Providing for Consideration of H.R. Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act; Providing for Proceedings During the Period From November Through December and Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules

Floor Speech

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Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, healthcare and social workers are some of the most dedicated, least appreciated workers in this country. They are the workers caring for the sick, the elderly, and the most vulnerable Americans, while usually making just barely enough to get by.

A tough job is made even tougher by the fact that these workers who are treating workers in stress, often in private settings, are five times as likely to be the victims of workplace violence.

What does it say about our country that we can't protect those workers who have dedicated their lives to protecting our most vulnerable citizens? It is unfair, and the bottom line is this: No person should feel unsafe in their place of work.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, has the authority to protect American caregivers and healthcare workers from workplace violence, but the reality is that there is no nationwide OSHA standard for how employers are supposed to protect their employees from workplace violence. Not just that, but in 24 States, nearly half the country, public-sector health and social service workers are not covered by OSHA protections.

We have the responsibility and we have the authority to protect America's workers, but we have not given our government or our businesses the tools they need to protect hardworking Americans from workplace violence. The underlying bill of this rule will change that.

The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would require OSHA to implement a standard for workplace protections for healthcare and social workers. It provides protections for public-sector workers where none existed before, and it identifies risks, solutions, training, and, importantly, protections from retaliation for those workers who report violence in the workplace.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this underlying bill and uphold our duty to keep every American safe.

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