ISSA LARU—Only a Few Seats Remain for ISSA’s Clean Advocacy Summit
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 the fact that only a few spaces remain for ISSA’s 2024 Clean Advocacy Summit, a looming federal government shutdown, the NRLB joint-employer rule going into effect, and more.
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ISSA Advocacy
Hurry, Only a Few Seats Left for ISSA’s Clean Advocacy Summit
Only a few seats remain for the 2024 ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit, April 10-11 in Washington, DC! Join your fellow cleaning-industry leaders as we impact legislation and regulations important to you and our industry.
Five Reasons Why You Should Attend
- You’ll meet in-person with your congressional delegation about the issues that impact your business, including labor shortages, workforce-training incentives, and cleaning-product regulations. As the old adage goes, if you aren’t at the table, you might be on the menu!
- ISSA will schedule all of your congressional meetings, as well as train and brief you, so that you can advocate effectively. Participating in our democratic process is one of the most exciting and rewarding endeavors that you can do for your profession.
- Network with 100+ cleaning-industry leaders–70%+ of summit attendees are business owners or at the c-suite level. Businesses that will be represented at the 2024 summit include BradyPlus, Midlab, Pritchard Industries, Shore to Shore Cleaning, and many more.
- The 2024 election could be the most consequential of our lifetime. Hear from Washington insiders about the election and what it could mean for your business and the cleaning industry. Confirmed guest speakers include U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (TX-28).
- Only a few seats remain for this year’s summit and the registration deadline of April 3 is fast approaching!
Legislative
Government Shutdown Looms (Again)
The U.S. House of Representatives returns from recess this week with three days to avoid a partial government shutdown and a faction of conservative lawmakers insisting that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) defend GOP-backed policy riders as part of any spending agreement. While lawmakers in both chambers say that they are making progress on FY24 spending bills, the consensus among negotiators is that another short-term continuing resolution will likely be needed to avoid a partial government shutdown on March 1 and March 8. Learn more
Regulatory
Independent-Contractor Rule Effective March 11
As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a final rule defining independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The final rule rescinds the Trump administration’s 2021 rule and adopts a six-factor test focused on the “economic reality” of the relationship between a potential employer and worker. This final rule goes into effect March 11. Learn more
IRS Urges Businesses to Review ERTC Claims
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is urging businesses that filed Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) claims to review their qualifications for the tax break before a March 22 voluntary disclosure deadline. The voluntary disclosure program allows businesses that filed a claim in error and received a payment to repay 80% of the claim. Learn more
Janitorial Company Accused of Using Child Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor asked a federal court to issue a nationwide temporary restraining order and injunction against Fayette Janitorial Service LLC (operating as Fayette Industrial) to stop the Tennessee-based company from illegally employing children, Cleaning & Maintenance Management reports. Learn more
Cleaning-Products Manufacturer Fined $194k
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, an investigation by its Occupational Safety and Health Administration concluded that Green Bay household cleaning products manufacturer Tufco LP violated federal regulations for the control of hazardous energy during service and maintenance tasks, which resulted in the severing of a worker’s fingertip, according to Cleaning & Maintenance Management. Learn more
White House Reviewing Final Rule on Worker-Walkaround Representation
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) rule on worker “walkaround” representation is undergoing a final review, according to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) website and Safety + Health. The final rule was sent to OIRA on February 9. It is unknown how long the office will take to complete the review–one of the final steps in the regulatory process. The rule would allow workers to designate someone who does not work for their employer, including a labor union member, to represent them during the walkaround part of an OSHA inspection. Learn more
Judicial
Federal Judge Skeptical of Labor Board’s Joint-Employer Rule
A federal judge in Texas criticized a U.S. National Labor Relations Board regulation broadening the legal test for determining when multiple companies jointly employ workers, which a coalition of business groups is challenging in his courtroom, Bloomberg Law reports. Learn more
State News
2024 Could Be a Big Year for PFAS Bans
Policymakers in 36 states will consider more than 450 bills that deal with toxic chemicals in 2024, according to a new analysis of anticipated state legislation from Safer States and Environmental Health News. Learn more
Indiana Environmentalists, Manufacturers at Odds over PFAS Bill
Environmental advocates expressed concerns at the Indiana Statehouse over a bill that would change the definition of toxic PFAS chemicals to exempt those which Hoosier manufacturers want to keep using, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reports. HB 1399 would carve out more than 5,000 “forever chemicals” from being defined as such by the state and its environmental rules board. Learn more
