Dear Secretary Solis: The appropriate expenditure of taxpayer funds by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is of the utmost importance to the committee. This week, multiple news sources have reported that in September 2009 DOL spent $495,000 in so-called “stimulus” funding to hire a public relations firm, McNeely, Pigott, and Fox Public Relations, LLC (“MP&F”), to promote Job Corps’ “existing and ... Read more »
A study released today by the National Federation of Independent Business reveals that the cost of health insurance and economic uncertainty are the most significant problems facing small business owners. The concerns expressed by the nation’s leading job creators are hardly surprising. Small businesses have experienced a 103% rise in health insurance costs in the last decade, greatly diminishing ... Read more »
Dear Secretary Panetta: The FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 112-81) includes a provision (Section 532) to ensure "covered graduates" are given the same opportunity to enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces as traditional high school graduates, commonly called Tier I recruits. The law clearly defines covered graduates as any student who receives a diploma from a secondary school legally ... Read more »
Dear Secretary Solis: The appropriate expenditure of taxpayer funds by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is of the utmost important to the committee. Given the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) recent findings on duplication and overlap within federal programs, I respectfully request documents and communications relating to the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) participation in the Wh... Read more »
Dear Secretary Solis: We are greatly concerned the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) July 30, 2012, Training and Employment Guidance Letter (the guidance) is misleading and incomplete with respect to federal contractors’ obligations under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) and the department’s role in enforcing the act. In short, the department creates th... Read more »
Dear Secretary Solis, We respectfully request information concerning the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) December 9, 2011 notice of proposed rulemaking (the proposed rule) on federal contractors’ nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements pertaining to individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 503). Specifically, ... Read more »
Dear Mr. Dodaro: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported the federal government spent more than $3 billion on more than 200 federally funded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs across 13 federal agencies in fiscal year 2011. While it is important to have a prepared and appropriately targeted STEM workforce to enhance U.S. competitivenes... Read more »
Fresh on the heels of news that one in ten U.S. employers will soon drop health care coverage for workers as a result of the job-destroying health care law, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a new report illustrating ObamaCare’s devastating impact on American families and taxpayers. According to the report, the health care law that President Obama promised would lower costs will lead ... Read more »
In the coming days, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act, legislation to rein in the president’s latest effort to change federal law without congressional consent. In preparation for the upcoming vote, the House Education and the Workforce Committee compiled the following materials to highlight this and other recent examples ... Read more »
Dear Mr. Dodaro: The federal government has maintained a long-standing role in conducting and promoting education research. In 2002, Congress enacted the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA), which established the Institute of Education Science (IES), the primary federal education research organization within the Department of Education. IES, headed by a presidentially appointed director, provide... Read more »
