I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2844 
To authorize the Department of Labor’s voluntary protection program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2025 
Mrs. HARSHBARGER (for herself and Mr. THOMPSON of California) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To authorize the Department of Labor’s voluntary protection 
program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Michael Enzi Vol-
untary Protection Program Act’’. 
SEC. 2. MICHAEL ENZI VOLUNTARY PROTECTION PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM
ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary of 
Labor shall establish a program of recognizing employers’ 
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voluntary commitment to establish comprehensive safety 
and health management systems that include— 
(1) requirements for systematic assessment of 
hazards; 
(2) comprehensive hazard prevention, mitiga-
tion, and control programs; 
(3) active and meaningful management and em-
ployee participation in the voluntary program de-
scribed in subsection (b); and 
(4) employee safety and health training. 
(b) MICHAEL ENZI VOLUNTARY PROTECTION PRO-
GRAM ESTABLISHED.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor 
shall establish and carry out a voluntary protec-
tion program (consistent with subsection (a)) to 
encourage excellence and recognize the achieve-
ment of excellence in both the technical and 
managerial protection of employees from occu-
pational hazards. 
(B) DESIGNATION.—The voluntary protec-
tion program carried out under this section 
shall be known as the ‘‘Michael Enzi Voluntary 
Protection Program’’ (referred to in this Act as 
the ‘‘Program’’). 
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(2) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The Program 
shall include the following: 
(A) APPLICATION.—Employers who volun-
teer 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 re-
quirements as the Secretary of Labor may re-
quire for participation in the Program. 
(B) 
SELF-EVALUATIONS
AND
ONSITE 
EVALUATIONS.— 
(i) 
SELF-EVALUATIONS.—Employers 
approved by the Secretary of Labor for 
participation in the Program shall conduct 
annual self-evaluations in accordance with 
regulations promulgated by the Secretary. 
(ii) 
ONSITE
EVALUATIONS.—There 
shall be onsite evaluations by representa-
tives of the Secretary of Labor to ensure 
a high level of protection of employees. The 
onsite visits shall not result in enforcement 
of citations under the Occupational Safety 
and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 651 et 
seq.). Any serious hazard or violation iden-
tified during such onsite evaluation shall 
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be corrected within a 90-day period or, if 
such time period is not feasible, as soon as 
practicable. 
(C) INFORMATION.—Employers who are 
approved by the Secretary of Labor for partici-
pation in the Program shall assure the Sec-
retary of Labor that information about the 
safety and health program shall be made read-
ily available to the Secretary of Labor to share 
with employees. 
(D) REEVALUATIONS.—Periodic reevalua-
tions by the Secretary of Labor of the employ-
ers shall be required for continued participation 
in the Program. 
(E) OVERSIGHT.—Worksite audits and 
evaluations and other activities related to par-
ticipation in the Program shall— 
(i) remain under the direct super-
vision of employees of the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration whom 
the Director of the Directorate of Coopera-
tive and State Programs designates; and 
(ii) be conducted by special Govern-
ment employees, as defined in section 
202(a) of title 18, United States Code, 
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cific performance goals and measures for the 
Program. 
(4) EXEMPTIONS.—A worksite with respect to 
which a Program has been approved shall, during 
participation in the Program, be exempt from pro-
grammed inspections. 
(5) NO PAYMENTS REQUIRED.—The Secretary 
of Labor shall not require any form of payment for 
an employer to qualify for or participate in the Pro-
gram. 
(6) MODERNIZATION OF TECHNOLOGY TO AD-
MINISTER THE PROGRAM.— 
(A) WRITTEN
PLAN.—Not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Labor shall establish a written 
plan to modernize the technology used to ad-
minister the Program. 
(B) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—The plan re-
quired under subparagraph (A) shall include 
the procurement, directly or through partner-
ships with nonprofit organizations, of software 
or platforms that will modernize the adminis-
tration of— 
(i) the application process under the 
Program; 
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(ii) the annual self-evaluation submis-
sion required under paragraph (2)(B)(i); 
(iii) the worksite audit reporting proc-
ess under the Program; and 
(iv) other functions that directly affect 
the efficiency of the Program’s operations 
for the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration and for current and pro-
spective employers participating in the 
Program. 
(c) BASIC, NO-COST TIERED SAFETY AND HEALTH 
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CHALLENGE PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall 
modernize and support a tiered challenge program in 
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
(consistent with subsection (a)) to serve as a safety 
and health management system evaluation tool for 
employers participating in the Program. 
(2) NO
PAYMENT
REQUIRED.—The Secretary 
shall not require any form of payment for participa-
tion in the Challenge program under this subsection. 
(d) TRANSITION.—The Secretary of Labor shall take 
such steps as may be necessary for the orderly transition 
from the voluntary protection program carried out by the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration as of the 
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day before the date of enactment of this Act, to the Pro-
gram authorized under this section. In making such tran-
sition, the Secretary shall ensure that— 
(1) the Program authorized under this section 
is based upon and consistent with the voluntary pro-
tection programs carried out on the day before the 
date of enactment of this Act; and 
(2) each employer that, as of the day before the 
date of enactment of this Act, was participating in 
a voluntary protection program carried out by the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration and 
was in good standing with respect to the duties and 
responsibilities under such program, shall have the 
option to continue participating in the Program au-
thorized under this section. 
(e) REGULATIONS
AND
IMPLEMENTATION.—Not 
later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Labor shall issue final regulations for the 
Program authorized under this section and shall begin im-
plementation of the Program. 
(f) FUNDING.—Of the funds appropriated for the Oc-
cupational Safety and Health Administration for a fiscal 
year, the Secretary of Labor shall use an amount that is 
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not less than 5 percent of such funds to carry out this 
Act for such fiscal year. 
Æ 
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