Business Coalition Letter Opposes ‘Blacklisting’ Provisions in WIOA Discussion Draft
Washington Update
Appropriations
This week, House Republicans plan to bring four FY25 funding bills to the floor — Financial Services, Agriculture-FDA, Interior-Environment, and Energy-Water. Two of these bills, Financial Services and Agriculture-FDA, failed to pass in their partisan form last year and are considered endangered again this round. On Monday, July 22, the House Rules Committee plans to work through nearly 700 proposed amendments to those four funding packages to decide which will make it to the floor. There are several amendments that aim to reverse controversial policies that could cause the bills to fail — including language in the Financial Services measure that would block a D.C. law that prevents employers from discriminating against workers who seek contraception or family planning services.
Even if House Republicans make it through this week’s batch of FY25 funding bills, they have the arduous task of trying to pass the Labor-HHS-Education, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-HUD bills next week. There are already rumors that Republican leaders could possibly adjourn the chamber early for August recess rather than push to pass all 12 FY25 bills prior to recess.
WIOA Reauthorization
On Tuesday, July 16, several business groups sent a letter to to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (VT) and ranking member Bill Cassidy (LA) objecting to the possible inclusion of language in the Senate’s version of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) aimed at excluding unscrupulous employers from workforce development initiatives.
In the letter, the groups – which include the National Retail Federation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and National Association of Manufacturers — expressed concern over a ‘blacklisting’ provision included in a discussion draft, saying that they “harm the good-faith, bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the law” and argue that there are sufficient safeguards to prevent abuses that render the additional language extraneous. The draft language requires prospective applicants for funding to affirm they comply with federal labor laws and have not recently had enforcement action taken against them by the National Labor Relations Board, Labor Department or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
As August recess nears and November elections close in, there is a tight deadline to reach a compromise on WIOA reauthorization, and business opposition further impedes these efforts.
Click here to access the letter.
Department of Labor
On Wednesday, July 17, House Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Bobby Scott (VA) and Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC) asked Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su for information and data on child labor violations and protections in federally subsidized youth work programs. The request comes amid a rise in reports of labor abuses against minors. Scott and Adams also asked for more information on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and school-based Work Experience and Career Explorations Programs (WECEPs). The letter was sent as Congress is in the midst of reauthorizing WIOA. Several business groups have recently spoken out against language in the discussion draft that would bar employers who violated child labor laws from receiving federal funds through the program.
The letter also asks if the Congressional Review Act resolution signed by Trump in 2017 that nullified regulations to ensure that federal contractors comply with workplace standards such as safety and child labor rules, has constrained the department from making sure federal funds are not used to subsidize child labor violations. House Democrats have written letters to Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC) requesting a hearing on child labor but have not yet heard back regarding those requests.
Initial Jobless Claims
In the week ending July 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 243,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 222,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 234,750, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 233,500 to 233,750. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending July 6, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate.
Click here to access the report.
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