Trump to nominate Amanda Wood Laihow to short-staffed OSHRC

Washington — President Donald Trump on Oct. 9 announced he will nominate Amanda Wood Laihow for one of the two vacant seats on the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, which has been shorthanded – and lacking a quorum – for more than five months.

OSHRC, an independent federal agency that rules on disputes over OSHA citations and penalties, has been without two of its three commissioners since Cynthia Attwood’s term ended April 27. According to its website, the commission has not issued a decision since March 28, in large part because of the lack of a quorum.

The commission would regain that quorum if the Senate confirms Laihow and she is sworn in. OSHRC’s lone commissioner, James Sullivan Jr., was promoted to chairman July 22. Laihow is Sullivan’s chief counsel.

Previously, Laihow was the director of labor and employment policy for the National Association of Manufacturers, according to an Oct. 9 press release from the White House. She also has served as deputy general counsel for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and assistant general counsel for the General Services Administration.