with this Act. . (c) Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 ( 29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 32 ( 29 U.S.C. 677 ) the following: 32A. General standards for applying and interpreting workers' rights (a) Interpretation of protections and exemptions (1) Protections All protections afforded employees under this Act, including as applied through the definitions under section 3, shall be interpreted expansively in favor of the employee or individual claiming classification as an employee. (2) Exemptions and exclusions (A) In general All exemptions and exclusions under this Act, including as applied through the definitions under section 3, shall be interpreted narrowly against the employer, or person alleged to be an employer, and limited in application to those persons or circumstances plainly and unmistakably within the language and spirit of the exemption or exclusion. (B) Clear and convincing evidence Any person asserting the applicability of an exemption or exclusion under this Act shall prove such applicability by clear and convincing evidence. (b) No-Less-Protection rule (1) In general The Secretary shall not take any action to reduce a protection afforded an employee under this Act through any regulation, guidance, opinion, ruling, standard, order, adjudicative decision, or other interpretation from the protection provided to the employee through a prior regulation, guidance, opinion, ruling, standard, order, adjudicative decision, or other interpretation in effect on the day before the date of such action, unless such reduction is explicitly and specifically mandated by an Act of Congress. (2) Request for Congressional action The Secretary may submit a proposal to Congress for a reduction described in paragraph (1), but shall not take any action described in such paragraph without an explicit and specific mandate by an Act of Congress. (3) Standard of deference Notwithstanding chapter 7 of title 5, United States Code, in any