NEWS FROM WASHINGTON
OSHA to Begin Enforcing Requirements of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Starting today, OSHA will begin enforcing certain requirements of the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which requires businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure that workers are vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Among the provisions that will be enforced are requiring companies to determine who among their workers are vaccinated and who are not, and to enforce a mask mandate for unvaccinated workers. Click here to learn more.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court held a special session to hear oral arguments in cases concerning whether the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for businesses should be stayed. While there is no indication as to when the Supreme Court may issue their decision, it is anticipated the ruling will likely come before February 9 which is when OSHA has said it will begin enforcing the testing and vaccine requirements of the ETS. In addition, a group of 47 Senators and 136 House Members led by Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Representative Rick Allen (R-GA) filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court challenging the ETS.
The industry's national organization, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), continues to work with a diverse group of associations and businesses calling on OSHA to make immediate changes to the ETS. MHI and the coalition are concerned about the challenges that businesses would have in implementing such a mandate.
