CONGRESS PASSES SPENDING RIDERS RESTRICTING WAGE, SAFETY RULES

Congress has passed a spending bill (H.R. 2055) for fiscal year 2012 with restrictions affecting certain wage and safety rules. Under policy riders attached to the omnibus measure, which includes funding for several agencies, the Department of Labor would be prohibited from implementing a rule on wages for temporary workers under the H-2B visa program, and service advisors at auto dealerships would be exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime requirements. The bill also would prohibit the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration from requiring the reporting of work-related musculoskeletaldisorders on OSHA Form 300, and it would block the National Labor Relations Board from implementing electronic voting procedures in representation elections. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation. 12.21.2011