,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ibe ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #bb1 #bjbc,mr4 ,braun 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 and ,mr4 ,young7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,department of ,labor's voluntary protection program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,michael ,enzi ,voluntary ,protection ,program ,act4 #b4 ,michael ,enzi ,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 ,michael ,enzi ,voluntary ,protection ,program established 7#a7 ,establishment 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 ,designation ,the voluntary protection program carried out under this section shall be known as the ,michael ,enzi ,voluntary ,protection ,program 7referred to in this ,act as the ,program74 7#b7 ,program requirements ,the ,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 ,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 ,program4 7,b7 ,establish internal controls that ensure consistent compliance by the regional offices of the ,occupational ,safety and ,health ,administration with the ,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 ,program by developing specific performance goals and measures for the ,program4 7#d7 ,exemptions ,a site with respect to which a ,program has been approved shall1 during participation in the ,program1 be exempt from programmed inspections4 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 ,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 ,program authorized under this section4 ,in making such transition1 the ,secretary shall ensure that-- 7#a7 the ,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 ,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 ,program authorized under this section and shall begin implementation of the ,program4 #c4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act such sums as may be necessary4