Gov. Spencer J. Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson issued the following statement in response to today’s notice from the U.S. Department of Labor proposing to initiate reconsideration proceedings with a proposal to revoke Utah’s final approval of its State Plan for failure to adopt the COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard (Healthcare ETS) which became effective June 21, 2021:
“We’re very disappointed in the U.S. Department of Labor’s assertion that Utah’s State Plan is less effective than the federal program. In a July 21, 2021 letter to Labor Secretary Walsh, the governors of Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska expressed concerns that the Healthcare ETS would place an unfair burden on the healthcare industry and noted that our states do not have regulatory authority to require employers to pay their employees sick leave.
“We reject the assertion that Utah’s State Plan is less effective than the federal plan. While we have not refused to adopt standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), we will ask once again for an opportunity to engage with the Biden administration about our legitimate concerns complying with the proposed Healthcare ETS. Despite today’s communication, we still welcome an opportunity to further explain our position and recommendations.”
