Kentucky Governor Blocks Limitation on Safety Agency Enforcement

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) vetoed legislation passed by state lawmakers that would have blocked the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board from enforcing any worker safety regulation not already enacted at the federal level.

The measure (HB398)blocked by Beshear builds on a 2021 law that prevented Kentucky from issuing any new worker safety regulations. The law prevented the state’s labor cabinet from adopting any regulation that is more stringent than the corresponding federal provision enforced by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the OSH Act. The Republican-controlled Kentucky state House and Senate overrode Beshear’s ...