Dear Mr. Petrole: We are seriously concerned by allegations that the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), its officers, and their co-conspirators aided and abetted in and/or embezzled and/or withheld millions of dollars from IUOE Local 501 and its members. We respectfully request information, documents, and communications relating to any agency action involving IUOE Local 501 or its... Read more »
Dear Secretary Duncan: More than a year ago, the Department of Education chose to stop working with Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and instead began issuing temporary, conditional waivers to states. To date, 34 states and the District of Columbia have received waivers; several additional state waiver requests are currently under review. Additionally, the depart... Read more »
Dear Acting-Secretary Harris: On March 19, 2013 we requested documents and communications relating to the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) economic analysis of the new tax penalties created under Sections 1513 and 10106 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to better understand the potential impact on hiring and job creation. The impetus for our letter was employer comments in... Read more »
Dear Secretary Duncan: Over the past four years, the Department of Education has embraced an active regulatory approach to define program quality. We urge you to abandon these efforts and instead let Congress address these issues as part of the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. In 2010 the Department of Education advanced several “program integrity” regulations. Over the last y... Read more »
Dear Acting-Secretary Harris: We are concerned by employer comments recently summarized by the Federal Reserve regarding the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on hiring. On March 6, 2013 the Federal Reserve published its Summary of COmmentary on Current Economic Conditions (also referred to as the "Beige Book") for February 2013, which stated "Employers in ... Read more »
Dear Chairman Pearce and Acting General Counsel Solomon: As you know, the Budget Control Act of 2011 required Congress to enact legislation to achieve deficit reduction levels of at least $1.2 trillion by January 15, 2012. Failure to enact legislation would trigger a sequestration order - automatic, across-the-board spending cuts - to achieve these budgetary deficit-reduction goals. These indiscr... Read more »
Dear Acting-Secretary Harris: As you know, the Budget Control Act of 2011 required Congress to enact legislation to achieve deficit reduction levels of at least $1.2 trillion by January 15, 2012. Failure to enact legislation would trigger a sequestration order - automatic, across-the-board spending cuts - to achieve these budgetary deficit-reduction goals. These indiscriminate cuts affect defense... Read more »
Dear Secretary Geithner, Secretary Solis, and Secretary Sebelius: We write to request information concerning the administration’s implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Specifically, we request clarification concerning how an employer determines the average number of hours worked per week under PPACA. Sections 1513 and 10106 of PPACA create new tax penalties, be... Read more »
Dear Secretary Solis: Thank you for taking the time on October 17, 2012 to discuss the committee’s ongoing oversight of the Department of Labor. As we discussed, I am concerned by the department’s pattern of untimely and inadequate response to the committee’s oversight requests. In many cases, the department’s lack of response has obstructed the committee’s constitutional authority to oversee the... Read more »
Dear Chairman Pearce and Acting General Counsel Solomon: On November 19, in response to my inquiry, the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) Office of Inspector General (IG) issued a memorandum, attached, stating that “certain statements in e-mail messages from personnel in the Division of Advice and Region 19 infringed upon the statutory prohibitions regarding ex parte communications to Board... Read more »
