House Commerce committee reviews S.117 labor bill: expedited OSHA rulemaking, layoff notices, UI and workers’‑comp changes

Senator Tom Chittenden, sponsor of S.117, and Office of Legislative Council staff briefed the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on April 3 about a broad labor bill that would: allow expedited adoption of federal OSHA rules by the Vermont Department of Labor, change layoff‑notice thresholds, add electronic communications options for unemployment insurance, restart a short‑term compensation program after a systems upgrade, clarify unpaid‑wage penalties and minimum‑wage rounding, and incorporate four workers’‑compensation provisions from S.125.

The bill matters because it affects how Vermont synchronizes workplace safety rules with federal OSHA, how employers must notify the state and workers about plant closings, and how unemployment and workers’‑comp systems will operate as the Department of Labor modernizes its IT systems.

Expedited OSHA rulemaking and safeguards

Sen. Tom Chittenden said sections 1–4 would let the Vermont Department of Labor adopt federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules more seamlessly. "This bill is mostly technical directions from the administration," he told the committee, adding the change is intended to help VOSHA manage a "very small staff." Chittenden said the state agreed in the 1970s, when it became a state plan, to adopt federal OSHA standards and that the proposed process would not prevent Vermont from adopting stricter standards.

Office of Legislative Council attorney Sophie Sedatny explained the expedited process applies only when Vermont is adopting a federal rule "wholesale" (a copy‑and‑paste adoption). Under the proposal…