House Education and Workforce Committee Passes Messmer Deregulation Legislation

Washington, D.C., July 21, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Education and Workforce Committee advanced Rep. Mark Messmer's (R-IN) Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025 (H.R. 6213) during a committee markup. The legislation repeals the Biden-Harris Administration's proposed federal heat standards, which impose burdensome, one-size-fits-all mandates, and unneeded and excessive penalties on American businesses and institutions.

“As a small business owner, I know firsthand that ineffectual government regulation makes it harder for employers to grow their business, create job opportunities, and invest in their workforce,” said Rep. Messmer. “The House Education and Workforce Committee's approval of my Heat Workforce Standards Act is an important step toward rolling back more of the unnecessary Biden-era regulations that hamper America’s development and expansion. I look forward to advancing this bill through the full House to continue reducing trivial red tape which is depressing the success of our great nation.”

BACKGROUND:

The Biden Administration’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) attempted at the last minute to fast-track a policy known as “The Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings.” In practice, the rule would have forced nearly every American business and institution to follow rigid, one-size-fits-all, federal workplace standards based on predetermined temperature thresholds, regardless of industry, climate, or existing safety protocols.

This terrible rule would create a one-size fits all regulatory approach for most of the American workforce that experience exposure to temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 15 minutes in any given hour. State governments already have the authority to establish occupational safety and health standards and are required to have their plans be “at least as effective” as Federal OSHA standards.

If it had been implemented, the Biden’s Heat Rule would:

  • Place redundant and egregious regulation requirements with little variance considered for industry-specific outdoor and indoor heat variables and differences in outdoor climates between all 50 states
  • Fail to recognize employers who already have heat injury prevention measures in place
  • Mandate federal intervention and costly fines if small businesses don’t match the federal criteria

To learn more about how Rep. Messmer is working for small businesses in Indiana’s 8th Congressional District, click here.

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