Kansas State OSHA Plans Placed on Shelf to Industry’s Dismay

Kansas lawmakers have hit the pause button on plans for the state to take over federal OSHA’s current job of writing and enforcing occupational safety and health standards.

The Legislature is currently too embroiled in debates over budget and tax policy to take on the complex task of developing a state occupational-safety plan, says Sen. Julia Lynn (R), chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee. Lynn’s committee held a hearing March 15 on a bill, SB 212, that would have required the state Department of Labor to submit a proposal for a state-run safety plan to the Occupational ...