Diana Harshbarger (R-TN)
Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program Act of 2025
A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 463.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
This bill establishes the Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program within the Department of Labor to recognize employers who commit to comprehensive safety and health management systems. It sets up program requirements such as employer applications, annual self-evaluations, and onsite evaluations by representatives of the Secretary of Labor. Participating worksites are exempt from programmed inspections during their participation in the program. The bill also creates a basic, no-cost tiered safety and health management system challenge program. Finally, it requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a written plan to modernize the technology used to administer the program within two years of enactment.
Yes
- Scored +5
Would business owners be better off under this?
The bill provides a voluntary framework for employers to manage safety and reduces programmed inspections.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2(a) requires safety and health management systems to include active and meaningful management and employee participation and employee safety and health training, which could help protect workers on the job.
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Section 2(b)(2)(B)(ii) states that onsite evaluations shall not result in the enforcement of citations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, though any serious hazard or violation identified must be corrected within a 90-day period or as soon as practicable, which encourages employers to fix problems without immediate punitive fines while still protecting workers.
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Section 2(b)(5) and Section 2(c)(2) establish that the Secretary of Labor shall not require any form of payment for an employer to qualify for, participate in, or take part in the Challenge program, ensuring that cost is not a barrier for employers looking to improve safety.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill provides a voluntary framework for employers to manage safety and reduces programmed inspections.
- 3/3/2026
- Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-538.
- Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 463.
- 9/17/2025
- Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 19 - 16.
- 4/10/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Mike ThompsonDemocrat · California