HB 448 - AS INTRODUCED
2021 SESSION
21-0687
04/10
HOUSE BILL 448
AN ACT establishing a committee to study and compare federal Occupational Safety and
Health Act standards with the safety and health standards the New Hampshire
department of labor uses for public sector employees.
SPONSORS: Rep. Sullivan, Sull. 1; Rep. M. Pearson, Rock. 34; Rep. Merner, Coos 7; Rep.
Welch, Rock. 13; Rep. Myler, Merr. 10; Rep. Schultz, Merr. 18; Rep. Schuett,
Merr. 20; Rep. Goley, Hills. 8; Rep. Long, Hills. 10; Sen. Cavanaugh, Dist 16
COMMITTEE: Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a committee to study and compare federal Occupational Safety and Health
Act standards with the safety and health standards the New Hampshire department of labor uses
for public sector employees.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
 HB 448 - AS INTRODUCED
21-0687
04/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One
AN ACT establishing a committee to study and compare federal Occupational Safety and
Health Act standards with the safety and health standards the New Hampshire
department of labor uses for public sector employees.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 1 Committee Established. There is established a committee to study and compare federal
2 Occupational Safety and Health Act standards with the safety and health standards the New
3 Hampshire department of labor uses for public sector employees.
4 2 Membership and Compensation.
5 I. The members of the committee shall be as follows:
6 (a) Three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the
7 house of representatives.
8 (b) Three members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
9 II. Members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to
10 the duties of the committee.
11 3 Duties. The committee shall:
12 I. Compare OSHA safety and health standards to the standards used by the New
13 Hampshire department of labor for public sector workers. The committee shall also survey public
14 sector employers in New Hampshire to gain insight into the impact of adopting a state OSHA plan
15 which would require public sector employees to be covered by health and safety standards that meet
16 or exceed OSHA standards. Where possible the committee should also seek to learn to what degree
17 some public sector employers are applying safety and health standards that may exceed what is
18 currently required by the department of labor.
19 II. Identify the approximate amount of funding that will be annually provided by the United
20 States Department of Labor and explore how the New Hampshire department of labor could utilize
21 that funding to offset its own expenditures.
22 III. Seek assistance from the New Hampshire department of labor in conducting the
23 comparison of standards and the employer survey. The committee may also solicit advice and
24 testimony from any individual or organization with information or expertise relevant to the
25 committee’s objective.
26 4 Chairperson; Quorum. The members of the study committee shall elect a chairperson from
27 among the members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named house
28 member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this
29 section. Four members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
 HB 448 - AS INTRODUCED
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1 5 Report. The committee shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed
2 legislation to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the house
3 clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1, 2022.
4 6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.