News

ISSA LARU—Sen. Boozman, Rep. Meng Recognized by ISSA

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 ISSA presenting its 2023 Outstanding Government Service Awards, the association urging the Biden administration to help resolve West Coast port labor talks, registration for the 14th Antimicrobial Workshop, 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

ISSA Gives Sen. Boozman and Rep. Meng Awards for Outstanding Government Service
ISSA proudly announced the recipients of the 2023 ISSA Outstanding Government Service Awards presented in conjunction with the association’s Clean Advocacy Summit. The award recipients were selected by ISSA with input from its Government Affairs Advisory Committee. Learn more

Joint-Association Letter to President Biden on Port Labor Negotiations
ISSA signed on to a joint-association letter to President Joe Biden regarding the ongoing West Coast port labor negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association. The labor contract has now expired for over eight months. Negotiations have been ongoing for over 10 months, with little to no progress toward a new long-term agreement. According to the letter’s signatories, “It is imperative that the administration work with the parties to quickly reach a new agreement and ensure there is no disruption to port operations and cargo fluidity.” Learn more

Rhetoric Ramps Up amid West Coast Labor Talks
Tension on the West Coast between unions and employers continues to rise with the latest declaration from the Pacific Maritime Association accusing dockworkers of operational disruptions, The Loadstar reported. Learn more

Register Now – 14th Antimicrobial Workshop
Save your seat for the 14th Antimicrobial Workshop, June 7-8 at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA! The Antimicrobial Workshop is the single event where you can learn from credible sources about the latest policy changes, regulatory developments, and legislative updates that directly impact the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of disinfectants, sanitizers, preservatives, and other antimicrobial pesticides. Learn more

April Period Project Update – Coalition Goes to Capitol Hill, White House
This April Period Project Update from ISSA will keep you up to date on the association’s efforts to end period poverty through advocacy and education. We encourage you sign up for this free monthly update. Learn more

Legislative

New Legislation Would Increase Overtime Limits
A federal legislative proposal would expand overtime eligibility to salaried employees who earn up to US$45,000 per year, up from $35,568, and increase the threshold each year to about $82,700 by 2027, Human Resources Director reported. “It’s long past time for overtime work to mean overtime pay again,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (OH-D), who joined other Democrats in introducing the measure in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Learn more

The Biden administration’s last regulatory agenda targeted May for release of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) containing proposed changes to the regulations governing the exemptions to federally mandated overtime pay. Details on the substance of the NPRM are still unavailable, and it remains unclear whether the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will hit the target release date for the proposal. It is believed that the DOL will move forward with the NPRM by this fall even if it does miss the May target. The proposal also could include a salary threshold increase and possibly some changes to the duties test. (National Association of Landscape Professionals)

Regulatory

EPA Publishes Updated Registration Review Schedule 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an updated registration review schedule for the next three years to “provide a roadmap and advance notice of actions for stakeholders.” This update reflects the four-year extension for the registration review deadline provided for in the FY 2023 budget. The deadline for the completion of registration review final decisions is now October 1, 2026, for pesticides registered before October 1, 2007. Learn more

Safer Choice Data: Envirofacts
Many ISSA members in the formulator community use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Envirofacts data to help consumers and purchasers find Safer Choice-certified products. Accordingly, we want to make those members aware of recent updates to the agency’s dataset available through EPA’s Envirofacts website. This website enables you to download the agency’s program data and access its API. EPA made the following updates to the dataset:

– Addition of DfE-certified antimicrobial – In addition to the Safer Choice label, EPA also offers the Design for the Environment (DfE) logo for use on antimicrobial products, like disinfectants and sanitizers, that qualify for the program with EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs. Previously, the dataset available through Envirofacts included Safer Choice-certified products only. With this update, the dataset now includes both Safer Choice- and DfE-certified products. The Program field indicates the program that a given product is certified under (Safer Choice or DfE).

– Addition of new fields

• Program: This field indicates the program that the product is certified under (Safer Choice or DfE).
• GTINs: This field includes the product’s Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs).
• MPNs: This field includes the product’s Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs), which are unique numbers issued by manufacturers to identify individual products.
• Company In Good Standing: This field indicates whether the partner company that makes a product is up to date on its yearly partnership review with Safer Choice.
• Product URL: This field includes the unique URL leading to the product’s listing on the certified product webpage.

For questions regarding this, please contact EPA’s Mariana Felix-Kim.

OSHA Releases 2022 Injury, Illness Data
The U.S Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published 2022 injury and illness data based on reports from more than 300,000 establishments. The Injury Tracking Application data is part of OSHA’s electronic recordkeeping requirements for certain employers who were required to submit OSHA Form 300A information from January 2 to March 2, 2023. Learn more

White House Issues Reforms to Regulatory Process
The White House released an executive order reducing the number of regulations that undergo a more rigorous White House review and promoting public participation from previously underrepresented groups at its Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, The Hill reported. It also released a new draft guidance document that changes how agencies calculate rules’ costs and benefits, with more emphasis placed on future costs and benefits. Learn more

State News

Governor Signs Advanced Recycling Bill in Kansas
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed SB 114, a bill that designates advanced recycling as a manufacturing activity. The legislation separates the activity from solid waste management. Learn more

Bill to Close Gap in Workers’ Compensation Passes Oregon Senate
The Oregon State Senate unanimously passed a bill (SB 418) that would allow workers to get paid for time spent on getting medical care or physical therapy to treat workplace injuries. The measure now goes to the House, The Oregonian reported. Learn more