The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Nomination of Douglas L. Parker (Executive Session)” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the in the Senate section section on page S7147 on Oct. 21.
The Department provides billions in unemployment insurance, which peaked around 2011 though spending had declined before the pandemic. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, claimed the Department funds "ineffective and duplicative services" and overregulates the workplace.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Nomination of Douglas L. Parker
Mr. President, I would also like to speak about President Biden's nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary of Occupational Safety and Health, Doug Parker.
This pandemic has put OSHA's critical work in the spotlight and underscored the Agency's responsibility to act and keep our workers safe. I am so glad President Biden has called on the Agency to take the critical step of setting forward an emergency temporary standard to require large employers to use appropriate tools, like vaccines and testing, to keep our workers safe from COVID-19.
I hope to see progress on this front soon. Actions like that can save countless lives and are a reminder of why it is so critical we have an experienced leader at OSHA who will do everything in their power to champion worker safety.
Mr. Parker's record shows he has been doing that his entire career. Mr. Parker has worked to protect workers in his State throughout this pandemic as chief of California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, starting with his move to swiftly issue health guidance back in February of 2020, when there were only 13 cases of COVID-19 in the entire country.
Even well before this pandemic, he had an established record fighting for worker safety as an attorney of the United Mine Workers, a partner at a labor and employment law firm in Washington, DC; and senior official at the Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration during one of the best streaks of safety in the industry's history.
When he previously left the Department of Labor, he went on to serve as the executive director of Worksafe. That is a legal aid nonprofit focused on worker health and safety.
At every step in his career, Mr. Parker has been a dogged advocate for worker safety. I have no doubt he will continue when he is confirmed to lead OSHA. Given the urgency of this pandemic and the clear qualifications of this nominee, I hope all of our colleagues will join me in voting in support of Mr. Parker's nomination.
