The 119th Congress has been in session for a few months now and, if you’re watching the news regularly, you’ve undoubtedly seen that members of the U.S. House and Senate have been fully engaged in their traditional roles of confirming Trump administration appointees, working on keeping the government funded and back-and-forth partisan bickering.
Washington, D.C. has returned to its normal state.
But it’s the work behind the scenes that, while rarely garnering headline coverage, is critical to the legislative process and progress (insert jokes here). What the public so often doesn’t see — and, quite frankly, what both parties prefer you not see in order to maintain the image of their respective political party’s strength — is the bipartisan, almost collegial relationships that form early in each congressional session. Members and staff alike work together on drafting and supporting legislation that, dare I say, has elements of common sense woven into its formality.
It’s true. Take, for example, the Michael Enzi VPP (R-WY) Act. It was a piece of legislation introduced during the 112th Congress that would make OSHA’s VPP a permanent cooperative program, never again to be threatened by budget cuts, lack of resources or partisan administrators. The program currently counts more than 1,900 sites nationwide, with a world-class safety and health management system, annual self evaluation and in-depth site audit available to any company in the U.S. free of charge.
You’d be right to ask, "Why hasn’t Congress passed this commonsense legislation yet? It’s been sponsored or co-sponsored by members of both parties!" And to that, I’d respond, "Washington, D.C. works in mysterious ways."
Passage has been close before, most recently in 2023. However, the political environment was, shall we say, quite different back then.
Fast forward to today, with the GOP now controlling the House of Representatives, Senate and the White House. Even though the VPP Act has enjoyed bipartisan support for many years, a divided Congress has proven to be a stumbling block to its passage (to be fair, there’s been opposition from members of both parties for various reasons).
This time, things are different. And for that, we thank those collegial, behind-the-scenes relationships developed over the past 14 or so years, as well as the work undertaken by associations like VPPPA, the American Society of Safety Professionals and others to educate lawmakers on the benefits of VPP. With Republicans now in control in both chambers, that spirit of bipartisanship, combined with industry and local labor support of VPP, means that there is a very real chance that the late Senator Michael Enzi’s vision of a permanent VPP will become a reality.
But as is tradition in Washington, bipartisanship only lasts so long. So, the time to act has arrived.
VPPPA has worked behind the scenes with lawmakers and their staffs from both parties, in both the House and Senate, to begin the process of introducing a new, stronger version of the VPP Act this spring. There’s a real sense on Capitol Hill that the time to strike is now.
So I’m using this column as a call to arms, so to speak, for those companies and sites who support VPP, and the front-line workers who benefit from the cooperation between management, labor and OSHA in creating a safe work environment. I encourage everyone to visit vpppa.org/vppact and learn how you can help achieve a reality where VPP is a permanent staple of OSHA’s structure.
Together, we can do something that’s rare for Congress: bring both sides of the aisle together to pass legislation that’s a win for everyone — Congress, OSHA, management and, most important of all, the safety and health of America’s workers.
For more information, visit vpppa.org.
