The Honorable Richard Shelby
Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Leahy:
As the Committee prepares to mark up the Fiscal Year 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges you to provide for programs and initiatives important to the business community and makes the following recommendations. Given the need to restrain overall federal spending and the discretionary spending caps currently in effect, the Chamber urges you to focus federal resources on projects and activities that offer the greatest potential to contribute to an environment conducive to stronger economic growth.
- Support adding provisions that would block funding for the implementation or enforcement of regulations for the Executive Order 13706, “Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors.”
- Support adding a prohibition of funding for implementation or enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration rulemaking entitled “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses,” published as a final regulation in the Federal Register, May 12, 2016, RIN: 1218-AC49.
- Support adding a prohibition of funding for implementation or enforcement of the Wage and Hour Division rulemaking amending the Companionship Exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Support adding provisions requiring Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs to conduct investigations within a reasonable timeframe.
- Support restoring funding for the DOL Office of Labor-Management Standards to the President’s FY 2009 request ($58.256 mil.)
- Support adding provisions requiring the Office of Labor-Management Standards to re-establish a Form T-1 to capture financial information pertinent to trusts in which a labor organization is interested as prescribed under Section 208 of the LMRDA.
- Support adding provisions restoring the Office of Labor-Management Standards International Compliance Audit Program (I-CAP).
- Support adding provisions preventing implementation and enforcement of the NLRB Ambush Election regulation (published on December 15, 2014, 79 Fed. Reg. 74308).
- Support adding language prohibiting application of the “joint employer” definition found in the NLRB’s Browning-Ferris Industries of California decision.
- Support adding language prohibiting funding for the enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act against any Indian tribe.
- Support adding provisions giving businesses the flexibility they need to utilize private wage surveys for the prevailing wage determination process under the H-2B program.
- Support adding a prohibition of funding for certain requirements for H-2B employers contained in “Temporary Non-Agricultural Employment of H-2B Aliens in the United States” (80 FR 24042), RIN: 1205-AB76, such as the definitions of temporary need, corresponding employment, and the three-quarter guarantee.
- Maintain provisions increasing funding for Title I grants to school districts for low-income children.
- Maintain provisions increasing funding for charter schools to foster their continued development and expansion.
- Support increasing funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.
- Support increasing funding for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
The Chamber appreciates your consideration of these recommendations as you mark up the Fiscal Year 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley
cc: Members of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
