January 13, 2023

Foxx to Chair House Education & Workforce Committee

This week, House Republicans selected their 118^th Congress committee chairs. Among the new chairs is Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who will lead the House Education and Workforce Committee. NATE congratulates Rep. Foxx on her selection as committee chair and looks forward to working with her on many of the issues most pertinent to the association and its members. You can read more about Foxx’s selection here.

House Energy & Commerce Committee Gains New Members

House Republicans have selected nine new members for the 118^th Congress’s Energy and Commerce Committee. Reps. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rick Allen (R-GA), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), August Pfluger (R-TX), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Kat Cammack (R-FL), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) will join the committee, which has jurisdiction over many key NATE issues. NATE congratulates the nine new Energy and Commerce Committee members and looks forward to working with them on these issues.

NTIA Senior Adviser Confirms June 30 Target for Broadband Grants

Over the weekend, NTIA senior adviser Phil Murphy said that the agency still plans to hit its June 30 target for allocating the $42 billion in broadband grants among the states. Note, however, that while today (Friday, January 13) is the deadline for challenging the federal data needed to guide state broadband projects, Senate Commerce leaders are seeking to give states an extra two months to ensure the accuracy of the data.

FCC to Update Data Breach Requirements for Telecom Providers

On Friday, January 6, the FCC launched a proceeding to strengthen the Commission’s rules for notifying consumers and federal law enforcement of breaches of customer proprietary network information (CPNI). The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which was released Friday by the FCC, seeks to better address telecommunications carriers’ breach notification requirements. You can read more about the FCC’s proposal here.

US Department of Labor Announces Annual Adjustments to OSHA Civil Penalties for 2023

On Thursday, January 12, the U.S. Department of Labor announced changes to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2023.

OSHA’s maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $14,502 per violation to $15,625 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $145,027 per violation to $156,259 per violation. You can read more about the U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA announcement here.