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 urging your elected officials to put period products in schools, ISSA requesting an extension to the implementation of DOL’s new overtime rule, what the FTC ban on non-competes could mean for you, and more.

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ISSA Advocacy

Take Action: Help Put Period Products in Schools
Help put period products in schools as part of Period Poverty Awareness Week (May 20-28)! If you believe that period products should be as available in away-from-home bathrooms as soap, toilet paper, and paper towels, take a moment to let your members of Congress and state elected officials know. Learn more and take action

ISSA Requests Extension of Overtime-Rule Implementation
As part of the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity, ISSA urged the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to extend the implementation date of the first increase to the minimum-salary threshold under its new final rule altering overtime regulations. The first increase is currently set to go into effect on July 1, 2024. Learn more

What the FTC Ban on Non-compete Clauses Could Mean for You
In a recent online poll published by ISSA, the majority (53%) of respondents said that they were pleased with the recent U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruling banning most non-compete clauses. Respondents indicated that the ban opens the labor pool, bringing more applicants to their companies. Nearly a quarter (24%) said that they didn’t see it impacting them, and 15% were concerned with staff retention. In this episode of Straight Talk!, Scott Tackett, a business development advisor with Violand Management Associates and an industry expert in human resources, shares his thoughts and concerns about the FTC ruling as they relate to the cleaning and restoration industries. Learn more

Legislative

Lawmakers Introduce Bill Repealing Corporate Transparency Act
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and U.S. Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH) introduced legislation to repeal the corporate transparency act (CTA) earlier this week. Signed into law as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the CTA requires individuals with an ownership interest in a limited liability company to disclose personal data with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. While the recently introduced legislation would offer relief from the CTA, it stands little chance of passing Congress and being signed into law this year. Learn more

House Fails to Override Biden Veto of Joint-Employer Resolution
The U.S. House of Representatives failed to override President Biden’s veto of a measure that would have blocked the U.S. National Labor Relations Board’s joint-employer rule, Bloomberg Law reports. The chamber voted 214-191, well short of the two-thirds majority required to overturn a presidential veto in Congress. But despite the failure to undo the regulation through legislative means, the rule is currently on hold after a federal judge in Texas struck it down in March. Learn more

Regulatory

EPA Holds Virtual Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Meeting
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a virtual public meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) on June 5 and June 6, 2024, from 11 am-5 pm ET. The PPDC provides feedback to EPA on pesticide regulatory, policy, and program issues and includes representatives from environmental groups, pesticide manufacturers, trade associations, academia, and federal and state agencies. Learn more and register by May 29 to attend virtually

DOL Takes Steps Toward New Safety Rules
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has moved toward publishing a proposed rule to reduce the health risks of heat exposure for U.S. workers in outdoor and indoor settings, Cleaning & Maintenance Management reports. On April 24, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) presented the initial regulatory framework to its Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. The committee, which advises the agency on safety and health standards and policy matters, unanimously recommended OSHA move forward expeditiously on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Learn more

OSHA Regional Offices Restructured
The U.S. Department of Labor restructured its Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regional operations to make operations more efficient, according to Cleaning & Maintenance Management. The changes include a new OSHA regional office in Birmingham, Alabama. The new office will oversee agency operations in Alabama, and those in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, as well as the Florida Panhandle. Learn more

State News

CA Janitors Reach Agreement on New Contract
Janitors who are members of SEIU-United Service Workers West in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Bay Area, and Sacramento ratified a new contract, KPBS reports. After their contract expired April 30, thousands of janitors who clean California’s largest office buildings, studios, and tech campuses were set to strike if they did not reach an agreement. However, they were able to reach an agreement on a new contract with the state’s largest janitorial employers that includes wage increases, pensions for all members, and workload protections. Learn more

TN Cleaning Contractor Fined for Using Child Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) entered into a consent order and judgment against Fayette Janitorial Service LLC. According to Cleaning & Maintenance Management, the judgment calls for the Tennessee-based company to pay US$649,304 in civil-money penalties and hire a third party to review and implement company policies to prevent the employment of children in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In addition, Fayette Industrial must establish a program for reporting concerns about the illegal employment of children. Learn more

CO, NE Pass Legislation to Increase Access to Period Products in Schools
In Colorado, a bill that would require local education providers to provide free menstrual-hygiene products to students in at least 25% of applicable bathrooms by June 30, 2025, and all applicable bathrooms by June 30, 2028, passed the legislature and is headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature. Learn more

In Nebraska, legislation was passed and signed into law that will provide US$250,000 to make period products available to school districts across Nebraska for the 2025-2026 school year. Each school district that receives free period products as part of this pilot program must ensure that period products, including both pads and tampons, are available in school bathrooms at no cost to students. Learn more

PA Leaders Gather to Support Funding for Period Products in Public Schools
Pennsylvania senators, state representatives, and others gathered for a press event to support and advocate for Governor Shapiro’s proposal to fund period products in public schools through this year’s budget. Lawmakers and other Pennsylvania leaders and advocates joined in support of the proposal and highlighted why the legislature needs to include this proposal in the final budget. Learn more

International

Canada Mandates Plastic-Products Reporting for 2024-2026
On April 20, 2024, the Canada Department of the Environment published a notice under subsection 46(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, requiring comprehensive reporting from entities involved in the manufacturing or management of plastic resins and certain plastic products to the Federal Plastics Registry, JD Supra reports. Noncompliance with the notice may result in penalties under the act. Learn more

UK Proposes to Ban the Supply and Sale of Plastic-contained Wet Wipes
On April 24, 2024, the United Kingdom (UK) notified the World Trade Organization of a draft regulation titled The Environmental Protection (Wet Wipes Containing Plastic) (England) Regulations 2024, aimed at prohibiting the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic, including cosmetic wipes. Learn more