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 .  