The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has expressed support for the Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Mark Messmer. The legislation aims to prevent the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from finalizing a proposed heat standard that would affect small businesses nationwide.
Dylan Rosnick, NFIB Principal of Federal Government Relations, stated, “The proposed OSHA Heat Standard fails to recognize the fact that employers already are combating heat-related injuries or illness. Small businesses offer as-needed breaks to cool off, drink water, or simply use the restroom.” He added, “Instead, the proposed regulation would punish businesses who already work without government intervention to protect their employees with more mandates and regulatory burdens that could force them to close or sell off to a larger competitor.”
Rosnick continued, “NFIB strongly supports the Heat Workforce Standards Act to protect small businesses from the looming one-sized-fits-all mandates and onerous new regulatory compliance burdens the proposed OSHA Heat Standard would implement. NFIB urges Congress to promptly enact this legislation to reduce onerous regulatory compliance burdens and red tape.”
A recent ballot among NFIB members showed that 89% oppose federal regulations restricting business operations when temperatures exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit at worksites. The Biden Administration’s proposal on August 30, 2024, called for uniform requirements for businesses under these conditions.
NFIB has advocated for small and independent business owners across all states for over eight decades. The organization describes itself as nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven since its founding in 1943.
