APIC Announces House Passage of Labor-HHS 2005 Funding Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. On Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2005 Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) appropriations bill containing the provision that would prohibit federal funds from being used to enforce the new Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) fit-testing mandate for hospitals.

According to a statement on the Web site of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), We wish to thank all APIC members who so diligently and effectively communicated their concerns to their legislators, helping to ensure successful passage of this measure. This is a tremendous accomplishment, but we still have some additional hurdles to clear.

The statement added, The Senate still must consider its own Labor-HHS funding bill, after which time, the House and Senate will go to conference committee to work out the differences in the two bills. We do not yet know the Senate's plans for considering its bill, nor do we know the exact timeline, but we will keep you informed and call upon your help again when necessary. We are unlikely to see resolution before the election, but anything is possible. Thank you all so much for your continued support on this important issue -- we could not be successful without your help.

Source: APIC