http://washlaborwire.com A web site addressing the intersection of public policy, regulation and politics in the area of federal labor and employment law Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:17:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en On October 1, 2008, as part of a compromise financial rescue plan intended to address the country's credit crisis, a bipartisan Senate majority passed H.R. 1424 by a 74-25 vote. Taken up after the House failed to pass a financial rescue plan on September 29, the Senate bill includes additional ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/10/02/senate-financial-bailout-bill-includes-mental-health-parity-requirements/ On October 2, 2008, the Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards ("OLMS"), published a Final Rule that increases annual financial disclosures required of unions by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act ("LMRDA").   The new Final Rule implements Form T-1, entitled the Trust Annual Report.  Form T-1 requires a covered ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/10/02/dol-publishes-final-rule-increasing-union-financial-disclosure-requirements/ On September 26, 2008, by a margin of 264-158, the House voted to extend unemployment insurance benefits (H.R. 7110). The bill provides over $58 billion in funding for transportation infrastructure projects and $6.5 billion for unemployment benefits. Earlier on September 26, the Senate failed to pass similar unemployment benefit provisions as ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/10/01/house-passes-unemployment-benefits-extension-senate-bill-fails/ On September 24, 2008, the House passed by a voice vote the Railroad Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 2095), which increases rail employee training standards and modifies hours of service requirements.  H.R. 2095, which also includes provisions reauthorizing Amtrak and providing funds to various rail safety initiatives, gained recent momentum following a ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/09/28/house-passes-railroad-safety-improvement-act-by-voice-vote/ On Tuesday, September 23, 2008, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled "Barriers to Justice: Examining Equal Pay for Equal Work."  The focus of the hearing was the Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., No. 05-1074 (May 29, 2007) and ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/09/25/senate-judiciary-committee-holds-hearing-on-ledbetter-decision-and-fair-pay-restoration-act/ OSHA recently released an August 26, 2008 interpretation letter regarding its "Recording Occupational Injuries and Illnesses" part 1904.  The standards in this part help employers determine which injuries and illness they should record and report to OSHA.  The interpretation letter considers whether injuries to employees are considered "recordable" and how ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/09/24/osha-issues-an-interpretation-letter-on-its-recording-and-reporting-occupational-injuries-and-illnesses-standards/ On September 23, the House and Senate each approved Mental Health Parity legislation, but did so via differing legislative vehicles.  The House passed H.R. 6983, a stand-alone mental health parity bill, by a solid bipartisan majority: 376-47. The Senate, which saw a previous stand-alone bill go down to defeat at ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/09/24/house-senate-pass-differing-mental-health-parity-bills/ On September 23, 2008, after forty minutes of debate, the House suspended the rules and passed the Health Insurance Restrictions and Limitations Clarification Act of 2008 (H.R. 6908).  This legislation was previously titled the Health Insurance Source of Injury Clarification Act of 2008. This legislation would amend the provisions of the ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/09/24/house-passes-health-insurance-restrictions-and-limitations-clarification-act-of-2008/ On October 6 and 7, 2008, OSHA will hold a public hearing to receive comments on its new proposed rule designed to clarify that noncompliance with the personal protective equipment and training requirements in the general industry, construction, and maritime standards will expose employers to liability and penalties on a ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/09/23/osha-sets-public-hearing-to-receive-comments-on-new-proposed-rule-for-liability-for-noncompliance-with-personal-protective-equipment-and-training-requirements/ On September 23, 2008, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing entitled "Child Labor Enforcement: Are We Adequately Protecting our Children?" Although the hearing did not specifically address any pending legislation, several witnesses expressed their support for the "Children's Act for Responsible Employment of 2007" ("CARE ... http://washlaborwire.com/2008/09/23/house-subcommittee-holds-hearing-on-child-labor/