No images? Click here GCCA Launches NEW Grassroots Campaign Urging Congress to Stop Biden’s OSHA Vaccine MandateOn Wednesday, November 17, 2021, Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA-12) introduced companion bills, S.J.Res.29 and H.J.Res.65, a joint resolution utilizing the Congressional Review Act to nullify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The Congressional Review Act can be used by Congress to overturn certain federal agency regulations and actions through a joint resolution of disapproval. If a CRA joint resolution of disapproval is approved by both houses of Congress and signed by the president, or if Congress successfully overrides a presidential veto, the rule at issue is invalidated. This move to overturn President Biden’s vaccine or test mandate for private employers is guaranteed a vote on the floor, which is tentatively scheduled for some time in early December. In order to protect your businesses from the potentially harmful ETS, GCCA strongly encourages you to take action and urge your representatives to support S.J.Res.29 and H.J.Res.65. Take Action HERE. Senate Clears Stopgap Government Spending, Averting ShutdownThe Senate on Thursday, December 2, 2021, averted a U.S. government shutdown and passed a stopgap spending measure, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature. The 69-28 vote followed a day of negotiations between Senate leaders and a group of conservative Republicans who demanded a vote on an amendment blocking President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine mandates in exchange for speeding past procedural hurdles that threatened a government-wide closure early Saturday, December 4, 2021. Prior to the vote, Democrats agreed to demands by a cluster of Republicans led by Kansas Senator Roger Marshall to vote on an amendment to block the Biden administration’s Covid-19 testing and vaccination mandate for large employers. That amendment failed, 48-50, on the Senate floor. The stopgap bill funds the government until Feb. 18, a move Democrats hope will give them time to pass Biden’s roughly $2 trillion economic agenda this month while also lifting the debt ceiling. Appropriators have said they hope the new deadline will give them time to negotiate the 12 full-year government spending bills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The funding extension puts agencies on autopilot, freezing in place program funding levels and forbidding new contracts, with few exceptions, one of which being $7 billion in funding to aid Afghan evacuees. Republicans and Democrats showed no signs of being able to resolve the larger impasse blocking full year appropriations bills. Teen Truckers Are Here, Easing U.S. Shortage and Stoking ConcernThe three-year pilot program was opposed by safety advocates who point out that teenagers crash at four times the rate of older drivers. But it was included in the infrastructure law at the urging of the industry, which says it’s 80,000 drivers short of where it needs to be to meet demand projections. That lack of drivers has sent a ripple through the economy, contributing to backups at ports and kinks in the supply chain that threaten delivery of holiday gifts. The pilot program in the $550 billion infrastructure law allows those as young as 18 to drive across state lines if they complete at least 400 hours of duty time. A similar program was already in existence for drivers who operated trucks in the military. Safety advocates say allowing teenagers to drive big rigs on long interstate trips is dangerous. Teen drivers are four times as likely to crash as drivers who are 20 years old and older per mile driven, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said lowering the truck driver age limit would put “inexperienced, risk-prone teenagers” behind the wheel of 80,000 pound (36,000 kilogram) trucks traveling on interstate highways. Supporters note that 49 states and the District of Columbia allow individuals to obtain a commercial driver’s license at the age 18. New York is the only exception, requiring all drivers to wait until they are 21. GCCA and our coalition partners have been actively engaging congress to help address the driver shortage and we are encouraged to see progress on this issue. Judge Blocks Shot Mandate In HealthcareA federal judge issued a temporary nationwide block against a Biden administration mandate that millions of healthcare workers get vaccinated against Covid-19 starting this week. In a ruling issued Tuesday, November 30, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Judge Terry Doughty said there was "no question" that mandating a vaccine for healthcare workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid is something that should be done by Congress and not by a government agency. Even then the judge said it was unclear whether such a mandate would be constitutional. The mandate, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, required all workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to get their first shot of the vaccine by Dec. 6 and to have both shots by Jan. 4. The facilities risked losing federal funding if they didn't comply. The mandate applied to more than 10 million workers at such facilities, of whom about 2.4 million aren't yet vaccinated, according to the ruling. The regulation allowed for medical and religious exemptions. The Biden administration said it had a responsibility to protect patients of these facilities from the Covid-19 virus. Hospitals and nursing homes said the mandate threatened staffing levels when many are already under strain. TOMORROW Advocacy WebinarJoin us tomorrow at 11:00am, ET for our monthly update on Advocacy Efforts, including government and industry affairs. Get the latest information on the state of the cold chain industry, including updates on COVID-19. We will conclude with a Q&A session so come with your questions! Register here. If you have not yet participated in our grassroots campaigns, but would like to take action to oppose the PRO Act or oppose the harmful tax hikes in the American Job’s Plan, click the Take Action tab above now.
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