Congress Completes FY 2013 Appropriations

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives approved a short-term continuing resolution bill that will pay for the operations of the U.S. government through this September, the end of the 2013 fiscal year. The Senate had approved the bill Wednesday, meaning it has cleared Congress and now goes to President Obama, who has promised to sign it when he returns from the Middle East. The continuing resolution authorizes discretionary federal spending for the next six months. If Congress had not approved it by March 27, when the current CR expires, government agencies would have had to shut down.

The continuing resolution leaves in place the across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, which effectively sets non-emergency discretionary spending authority for the year at about $984 billion after sequestration is taken into account, down from $1.043 trillion in fiscal 2012.

Perez Nominated

President Barack Obama announced on Monday that he is nominating Thomas Perez,  the assistant U.S. attorney general, as Secretary of the U S Department of Labor.

"Like so many Americans, Tom knows what it is like to climb the ladder of opportunity," Obama said, adding that Perez made protecting the promise of equal opportunity for all "a cause of his life." Perez thanked Obama in both English and Spanish for what he called the honor of the opportunity.

He pledged to work with organized labor, the business community, grassroots organizations and Congress, adding that he looked forward to meeting with senators from both parties to discuss the way forward.  "True progress is possible if you keep and open mind, listen to all sides and focus on results," Perez said.

House Passes WIA Reauthorization Legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Known as (H.R. 803) the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act, would overhaul and reauthorize the 1998 Workforce Investment Act (PL 105-220).

The legislation would consolidate 35 employment and training programs into a single Workforce Investment Fund totaling approximately $6 billion to serve as a single source of support for employers and job seekers. Funding for those programs would be merged into a block grant to the states.

H.R. 803 would do the following:

• Create a workforce investment fund to serve as a single source of federal support for employers;
• Ensure two thirds of state and local workforce investment boards members are employer representatives;
• Eliminate 19 federal mandates regarding state and local workforce board representation;
• Allow locally elected officials to determine the remaining board members;
• Require local workforce boards to analyze regularly the area’s workforce needs;
• Require state and local leaders to adhere to common performance measures for all workforce development services;
• Require an independent evaluation of training programs every five years;
• Strengthen the ability of governors to designate the location of workforce areas in their respective states;
• Allow states to continue submitting a unified statewide workforce plan for all employment and training services;
• Allow governors to consolidate additional programs into the workforce investment fund for the express purpose of providing greater administrative flexibility;
• Allow states to determine the standards required for eligible training providers;
• Allow local boards to contract with community colleges directly to provide training to large groups;
• Require local boards to spend a portion of the resources directly on training; and
• Require service providers to contribute a portion of their resources to support the One-Stop-Career Centers’ infrastructure.

Possible Labor Secretary Nominee

President Obama may nominate civil-rights attorney Thomas Perez as secretary of Labor.  Perez is an assistant attorney general at the US Department of Justice.  He is also the former head of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.  A graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard's  John F. Kennedy School of Government, Perez was a Justice Department attorney for 12 years prosecuting civil-rights cases, and a deputy assistant attorney general in the Clinton administration.
Perez also worked during the Clinton administration as the director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services. He was previously on the staff of the late-Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).

Workforce Data Podcasts

If you've ever wanted to better understand how to interpret and use the vast set of data produced by the Department of Labor, now you can. The Employment and Training Administration has just issued six new Quick-Lesson Podcasts to help individuals find and use workforce statistics on unemployment, worker dislocation, projections, industries, the economy, and states and localities. The podcasts presume no previous subject matter or statistical knowledge, making it accessible for a broad variety of audiences and purposes. Each presentation includes basic definitions, a brief historical background, links to the most important data sources, and practical tips on how to interpret and use the data. Transcripts of the podcasts are also available on the website.  Listen to Podcasts

Unemployment Falls to Lowest Level Since 2008

According to the The New York Times, the United States economy gained 236,000 jobs in February, well above what had been expected, while the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent, its lowest level since December 2008. The gains were broad-based, the US Department of Labor said Friday, with sectors ranging from manufacturing to business services turning in healthy results. Construction was especially strong, adding 48,000 jobs, a sign that the recovery in the housing market is beginning to translate into new jobs.

Happy Anniversary USDOL!

For 100 years, the U.S. Department of Labor has been promoting the welfare of working Americans. On March 4, 1913, outgoing President William Howard Taft reluctantly signed the law establishing the department. A few hours later, newly-inaugurated President Woodrow Wilson appointed the first secretary of labor. Both actions signaled a commitment by the government to serve working Americans that has not wavered over the last century.

USDOL observed its 100th anniversary this week with the raising of a centennial flag at its Constitution Avenue entrance, a special centennial history Web page for the public, a proclamation by the president, and an email to departmental employees from Acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris. "We share a lasting bond with the men and women who came to work on that first day in 1913: a commitment to an extraordinary mission, no matter the challenge, even in times of great adversity," Harris wrote.

In his proclamation, President Obama said, "the Department of Labor is working to restore the basic bargain that built our country: that no matter what you look like or where you come from, if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead. It is forging new ladders of opportunity so a generation of workers can get the 21st century skills and training they need. And to preserve a century's progress in labor rights, the department will continue to ensure hardworking Americans always have a voice in government and on the job."