September 19, 2018 The Honorable Betsy DeVos Secretary U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland A venue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Dear Secretary DeVos: On July 31 , 2018, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) proposed new institutional accountability regulations to streamline and improve the borrower defense to repayment (borrower defense) process. Students defrauded by an institution of h... Read more »
BACKGROUND Americans face a job market that is vastly different from the one that existed a generation ago. Advances in technology and the growth of a global economy have dramatically changed the kinds of jobs that are available, making high-quality education and skills development vital to competing in today’s workplaces. In recent years, Congress has enacted reforms to improve K-12 education and... Read more »
June 28, 2018 The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta Secretary U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210 Dear Secretary Acosta: We are following up regarding the Department of Labor’s (the Department) March 6, 2018, letter in response to our January 18, 2018, letter about union “worker centers” and their regulation through the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) ... Read more »
January 18, 20 I 8 The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta Secretary U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution A venue, NW Washington, DC 20210 Dear Secretary Acosta: We are writing to you regarding a longstanding interest of the Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee), namely the proliferation of opaquely financed, union-backed organizations known as "worker centers" over the past decade. ... Read more »
The bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which passed in 2014, made important reforms to our nation's workforce development system . These reforms make the workforce development system more responsive to the needs of both employers and job seekers. Read more »
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, today sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta requesting additional answers on oversight questions about safety and security lapses within the Job Corps program. Read more »
BACKGROUND: Hiring. Work schedules. Pay increases. These are all decisions that take place between an employer and an employee. However, in 2015, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) placed itself squarely in the middle of the employer-employee relationship, changing it in a way that hurt working families and small businesses but empowered union interests. This prompted a similar expansion of... Read more »
BACKGROUND For more than 30 years, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) considered two or more employers “joint employers” if they had “actual,” “direct,” and “immediate” control over essential terms and conditions of employment. This standard provided stability and legal clarity for employers large and small, especially local franchisees and subcontractors. Unfortunately, unelected NLRB bur... Read more »
BACKGROUND: Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that exists not only in foreign countries, but in every state in the United States. This atrocious crime involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to force victims into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization estimates there are 21 million victims of human trafficking in what is a $150 billion ... Read more »
With its 2004 San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino decision, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overturned long-standing precedent and began using a subjective test to determine when and where to assert its jurisdiction over Native American tribes. Read more »
