S 2736Workplace Safety

Labor and Labor Relations - Division of Occupational Safety

If the federal government weakens OSHA, Rhode Island will automatically adopt and enforce those safety standards as state law.

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Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee Senate Labor & Gaming

Plain-English Summary

This bill acts as a "trigger law" to protect worker safety in Rhode Island. It states that if the federal government significantly weakens, defunds, or repeals the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Rhode Island will immediately adopt current federal safety standards as state law. The Director of the Department of Labor and Training would make this determination. Once triggered, the state legislature must provide funding and staff to the Department of Labor and Training to enforce these safety rules, ensuring workers remain protected even if federal oversight disappears.

For younger readers

There are rules called OSHA that help keep people safe at their jobs. Sometimes, the government in charge of the whole country might decide to get rid of these safety rules or stop checking if companies are following them. This law says that if that happens, Rhode Island will keep those safety rules anyway. The state will make sure companies still follow the rules so that workers do not get hurt, even if the main government stops helping.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

EmployeesBusiness OwnersDepartment of Labor and TrainingGeneral AssemblyTaxpayers

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Ensures that workplace safety standards remain intact for laborers, preventing corporations from exploiting a potential lack of federal oversight to lower safety protections.
Mandates that the state government provide necessary funding and staff for enforcement, ensuring the rules have actual power and are not just empty promises.
Acts as a systemic safeguard against right-wing federal deregulation attempts, asserting state power to prioritize the welfare of the community over deregulation.
Freezes safety standards at the level they were before federal cuts, which might lock in regulations that progressives already view as outdated or insufficient.
Relies on the subjective determination of a single appointed Director to decide when the law is triggered, which could delay necessary protections.
Shifts the entire financial burden of enforcement from the federal government to the state, potentially diverting funds from other critical social services.

For Conservatives

Asserts state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment structure by codifying regulations at the local level rather than relying solely on federal bureaucracy.
Ensures regulatory certainty and stability for business owners, preventing a chaotic environment where safety rules disappear overnight.
Explicitly retains the right of the General Assembly to amend or repeal these standards later, ensuring local elected representatives have the final say.
Expands the size and cost of state government by mandating the creation of new positions and funding to replicate work previously done by the federal government.
Automatically adopts thousands of pages of federal regulations into state law without a specific vote on the individual merits of those rules.
Attempts to force the legislature to appropriate funds in the future, which may be seen as fiscally irresponsible or a violation of legislative spending discretion.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 20 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 28-20 of the General Laws entitled "Division of Occupational Safety" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 28-20-36. Workers’ rights and worker safety.

(a) Upon a determination by the director of the department of labor and training that the federal government has taken action to materially diminish the scope, enforcement capacity, or regulatory authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, whether through repeal, defunding, reduction in force, rulemaking, executive order, or any other federal action that substantially curtails the protections afforded to workers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.) and its implementing regulations, the occupational safety and health standards codified in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1900 through 1990, as in effect immediately prior to such federal action, shall be deemed adopted as the law of the State of Rhode Island and shall be administered and enforced by the department of labor and training.

(b) The director shall promptly notify the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate upon making such determination. The general assembly shall, during the legislative session in which such determination is made or, if the general assembly is not in session, during the next regular session, appropriate such funds and authorize such additional full-time equivalent positions as are necessary to enable the department of labor and training to effectively administer and enforce the standards adopted pursuant to this section.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the general assembly from subsequently amending, supplementing, or repealing any standard so adopted through the ordinary legislative process.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.