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Committee backs retroactive approval for $200,000 OSHA Susan Harwood training grant
Summary
The subcommittee approved retroactive submission and a $200,000 federal expenditure limitation for a Susan Harwood grant to expand in‑person safety training in Eastern Oregon and the coast after agencies said a last‑minute eligibility change shortened notice timeframes.
The subcommittee voted to forward to full Ways and Means a recommendation to retroactively approve the Department of Consumer and Business Services’ application for a 2025 Susan Harwood training grant and to increase federal funds expenditure limitation by $200,000.
Acting DCBS Director Sean O’Day said Oregon OSHA learned Aug. 29, 2025, that the Susan Harwood grant would be open to state plan states for the first time and that the agency had only nine business days to apply. O’Day said DCBS delayed the written 10‑day notice while staff finalized a feasible plan and acknowledged that the agency missed the formal notice deadline. “We did not make the 10 day notice until, I think, it was either the day of,” he told the committee.
Steven Lund, acting deputy administrator for Oregon OSHA, described the grant purpose and use: the agency proposes to develop in‑person training on the four leading causes of construction fatalities and heat illness prevention, targeting communities that infrequently receive on‑site safety training, particularly in Eastern Oregon and along the coast. Lund said the U.S. Department of Labor approved Oregon OSHA’s application Sept. 27, 2025, awarding $200,000; the grant requires no state match.
DAS CFO Courtney Rogers and the Legislative Fiscal Office recommended approval and the requested increase to federal expenditure limitation. A committee member moved the LFO recommendation and the chair asked if there was objection; none was voiced and the motion carried.
Next steps: the subcommittee will carry the recommendation to full committee. The agency said it will adopt clearer internal notice procedures for future short‑timeline federal opportunities.
