News from April 2023
Foxx, Good Blast Department of Commerce for Big Labor Favoritism that Hurts Workers and Taxpayers
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) sent a letter to Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gina Raimondo to express strong disapproval of a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the CHIPS Incentive Program, which strongly encourages companies seeking CHIPS funding to use project labor agreements (PLAs) in connection with their construction projects.
Commitee on Education and the Workforce
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) are continuing their investigation into the misuse of pandemic-era education funds intended to address students’ historic learning losses.
Foxx, Good: ACA Contraceptive Mandate Violates Religious Freedoms
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) sent a comment letter to the Tri-Agencies (Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury) in opposition to proposed rules regarding the enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive mandate.
Foxx Leads Letter Calling on Secretary Cardona for Transparency in Foreign Funding of Universities
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) led a letter sent to Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona seeking information on whether colleges and universities are complying with reporting requirements under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires schools to report foreign gifts and contracts.
Chair Foxx, Chair Smith, Speaker McCarthy, and California Republicans Call on President Biden to Abandon Nomination of Julie Su as Labor Secretary
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
American workers and businesses will face more regulation, mismanagement, and waste from Washington should the Senate confirm Julie Su as Labor Secretary, warned House Republicans today.
Foxx, Miller Condemn Biden’s Rule that Robs Women of Athletic Opportunities
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Education and the Workforce Committee Vice Chair Mary Miller (R-IL) made the following statement in response to the Department of Education’s proposed rule that will limit athletic opportunities for women and girls by allowing males identifying as women to compete in school sports:
Ranking Member Cassidy, Chair Sanders Seek Information on ESRA Reauthorization
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chair of the HELP Committee, requested input from educators, school leaders, local and state educational agencies, education organizations, researchers, families, communities, and other interested parties on policies the Committee should consider during the reauthorizations of the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA), the Educational Technical Assistance Act, and the National Assessment of Education Progress Authorization Act.Specifically, the senators asked the education community to provide feedback regarding: increasing the effectiveness of existing Federal education research, statistics, and technical assistance programs; improving the capacity of practitioners across education systems to identify and implement evidence-based practices; mobilizing education research and statistics to more effectively reach educators and system leaders; and bolstering partnerships between educators, school systems, institutions of higher education, localities and states, and the federal government in utilizing education research to improve teaching and learning and postsecondary access and success.
Ranking Member Cassidy Blasts Biden’s New Title IX Rule Undermining Women’s Sports
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, rebuked the Biden administration’s new Title IX proposed rule that coerces schools to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports or risk losing federal funds.
US Department of Labor renews Wheelabrator's 'Star Level' designation for workplace safety, health achievements
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
OSHA first recognized the Wheelabrator Bridgeport, Connecticut, facility in 2005 as a "Star" site – the highest level of recognition that the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs offers.
US Department of Labor urges caution to avoid fall, electrical, other hazards during tornado cleanup in Bollinger County, Missouri
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
Workers and others engaged in recovery and cleanup operations after at least one tornado struck the Village of Glenallen in Bollinger County in the early hours of April 5, 2023, may face hazards related to falls, downed power lines and sharp debris.
US Department of Labor investigation finds wind turbine parts manufacturer continues to ignore machine safety procedures
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
A federal workplace safety investigation into a Houston wind turbine parts manufacturing facility – operated by Proinlosa Energy Corp. – determined the employer failed to address safety violations found in a previous inspection from April 2022.
US Department of Labor investigation of 29-year-old sanitation worker's leg amputation finds Ohio food processor again ignored safety standards
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
While working the overnight sanitation shift at an Ohio food processing plant, a 29-year-old temporary worker – on the job just nine months – suffered critical injuries after falling into an industrial blender he was cleaning and became caught in the rotating paddle augers.
US Department of Labor renews L.L. Bean 'Star Level' designation for workplace safety, health achievements
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
.L. Bean Manufacturing Brunswick employs about 200 workers at the Brunswick facility where they manufacture and assemble boots, dog beds and perform custom embroidery.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has awarded Guarantee Electrical Contracting with its Star designation in the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs.
Dangers discounted: US Department of Labor finds Dollar General willfully exposing workers to fire hazards at central Pennsylvania store
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has again found Dollar General exposing workers to dangerous safety hazards – including blocked emergency exit routes and electrical panels – this time during a November 2022 inspection at a Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, store.
Week ending March 25: 21 notices published by Labor Department
By DOL Newswire | Apr 9, 2023
There were 21 notices published by the Labor Department in week ending March 25, according to the Federal Register.
Department of Labor awards nearly $2.7M to continue supporting employment, training services for transitioning military, spouses at Fort Hood
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of nearly $2.7 million to the Texas Workforce Commission to support continued employment and training services for transitioning military service members and their spouses near and at the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood installation.
US Department of Labor awards $468K to continue cleanup, recovery efforts in 9 West Virginia counties after severe storms in 2021
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of $468,206 to WorkForce West Virginia to enable the state to continue to provide temporary jobs for cleanup and recovery services in nine counties affected by severe storms in February and March 2021.
Biden-Harris administration announces $80M in funding available to develop, strengthen, scale equitable pathways to good infrastructure jobs
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
To maximize the impact of the Biden-Harris administration’s historic infrastructure, manufacturing and clean energy investments, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $80 million in funding through its Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program.
PBGC Approves Supplemented SFA Application for Teamsters Local 52 Plan
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 9, 2023
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced today that it has approved the supplemented application submitted to the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) Program by the Teamsters Local Union No. 52 Pension Fund (Teamsters Local 52 Plan).