Omnibus would increase FY 2009 labor, health, education funding; worker safety absent from stimulus

Mar 20, 2009

Despite easy passage in the House, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (.pdf file) encountered obstacles in the Senate over earmarks and other provisions in the package. However, the Senate passed the bill without amendments in a March 10 voice vote. The House passed the bill – which will fund government agencies for the current fiscal year – Feb. 25 in a 245-178 vote. 

Unable to reach agreement on FY 2009 spending, Congress passed a continuing resolution Sept. 23 to fund government operations at FY 2008 levels. The continuing resolution expired March 6, but Congress extended it to March 11.

The omnibus legislation would fund labor, health and education appropriations for FY 2009, ending Sept. 30, at $151.8 billion – an increase of $6.4 billion from former President George W. Bush's budget request and $6.7 billion more than the FY 2008 level.

The bill designates $513 million for OSHA.

In related news, the massive stimulus bill President Barack Obama signed Feb. 17 contains no new specified funding for occupational safety and health agencies, according to a review of the legislation.

OSHA could potentially receive a portion of $80 million for worker safety initiatives in a Department of Labor "management" fund to support $3.95 billion in workforce training funding. In an earlier version of the bill, the $80 million had been ticketed to OSHA for workplace enforcement, but that language was stripped out during negotiations with the Senate to reduce spending in the legislation and focus on job creation.

The final version of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 also removed $40 million that would have gone to NIOSH for initiatives associated with the agency's National Occupational Research Agenda.