Issues

Continuing Resolution Halting Labor Department Workforce Rules Goes to the President

From AFSCME Legislation Weekly Report, 2/16/2007

In a major victory for AFSCME, Congress has sent legislation to the President that prohibits the Labor Department from revising and issuing final regulations for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the Employment Service (ES), and the TAA programs. In December, the Department had invited comments on proposed rules that would have made major policy changes, including giving states the authority to block grant WIA and the ES and to privatize Wagner-Peyser functions.   

Originally approved by the House in the CR several weeks ago the provision was retained by the Senate when it cleared the House passed bill without any floor amendments.

While this action suspends efforts to change these laws temporarily, the DOL will be able to resurrect these proposed changes unless the Wagner-Peyser Act and TAA programs are modified to remove any uncertainty about the requirement for merit staffing that has been the longstanding policy in these programs. As a result, we will be lobbying Congress to add explicit merit staffing rules to these programs when it takes up legislation to renew these programs. 

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