With the 2012 elections wrapped up, the Forestry Resources Association (FRA) recently outlined its legislative initiatives for the 113th Congress. Mostly, the FRA is stressing deregulation in the areas of foreign guest workers, independent contractor status determination, industrial boiler emissions, and others.
With the 2012 elections wrapped up, the Forestry Resources Association (FRA) recently outlined its legislative initiatives for the 113th Congress. Mostly, the FRA is stressing deregulation in the areas of foreign guest workers, independent contractor status determination, industrial boiler emissions, and others.
The group wants to change the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) rules for seasonal foreign worker wages; the FRA says the DOL has imposed conditions on reforestation contractors that "make it impossible for them to operate." The FRA alleges the DOL has established guest worker wages that are "artificially and uncompetitively high." So far, the DOL has not been able to enforce the Wage Rule due to legislative blocking that will last at least until March 31, 2013.
On the issue of employee classification, the FRA wants to stop Congress from repealing a "safe harbor" portion of the IRS code that establishes criteria for defining independent contractors. Repeal of the safe harbor, spearheaded by liberals in Congress, could return $8 billion to the U.S. Treasury over eight year, so "there is reason to fear that conservative 'budget hawks' may be persuaded to support repeal of Section 530 in order dedicate that hypothetical $8 billion as a 'pay-for' for deficit reduction or a tax cut," FRA wrote in its legislative initiatives posted online. FRA also wants to stop DOL from implementing a proposed rule that would require businesses to publicly declare whether personnel they obtain services from are employees or independent contractors.
The FRA is continuing its fight against an EPA rule regulating the maximum achievable control technology (MACT) for industrial boilers. FRA said the rule, which was proposed in December, "went well in excess of the court's requirement, ignoring the option of a 'health-based' standard (which would have evaluated control solutions using predicted health outcomes as a standard) in favor of a 'best technologies' standard, regardless of whether those technologies could be practically applied." In October the House passed legislation aimed at fixing the EPA's rule.
Moving forward, the FRA is urging its members to contact the 80 new legislators voted into office during the most recent elections. Using the FRA's website to look up legislators, users can view their voting record on issues important to the forestry industry.