HR0832 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0832 LRB103 40973 MST 74047 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On February 5, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a notice of proposed rulemaking to issue a new safety and health standard, titled Emergency Response, to replace the existing Fire Brigades Standard, 29 C.F.R 1910.156; and

WHEREAS, OSHA has requested public comment on the proposed rulemaking that is scheduled to conclude June 21, 2024; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has an OSHA-approved state plan; Illinois OSHA has adopted all OSHA standards in 29 CFR 1910; all proposed changes, if adopted, become compulsory for all Illinois fire departments; and

WHEREAS, While the proposed provisions by OSHA intend to improve the safety of emergency responders, compliance with many of the new OSHA requirements would be financially burdensome and, in some cases, unfeasible for volunteer fire and emergency service departments; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has 1,107 registered fire departments, 65.2% of which are fully volunteer and 14.1% are mostly volunteer; and

WHEREAS, OSHA's economic impact analysis of the potential changes lists the average annualized cost per organization at $14,551 for volunteer departments and $18,853 for mixed departments; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer fire protection districts in Illinois have limited resources, and any additional costs would hamper fire protection safety; and

WHEREAS, OSHA is unable to certify that the proposed rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities; and

WHEREAS, OSHA's proposed rules have triggered the need for an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) mandated by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) to determine the true cost to local fire departments; and

WHEREAS, Fire protection districts, especially volunteer fire departments, are an important pillar of public safety in Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge OSHA and the federal government to not implement new fire protection standards that will place a financial burden on public safety; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge OSHA and the federal government to conduct further analysis on the proposed changes to minimize the financial burden on small-entity volunteer fire departments; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be sent to all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.