,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fcb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ac1 #bjac ,mr4 ,petri 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,gene ,green of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,roe of ,tennessee1 and ,mr4 ,amodei7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,department of ,labor's voluntary protection program and to expand the program to include more small businesses4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,voluntary ,protection ,program ,act4 #b4 ,voluntary protection program 7a7 ,cooperative agreements ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall establish a program of entering into cooperative agreements with employers to encourage the establishment of comprehensive safety and health management systems that include-- 7#a7 requirements for systematic assessment of hazards2 7#b7 comprehensive hazard prevention1 mitigation1 and control programs2 7#c7 active and meaningful management and employee participation in the voluntary program described in subsection 7b72 and 7#d7 employee safety and health training4 7b7 ,voluntary protection program 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall establish and carry out a voluntary protection program 7consistent with subsection 7a77 to encourage excellence and recognize the achievement of excellence in both the technical and managerial protection of employees from occupational hazards4 7#b7 ,program requirements ,the voluntary protection program shall include the following3 7,a7 ,application ,employers who volunteer under the program shall be required to submit an application to the ,secretary of ,labor demonstrating that the worksite with respect to which the application is made meets such requirements as the ,secretary of ,labor may require for participation in the program4 7,b7 ,onsite evaluations ,there shall be onsite evaluations by representatives of the ,secretary of ,labor to ensure a high level of protection of employees4 ,the onsite visits shall not result in enforcement of citations under the ,occupational ,safety and ,health ,act of #aigj 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #fea et seq474 7,c7 ,information ,employers who are approved by the ,secretary of ,labor for participation in the program shall assure the ,secretary of ,labor that information about the safety and health program shall be made readily available to the ,secretary of ,labor to share with employees4 7,d7 ,reevaluations ,periodic reevaluations by the ,secretary of ,labor of the employers shall be required for continued participation in the program4 7#c7 ,monitoring ,to ensure proper controls and measurement of program performance for the voluntary protection program under this section1 the ,secretary of ,labor shall direct the ,assistant ,secretary of ,labor for ,occupational ,safety and ,health to take the following actions3 7,a7 ,develop a documentation policy regarding information on follow-up actions taken by the regional offices of the ,occupational ,safety and ,health ,administration in response to fatalities and serious injuries at worksites participating in the voluntary protection program4 7,b7 ,establish internal controls that ensure consistent compliance by the regional offices of the ,occupational ,safety and ,health ,administration with the voluntary protection program policies of the ,occupational ,safety and ,health ,administration for conducting onsite reviews and monitoring injury and illness rates1 to ensure that only qualified worksites participate in the program4 7,c7 ,establish a system for monitoring the performance of the voluntary protection program by developing specific performance goals and measures for the program4 7#d7 ,exemptions ,a site with respect to which a voluntary protection program has been approved shall1 during participation in the program1 be exempt from inspections or investigations and certain paperwork requirements to be determined by the ,secretary of ,labor1 except that this paragraph shall not apply to inspections or investigations arising from employee complaints1 fatalities1 catastrophes1 or significant toxic releases4 7#e7 ,no payments required ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall not require any form of payment for an employer to qualify or participate in the voluntary protection program4 7c7 ,transition ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall take such steps as may be necessary for the orderly transition from the cooperative agreements and voluntary protection programs carried out by the ,occupational ,safety and ,health ,administration as of the day before the date of enactment of this ,act1 to the cooperative agreements and voluntary protection program authorized under this section4 ,in making such transition1 the ,secretary shall ensure that-- 7#a7 the voluntary protection program authorized under this section is based upon and consistent with the voluntary protection programs carried out on the day before the date of enactment of this ,act2 and 7#b7 each employer that1 as of the day before the date of enactment of this ,act1 had an active cooperative agreement under the voluntary protection programs carried out by the ,occupational ,safety and ,health ,administration and was in good standing with respect to the duties and responsibilities under such agreement1 shall have the option to continue participating in the voluntary protection program authorized under this section4 7d7 ,regulations and implementation ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,labor shall issue final regulations for the voluntary protection program authorized under this section and shall begin implementation of the program4 #c4 ,expanded access to voluntary protection program for small businesses ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall establish and implement1 by regulation1 a program to increase participation by small businesses 7as the term is defined by the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration7 in the voluntary protection program established under section #b through outreach and assistance initiatives and the development of program requirements that address the needs of small businesses4 #d4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act such sums as may be necessary4