Congress Approves $8.3 Billion Coronavirus Emergency
Funding. The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response
Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 6074) is headed for the President's
desk. Among other things, the bill contains appropriations for
loans to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. For
a wide variety of up-to-date guidance related to the outbreak, see
Seyfarth's Coronavirus (COVID-19) page.
And Then There Were Three. Earlier this week,
members of Seyfarth's Future Enterprise team prepared an
analysis of the remaining five Democratic candidates' positions
regarding employee training and investment. Since then, the
field has narrowed to three after the end of the campaigns of
Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Nevertheless, for a
look at the candidates' (including President Trump's)
approaches to apprenticeships and STEM education (among other
issues), take a look at
Seyfarth's Employment Law Lookout blog.
Nominations Moving Ahead. As expected, the
White House announced this week the President's intent
to nominate a number of individuals to serve on the NLRB and the
EEOC. Current Member Marvin Kaplan will again be nominated for
a Republican seat on the NLRB; former Member Lauren McFerran will
be nominated for one of the two vacant Democratic seats. At the
EEOC, Jocelyn Samuels will be nominated for a Democratic slot and
Andrea Lucas will get the nod for a Republican seat. Wage &
Hour Division Deputy Administrator Keith Sonderling, who was
nominated for a Republican seat on the EEOC in the last session of
Congress, but whose nomination was returned when that Congress
adjourned, is expected to be renominated. (Renominations do not
typically get a "new" intent to nominate.) The Senate
HELP Committee is gearing up for hearings. Stay tuned.
Paid Sick Leave on the House Agenda. No doubt
spurred on by the coronavirus outbreak, a subcommittee of the House
Committee on Education and Labor has announced a hearing on "The Healthy
Families Act (H.R. 1784): Examining a Plan to Secure Paid
Sick Leave for U.S. Workers." The hearing will be next
Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Witnesses have not yet been
announced.
The NLRB Gets Its Day on the Hill. Next week, the
House Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Appropriation
subcommittee will have an opportunity to hear from the National
Labor Relations Board Chair and General Counsel. The hearing ostensibly addresses the NLRB's
budget request for FY2021, but we can expect a spirited discussion
covering a wide range of labor policy issues.
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