BILL REQ. #:  H-4234.2 

Read first time 01/28/2004.   Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

     AN ACT Relating to the Washington industrial safety and health act; adding a new section to chapter 49.17 RCW; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature makes the following findings:
     (a) Fewer than half of the states in the United States operate job safety and health programs under section eighteen of the occupational safety and health act;
     (b) Fewer than half of the employees in the Washington industrial safety and health act services division at the department of labor and industries actually conduct workplace safety inspections;
     (c) Washington's workplaces are no safer than states that rely exclusively on the occupational safety and health administration to conduct workplace safety inspections; and
     (d) More than thirty million dollars annually in workers' compensation funds are used to pay for this unnecessary program.
     (2) Therefore, the legislature declares that the purpose of this act is to no longer administer Washington's state plan under section eighteen of the occupational safety and health act until the occupational safety and health act is repealed.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 49.17 RCW to read as follows:
     The department shall cease to administer and enforce this chapter on the effective date of this act and until the effective date of the repeal of the federal occupational safety and health act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   In the 2005 legislative session, the legislature must pass a joint memorial that petitions congress for amendments to the federal occupational safety and health act. The amendments should extend the scope of the occupational safety and health act to include public employees.