mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to h.r. 742 because workers deserve to know their interests will be represented fairly by osha , not weighed by how much money it will cost to bring the claim forward . 
we all have small businesses in our districts , and we all know that it saves money to provide for a safe workplace in the first place and preventing accidents . 
workers and their families suffer due to poor safety at some workplaces . 
they have enough angst because they ca n't count on their employers to provide protection . 
experiencing further betrayal by their government when they seek justice is the last thing they need . 
but , this bill threatens the lives of thousands of workers employed by small businesses because it forces osha to consider the costs of attorneys ' fees when deciding to take action . 
putting this unique burden on osha may take away the only recourse employees have to stand up for their safety . 
since bush took office , it has been clear that he intends to use osha to protect big business rather than worker safety . 
first , he signed legislation overturning workplace safety rules to prevent ergonomic standards . 
then he advocated budget cuts for job safety agencies , such as osha and niosh . 
he went even further by suspending twenty-three important job safety regulations . 
the list goes on and on . 
this legislation is one more way to weaken osha . 
if this passes it will be that much easier for businesses to avoid osha regulations . 
if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle really wanted to help workers , they would increase penalties for employers that ignore safety regulations . 
they would protect companys from dumping their pensions on to the taxpayers and raise minimum wage . 
these actions would let our workers know that someone is worrying about the costs in their lives as well . 
mr. speaker , i urge my colleagues to join me in opposing h.r. 742 , which is an unnecessary attack on worker protections . 
