Earlier this month, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) was rolling back 63 federal regulations in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order “Unleashing Prosperity through Deregulation,” which directs federal agencies to eliminate 10 existing regulations for each new one established.
Several of the deregulatory actions relate to workplace safety, including limiting OSHA oversight of inherently hazardous workplaces, such as professional sports and the performing arts, as well as rescinding illumination requirements for construction worksites and revoking a rule that requires OSHA’s Assistant Secretary to consult with the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health when modifying construction-related regulations.
Other deregulatory moves include:
- Reversing a 2013 rule that provides federal minimum wage and overtime pay protections for certain home health care and domestic workers.
- Withdrawing a notice of proposed rulemaking that aimed to end subminimum wages for workers with disabilities.
This deregulatory push has the potential to impact DOL’s approach to worksite access and safety for CTE students participating in work-based learning activities like job shadows, internships and apprenticeships. It will be important to pay close attention to specific changes that might impact your programs or students. ACTE will share updates as we learn them, and will also be watching how these moves might factor into separate conversations about moving the administration of Perkins from the Department of Education to Labor.
