Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DELGADO. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to first thank my colleague, Congressman Courtney, for his leadership on this bill, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. This is long overdue legislation to protect our Nation's caregivers, including nurses and physicians and many others who dedicate their lives to healing.

Workplace violence is far too common in facilities that are supposed to be places of rehabilitation, treatment, and therapy. Last year the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that healthcare and social service workers were over four times as likely to suffer a serious injury from workplace violence than workers in other sectors.

The legislation we are considering today would make an important improvement in workplace safety by defining workplace violence as any act or threat of force against an employee that could result in physical injury, psychological trauma, or stress and ensure that OSHA and employers develop and implement comprehensive and workplace- specific plans to prevent such violence.

These plans will not only protect employees but also keep patients, visitors, and those in medical facilities out of harm's way. We all deserve to feel protected in hospitals and social service settings, and this bill would accomplish that.

However, to facilitate these plans, we need to work in partnership with employers and businesses to ensure that they have the proper resources and information to comply with these protection plans.

My amendment seeks to strengthen this legislation by prioritizing technical assistance for employers during the first year of the bill's implementation being enacted. This business-friendly amendment will work to ensure our employers are equipped with the tools to better protect their employees and prevent workplace violence.

I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our healthcare and social service facilities across the country and include my amendment to strengthen the underlying bill.

Let's stand with our Nation's employees and employers to make our workplaces safer for everyone.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. DELGADO. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

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Mr. DELGADO. Madam Chair, I just want to piggyback on that, if I may, and say, with over 27,000 small businesses in my district, it is a priority of mine. As somebody who is a part of the Small Business Committee, I take very seriously the ways in which our government is able to aid and not frustrate the workings of our local economy.

I would like to, once again, thank Congressman Courtney for introducing this critical legislation, and I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to support my amendment.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. DELGADO. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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