The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee recently voted 13-9 to advance the nomination of Doug Parker to lead the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted with the committee’s 11 Democrats to advance the nomination.

Per the Senate’s power sharing agreement, committee rosters are split evenly between parties.

Parker’s nomination now heads to the Senate floor. No vote has been scheduled yet.

President Joe Biden nominated Parker to lead OSHA on April 9, 2021. The HELP committee held Parker’s nomination hearing on May 27.

Parker previously led the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA. He has also led a legal services provider in Oakland, CA known as Worksafe, was a partner at a law firm in Washington, and served as deputy assistant secretary of policy and a senior policy advisor at the Mine Safety and Health Administration during the Obama administration.

OSHA has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the departure of David Michaels in January 2017. OSHA is currently led by acting administrator and deputy assistant secretary Jim Frederick.