mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to h.r. 741 . 
instead of working to strengthen osha standards , my republican colleagues have presented yet another piece of legislation aimed to weaken it by undermining the clout of the secretary of labor . 
the secretary of labor should be the final authority on how osha law is interpreted , and this bill undermines the secretary 's authority ... .. 
giving the commission too much latitude . 
the secretary of labor needs an unbiased group of peers during the appeals process . 
if the commission 's authority on the interpretation of osha law trumps the secretary of labor , what legal basis would the secretary have to appeal a decision with which he/she disagrees ? 
the commission 's role is to fact-find and review while the secretary of labor is the enforcer . 
if the commission becomes both the fact-finder and the enforcer , the employee can not be ensured protection from bias . 
this legislation undermines the entire appeals process . 
it is unnecessary and not in the best interests of the employer or the employee . 
if the administration was really interested in helping workers , it would n't be focusing on these unnecessary semantics in the law . 
but instead , it would be granting workers something they really need , like increased minimum wage or stricter penalties for employers that ignore safety regulations . 
i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting real worker reforms , not legislation promoting the erosion of worker protections . 
mr. speaker , the administration 's priorities are wrong , and i urge my colleagues to join me in opposing h.r. 741 . 
