Occupational Safety and Health Small Employer Access to Justice Act of 2005

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH SMALL EMPLOYER ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - July 12, 2005)

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Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, my legal career of 25 years was to represent small business owners. And since coming to Congress 3 years ago, I have worked consistently to make it easier for small businesses to grow and succeed in our country. I appreciate the leadership of the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and my next-door neighbor, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood), for their promotion of small businesses.

However, OSHA regulations placed upon our small businesses continue to be among the most complex and difficult legal mandates imposed on employers. The Occupational Safety and Health Small Employer Access to Justice Act is a vital piece of legislation that significantly reduces burdensome government regulations. H.R. 742 levels the playing field for small businesses and encourages OSHA to better assess the merits of a case before bringing unnecessary enforcement actions to court against small businesses.

By passing this vital legislation, Congress will enhance fairness for employers, especially small businesses; and give them new tools to defend themselves against OSHA citations they believe are unjustified. Small businesses provide, in the district I represent, 99 percent of businesses, creating 85 percent of jobs for working people; and Congress should act now to help them succeed.

As a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and cosponsor of the four bills today, I have been honored to work with Chairman Boehner and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood). I applaud their efforts to provide commonsense legislation that will reduce the burden placed upon America's small business owners.

I urge my colleagues to support OSHA reform, H.R. 742.

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