February 13, 2004—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that President Bush’s budget for OSHA for FY 2005 is $461.6 million, a net increase of $4.1 million over the appropriation for FY 2004. The budget includes $2 million in new funding to fulfill OSHA’s responsibilities under the 14 whistleblower statutes that the agency enforces, including the addition of the Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability Act (Sarbanes-Oxley), and $6.6 million increase to expand outreach and compliance assistance programs, including $500,000 targeted at reaching small businesses.
According to OSHA, the budget request reflects the agency’s continued focus on strong, fair, and effective enforcement; outreach, education, and compliance assistance; and cooperative and voluntary programs. OSHA says it is planning to conduct 37,700 enforcement inspections of workplaces in FY 2005, the same number as planned in FY 2004. For more information on OSHA programs or the FY 2005 Proposed Budget, visit OSHA.
