Committee backs bill to codify OSHA voluntary protection program, requiring a minimum funding share

The House Committee on Education and Labor voted to report HR 2844, the Michael Lindsay Voluntary Protection Program Act, which would codify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program and require OSHA to use at least 5% of its funds in a fiscal year to support VPP activities.

Sponsor Representative McKenzie described the bill as a bipartisan effort to strengthen a collaborative model that recognizes employers and workers with effective safety and health management systems. Representative McKenzie said codifying VPP will protect program participants and promote safer workplaces.

Opponents, including Representative Macbeth and others, said the bill would redirect limited OSHA resources away from enforcement and inspections of high-risk worksites. Representative Macbeth recounted a workplace fall involving a 17‑year‑old roofer and argued OSHA needs more enforcement capacity, not a guaranteed budget set‑aside that could reduce inspections where workers face the most danger.

Critics also argued the bill lacks safeguards such as worker representation in program governance and does not create clear consequences if a participating employer fails to correct hazards within required timelines.

The committee adopted an amendment in the nature of a substitute and then voted to report the bill. The clerk announced the committee tally as 19 yeas and 16 nays, and the committee’s motion to report the bill carried.

Members opposing the bill urged study of program effectiveness and increased OSHA funding rather than mandating a percentage of the agency’s budget for VPP.