On Tuesday, April 17 at 10:00 a.m., the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), will hold a legislative hearing on the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4297). The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 3.5 million job openings nationwide. Even... Read more »
Today, members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced a comprehensive proposal to reform the nation’s network of job training programs. The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4297) consolidates more than 20 programs into one flexible Workforce Investment Fund, helping to provide a more streamlined system for workers and job seekers to find the employment s... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: The federal government administers roughly 47 job training programs across nine agencies. Many of these programs overlap, and few have been evaluated for efficacy. This unwieldy system makes it more difficult for workers to access important job skills and assistance, and fails employers who seek a highly trained workforce. During his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama r... Read more »
Tomorrow marks two years since President Obama signed his government takeover of health care into law. Nancy Pelosi once said Congress had to pass ObamaCare before the public could learn what was in it. Two years later, the nation’s workers and employers are still learning new details and living with the harmful consequences of the law. Since enactment, numerous studies and personal testimony conf... Read more »
Good morning, Secretary Solis. Thank you for being with us today to discuss the policies and priorities of the Department of Labor. On February 13, President Obama released his fourth budget proposal since taking office. The Associated Press reported the fiscal year 2013 budget blueprint “[takes] a pass on reining in government growth” and “reprises a long roster of prior proposals,” such as more ... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), today held a hearing entitled, “Ensuring Regulations Protect Access to Affordable and Quality Companion Care.” The hearing examined a Labor Department regulatory proposal that would make it more costly for individuals to receive in-home care. In 1974, Congress created an exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLS... Read more »
Today, we will examine the Department of Labor’s effort to narrow the long-standing companionship services exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act. As we all know, the FLSA continues to serve as the foundation of federal wage and hour standards. Today’s discussion is not about whether we stand by this important law more than 70 years after its enactment. The question before the subcommittee i... Read more »
On Wednesday, March 21 at 10:00 a.m., the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), will hold a hearing entitled “Reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Proposal for the U.S. Department of Labor.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. In his Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal, President Obama requests $... Read more »
On Tuesday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), will hold a hearing entitled “Ensuring Regulations Protect Access to Affordable and Quality Companion Care.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. In 1974, the Fair Labor Standards Act was amended to cover workers who perform domestic services.... Read more »
Without a great deal of fanfare, National Labor Relations Board Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon recently released a report that amounts to his annual performance review. Solomon is responsible for investigating and prosecuting violations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), as well as overseeing NLRB field offices that apply the law and supervise union elections. In a letter sent to his... Read more »
