Small Businesses Support Legislation to Prevent Overreaching Federal Heat Standard
Small Businesses Support Legislation to Prevent Overreaching Federal Heat Standard
April 29, 2026
NFIB-led coalition urges Congress to enact the Heat Workforce Standards Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 29, 2026) – The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate in support of the Heat Workforce Standards Act. This legislation would prevent the Biden Administration’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Heat Standard from being finalized and would prevent a future administration from undertaking a similar rulemaking.
NFIB also led 50 trade associations in sending a letter to sponsors of the Heat Workforce Standards Act, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rep. Mark Messmer (R-Ind.), urging Congress to pass their legislation to eliminate this burdensome rule and prevent increasing compliance burdens on millions of America’s job creators.
“The proposed OSHA Heat Standard won’t increase workplace safety but would only add particularly burdensome and costly new mandates for small businesses,” said Dylan Rosnick, Principal of Federal Government Relations. “The proposed regulation fails to recognize employers are already combating heat-related injuries or illness. It would punish businesses with more mandates and regulatory burdens and could force them to close or sell off to a larger competitor.
“NFIB strongly supports the Heat Workforce Standards Act to protect small businesses from the looming one-size-fits-all mandates and regulatory compliance burdens the proposed Heat Standard would implement. NFIB urges Congress to promptly enact this legislation.”
View NFIB’s letter of support to the U.S. Senate here.
View NFIB’s coalition letter and participating trade associations here.
According to a recent NFIB Member Ballot, 89% of NFIB members oppose the federal government regulating and restricting business operations when temperatures are above 80 degrees Fahrenheit at the worksite. Earlier this month, NFIB released an issue brief outlining why small businesses oppose the regulation.
###
For over 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.
NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.
Related Articles