well as the COVID-19 exclusions set to expire this November. The letter states that “It is critical that USTR announce its plans for these exclusions now so that companies can plan accordingly.”
EPA Issues Update on Pesticide Registration Review Deadline
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sharing an update on its progress in meeting the October 1, 2022, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act pesticide registration review deadline for the 726 pesticide cases registered before October 2007, which includes 140 antimicrobial pesticides such as disinfectants and sanitizers intended for use on inanimate surfaces.
Legislative
Congress Passes Continuing Resolution, Averts Government Shutdown
President Joe Biden signed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) bill into law on Friday, averting a partial government shutdown, the Federal News Network reported. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill earlier in the afternoon. The Senate passed the CR on Thursday after Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) agreed to drop a provision in an earlier version of the CR that would streamline the permitting process for energy projects. The bill funds the federal government through December 16 and gives Congress more time to work out a comprehensive spending package for the rest of fiscal 2023.
Baldwin Offers Bill to Reduce Freight Rail Disruptions
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced a bill aimed at reducing rail disruptions that have damaged the U.S. economy, according to The Hill. The Reliable Rail Service Act would clarify common carrier rules, which require railroads to provide service upon reasonable request, that shippers say are poorly defined and rarely enforced.
Regulatory
OSHA Expands Severe Violator Enforcement Program
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is broadening the criteria for employers to be placed in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program, with employers’ eligibility for removal now starting three years after the completion of abatement, rather than three years after the final order date, according to James Curtis et al of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. The updated program “empowers OSHA to sharpen its focus on employers who — even after receiving citations for exposing workers to hazardous conditions and serious dangers — fail to mitigate these hazards,” Doug Parker, Assistant Labor Secretary for OSHA, said.
CDC No Longer Recommends Universal Masking in Health Facilities
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) no longer recommends universal masking in health care settings, unless the facilities are in areas of high COVID-19 transmission, The Hill reported. The CDC issued the updates as part of an overhaul to its infection control guidance for health workers. It marks a major departure from the agency’s previous recommendation for universal masking. Contrary to the CDC’s new advice, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology announced in a recent press release that the association strongly urges its infection prevention members to maintain mandatory mask requirement policies for health care employees in all patient care areas.
State News
NJ Minimum Wage to Increase to More than $14 Next Year
The minimum wage in New Jersey will increase more than previously planned next year, going up to US$14.13 per hour for most workers, NJ.com reported. The current statewide minimum wage was scheduled to rise from $13 to $14 on January 1, 2023, under a state law that Governor Phil Murphy signed in 2019 that gradually increases the wage to $15 an hour by 2024.
