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VPPPA Government Affairs: Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some frequently asked questions regarding VPPPA Government Affairs. If further assistance is needed, please email GovernmentAffairs@vpppa.org.What is the Voluntary Protection Program Act?
The Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Act - Senate Bill 807 and House Bill 1511 -
is legislation currently before Congress that codifies the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Programs, making them law. This would fund VPP directly through Congress instead of at OSHA's
discretion as is currently the case. Additionally, the legislation encourages increased small business participation in VPP.
What is the current status of the VPP Act?
For up-to-date information on the VPP Act, please visit the Library of Congress's website: Senate Bill 807 and House Bill 1511
How will these bills move forward?
Senate Bill 807 must first pass through the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, while House Bill 1511 needs to clear the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Following that, each bill must pass through both the
Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on the Budget in each chamber before being voted on by the full Senate and House.
How can I help?
Congressional leaders have asked the VPP community to make their voices heard regarding this legislation. For more information on how to contact your elected officials, view different ways others
are taking action.
What is VPP's current status in the federal budget process?
VPP is currently being funded through the end of September 2011 through the Fiscal Year 2011 (FY2011) budget deal that passed Congress in April 2011. October 2011 marks the beginning of FY2012. VPPPA will
continue to update the VPP community concerning the FY2012 Federal Budget as negotiations move forward.
In early 2010, OSHA put forward the idea of funding VPP through a system of fees that would be paid by participating businesses. After members of the VPP community spoke out against its proposal, OSHA rejected the idea and will continue to fund VPP.
What did the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report about VPP?
In 2004, GAO released a report that found that VPP showed promise and often yielded positive outcomes, but not enough data was available to reach a definitive conclusion concerning the program. A follow up study in 2009 took a more
critical tone, but the negative findings were almost exclusively directed at OSHA's administration of VPP and took no issue with the program itself.
Since then, OSHA has taken steps to address these concerns. Additionally, the VPP Act has specific provisions to strengthen OSHA's ability to oversee the program and ensure its continued quality and effectiveness.
Our worksite would like to invite our local officials to our VPP celebration. How do we find the elected officials for our worksite?
The following links identify members of congress from either the Senate or House of Representatives:
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For more information, please contact the VPPPA Government Affairs staff at: Government Affairs.