News

ISSA LARU—Tell ISSA What Public Policy Issues Matter to You

Welcome to the ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update (LARU), our biweekly roundup of the latest public-policy issues impacting the full spectrum of the cleaning industry. This update touches on the ISSA Advocacy Survey 2021, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, the federal infrastructure bill that was recently signed into law, and more.

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

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 vaccine mandate-related lawsuits, funding of the federal government, and the ISSA Advocacy Survey 2021.

ISSA Advocacy

Share Your Advocacy Input with ISSA
Your responses to the ISSA Advocacy Survey 2021 will help guide our positions on important public policy issues that impact your business and help us advocate on behalf of the full cleaning supply chain, as well as gauge overall member interest in ISSA government affairs. The short survey will only take a few minutes to complete. As a thank you for your participation, all survey respondents will be entered to win a free 2022 ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit registration.

Judicial

Biden Administration Files Emergency Motion to Lift Pause on Vaccine Mandate
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration asked a federal appeals court to immediately lift an order halting its COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements for private businesses, warning that delaying implementation of the policy would cost lives and lead to increased hospitalizations, CNBC reported.

Legislative

Biden Signs Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
President Biden signed the US$1 trillion infrastructure bill into law before a bipartisan crowd, declaring that the new infusion of funds for roads, bridges, ports, and more is going to make life “change for the better” for Americans, AP reported. Learn about the salient points of the new law for the cleaning industry here.

House Passes $1.75 Trillion Spending Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the largest expansion of the social safety net in decades, a $1.75 trillion bill that funds many of President Biden’s top priorities, according to CNBC. In addition to expanding tax-enforcement efforts at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the legislation would raise taxes on some corporations and very-high-income Americans. Now that the legislation has cleared the House, the Build Back Better Act goes to the U.S. Senate, where the bill is likely to be revised in the coming weeks.

Regulatory

EPA Extends Emerging Viral Pathogens Guidance for COVID‑19
Recognizing that public health concerns due to COVID-19 are ongoing, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is indefinitely extending COVID-19 activation of the emerging viral pathogens (EVP) guidance for antimicrobial pesticides. With this extension, EPA will now provide a notification at least six months before inactivating the EVP guidance for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to allow registrants time to adjust product marketing materials as required.

Minimum Wage for Workers on New Federal Contracts to Increase
The U.S. Department of Labor announced that workers on federal contracts with the federal government signed after January 30, 2022, will be guaranteed a minimum hourly wage of at least $15, Cleaning & Maintenance Management reported.

Biden Nominates Califf as FDA Chief
President Biden nominated Robert Califf to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in a move that would bring the Obama-era official back for a second tour as head of the agency, according to Politico.

U.S. Consumer Prices Jump 6.2%, Biggest Inflation Increase in More than 30 Years
Inflation across a broad swath of products that consumers buy every day was even worse than expected in October, hitting its highest point in more than 30 years, the U.S. Department of Labor and CNBC reported.

State News

California Passes “Do Not Flush” Labeling for Certain Wipe Products
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a package of six bills aimed at reducing plastic waste, improving recycling efforts, and clarifying labeling standards for recyclables and compostables, including requiring “Do not flush” labeling on certain wiping products, The National Law Review reported.

Virginia Agencies Eliminating Single-Use Plastics
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s March 2021 order, known as Executive Order 77, directed all state agencies, including public colleges and universities, to start phasing out single-use plastics with an ultimate goal of eliminating their use by the end of 2025, according to the Virginia Mercury. Disposable plastics used for medical purposes were exempt, and greater latitude was given to those used for public health or safety reasons.