Issue Position: Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Issue Position
As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, I am constantly working to ensure that everyone has safe workplaces and that their employment rights are protected. Under the Committee on Education and Workforce, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections holds jurisdiction over a wide scope of laws and agencies that affect employment in this country: workplace safety, wage and compensation for hours worked, workers compensation for injuries and leaves of absence. A full list of the laws which the subcommittee has jurisdiction over can be found here.
The Subcommittee provides oversight over several parts of the U.S. Department of Labor, the largest are listed below:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA's mission is to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for employees across the United States. OSHA has the power to set enforcement standards and provide outreach, training, education, and other assistance to employers and employees to ensure laws are being complied with.
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 created MSHA with the mission of preventing disease, injury and death among miners and promoting policies to ensure safe and healthy workplaces exist for our nation's miners.
Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (WHD)
In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) became law and created the WHD inside the Department of Labor. The WHD enforces Federal minimum wage laws and overtime pay. It also oversees a wide array of employment compensation laws such as the Family Medical Leave Act as well as Davis Bacon prevailing wage.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established the mandate for the EEOC as a five-member commission with the responsibility of enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against an employee or job applicant based on a person's race, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.
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