Tag: Committee

  • Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Paid Leave – CUPA-HR

    Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Paid Leave – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | November 14, 2023

    On October 25, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on federal paid leave. This comes as congressional Democrats and Republicans have shown interest in finding bipartisan consensus for a federal paid leave program. The hearing also provided policymakers and witnesses the opportunity to discuss the promise and drawbacks of paid leave proposals.

    Increasing employee access to paid leave was a primary focus of the hearing. Both sides of the aisle agreed that all workers will need to take leave during their careers without the obligation to juggle work requirements. Policymakers highlighted that 70 percent of Americans want national paid leave and that 72 percent of Americans who are not currently working cite caregiving and family responsibilities as the main reason. To address these issues, Democrats argued for a federally mandated paid leave program, while Republicans worried that a one-size-fits-all program could limit employer-provided paid leave options and be difficult to implement on a wide scale.

    Witnesses Describe Potential Benefits of Federal Paid Leave

    Some of the witnesses discussed the benefits of a federal paid leave program, concluding that better access to paid leave would benefit workers, employers and the economy. Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, stated that offering paid leave tends to benefit both workers and employers through increased labor force participation (both for women and generally), worker retention, and wage growth. Ben Verhoeven, president of Peoria Gardens Inc., added that investing in paid leave gave him better return on investment than his capital investments, as implementing paid leave increased business growth and employee retention and promotions.

    Objection to a One-Size-Fits-All Leave Program

    Despite these benefits, Elizabeth Milito, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business’s Small Business Legal Center, said that employers would face trade-offs under a federal paid leave program. Milito argued that employers operating on the same amount of funds but under new federal benefit requirements would be obliged to provide paid leave as a benefit, leading to some employers being unable to provide higher compensation or other benefits like health insurance. Rachel Greszler, senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, said that in response to state paid leave programs, some companies choose to send workers to the state program first and then supplement the paid leave benefit to provide 100 percent wage replacement. This creates an administrative burden for the employee, who receives full wage replacement only if they participate in both paid leave programs.

    Republicans and their witnesses also said that a federal program would require flexibility and simplicity to be most effective. Milito and Greszler concurred that most small businesses do not have a qualified HR professional to deal with additional compliance needs. Greszler also stated that the biggest unintended consequence of a one-size-fits-all approach would be a rigid structure that does not work for most employees and businesses. She specified that a carve-out for small businesses or the ability to opt in to a federal program would be most appropriate.

    CUPA-HR continues to monitor for any updates on federal paid leave programs and will keep members apprised of any new developments.



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  • House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate HELP Committee Set for 118th Congress – CUPA-HR

    House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate HELP Committee Set for 118th Congress – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | February 7, 2023

    After a month in session, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are finalizing their committee and subcommittee membership rosters. Of particular significance are the House Education and the Workforce Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which have jurisdiction over higher education and many labor and employment issues, including overtime, paid leave, occupational safety and health and employment-based discrimination.

    House Education and the Workforce Committee and Subcommittees

    The House Education and the Workforce Committee will be comprised of 25 Republicans and 20 Democrats with Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) serving as chairwoman and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) serving as ranking member of the full committee. Both Foxx and Scott served as their party’s committee leader in the previous Congress when Democrats held the majority, but Foxx was notably able to secure a waiver granting her exemption from House Republican-imposed committee leadership term limits that would have prohibited her from serving a fourth consecutive term as Republican leader on the committee.

    Foxx has publicly stated her priorities for the committee, citing oversight of the Biden administration, Department of Labor and Department of Education as a top concern for the committee. Having previously taught at two institutions of higher education and served as president at Mayland Community College, Foxx also has a particular interest in higher education. With divided control of Congress and Democrat control of the Senate, however, it is unlikely that Foxx will be able to pass any meaningful legislation that would garner support from the Senate and the president.

    In addition to the full committee roster, the Education and the Workforce Committee has also finalized their subcommittee rosters.

    Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

    The Subcommittee on Workforce Protections has jurisdiction over issues relating to wages, hours of workers and overtime, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); workers’ compensation, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); issues relating to immigration and employment; and occupational safety and health, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

    Freshman Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) will serve as chairman of the subcommittee and Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) will serve as ranking member after serving as chair of the subcommittee last Congress. The subcommittee will made be up of six Republicans, including Glenn Grothman (R-WI), James Comer (R-KY), Mary Miller (R-IL) and Eric Burlison (R-MO), all who did not serve on the subcommittee in the previous Congress; and four Democrats, all who served on the subcommittee in the last Congress.

    Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development

    The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development has jurisdiction over the following areas: postsecondary student assistance and employment services, and the Higher Education Act; postsecondary career and technical education, apprenticeship programs, and workforce development; and science and technology programs.

    Rep. Owen Burgess (R-UT) will serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, while Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL) will serve as ranking member of the subcommittee after serving as chair of the subcommittee in the 117th Congress. The makeup of the subcommittee will include 13 Republicans, including Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), John James (R-MI), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Erin Houchin (R-IN) and Brandon Williams (R-NY) as new members; and 11 Democrats, including Reps. Lucy McBath (D-GA), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Marina Islands) and Alma Adams (D-NC) as new members.

    Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions

    The Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions’ jurisdiction involves “matters dealing with relations between employers and employees,” including to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and employment-related health and retirement security, such as pension, health and other employee benefits and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

    The subcommittee will see Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) serve as chairman and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) serve as ranking member after previously serving as chair in the 117th Congress. The subcommittee will be composed of 12 Republicans, including Reps. James Comer (R-KY), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Michelle Steele (R-C), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) and Erin Houchin (R-IN) serving as new members; and 10 Democrats, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Kathy Manning (D-NC) serving as new members.

    Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

    The Senate HELP Committee is the Senate counterpart to the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will be replacing former Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), who is now the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will be replacing former Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), who retired at the end of the 117th Congress. Democrats will have 11 members and Republicans will have 10 members on the committee. Subcommittees have not yet been finalized, though we expect to see membership lists soon.

    Sanders staffers have stated that, as chair, he will “focus on universal healthcare, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, increasing access to higher education and protecting workers’ rights on the job.” As previously mentioned, however, the divided Congress and Republican control of the House will likely prevent meaningful legislation from moving to President Biden’s desk for his signature.

    CUPA-HR will be monitoring committee activity and will keep members apprised of any major hearings or updates that come out of the committees.



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  • DOL Secretary Testifies in House and Senate Committee Hearings – CUPA-HR

    DOL Secretary Testifies in House and Senate Committee Hearings – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | June 22, 2022

    On June 14 and 15, the House Education and Labor Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held hearings on policies and priorities of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), as well as President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for DOL. In both hearings, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh testified and answered questions about DOL’s regulations and actions, as well as potential future funding for programs under DOL.

    In both hearings, Walsh pointed to the accomplishments DOL has achieved during the Biden administration. He discussed efforts to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 and to protect workers’ organizing rights as some of the highlights of the department’s work during the Biden administration thus far. In addition to these accomplishments, he also called for increased funding and investments for workforce training and development.

    During the House committee hearing, Walsh was asked several questions about the anticipated overtime regulations. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) began his question period by restating his request for DOL to increase the minimum salary threshold to $82,732 by 2026, and asked Walsh his opinion on the current level and whether it was too high or low. Walsh responded saying he had no opinion on where the current level stands at this time, but that the department recently concluded listening sessions to hear from stakeholders about their opinions on updating the salary threshold. Additionally, Takano asked Walsh if there was a timeline of when the anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) would be released for the overtime regulations, but Walsh responded that there was no set timeline at the time of the hearing.

    Many representatives and senators also discussed DOL’s workforce development and training programs. In the Senate hearing, Walsh explained that the current disconnect between youth and job openings is an opportunity for DOL to reach out and connect with those workers, better preparing them for the jobs available. Walsh also expressed his support for a wide range of apprenticeships in different, untraditional industries, and he stated DOL should partner with community colleges, existing workforce development programs, and other organizations to expand apprenticeships.

    CUPA-HR will keep members apprised of any developments that arise as a result of these hearings.



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  • CUPA-HR Participates in Hill Meetings With House Ways and Means Committee Member Offices – CUPA-HR

    CUPA-HR Participates in Hill Meetings With House Ways and Means Committee Member Offices – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | May 10, 2022

    Over the last month, CUPA-HR’s government relations team joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and other higher education organizations in virtual Capitol Hill meetings to discuss tax priorities for the higher education community. Meetings have been held with staffers of Members of the House Ways and Means Committee to advocate for tax policies and proposals to alleviate various burdens placed on students, employees and institutions alike.

    Specifically, the meetings have allowed the higher education community to encourage members’ action on the following issues:

    • Supporting the extension and expansion of the universal, non-itemizer charitable deduction;
    • Repealing the taxability of scholarships and grant aid, specifically for the Pell Grant and other scholarships for graduate and medical students;
    • Enhancing higher ed tax credits like the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit;
    • Repealing the endowment tax;
    • Expanding and modernizing tax-free employer-provided educational assistance as granted under Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC);
    • Reinstating advance refunding of tax-exempt bonds and expanding debt issuance with a Direct Pay Bonds program;
    • Creating “lifelong learning and training accounts” to provide workers and employers the opportunity to make tax-free contributions to pay for future training and credentials; and
    • Repealing the unrelated business income tax “basketing” provision.

    In June 2021, ACE sent a letter to House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee leadership requesting these proposals and others be included in the American Jobs and American Families Plans. CUPA-HR signed onto this letter, along with several other higher education groups.

    CUPA-HR joined the most recent meetings specifically to advocate for the Section 127 expansion and modernization. Section 127 of the IRC is an educational assistance program that allows employers to pay or reimburse an employee tuition or student loan repayments on a tax-free basis up to $5,250. CUPA-HR previously advocated for the program to include student loan repayments, which was granted under the 2020 CARES Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, as well as to increase the annual exclusion cap of $5,250 to an amount closer to $12,000, to expand coverage to employee’s partners and dependents, and to expand coverage to gig workers and independent contractors, all of which were a focus during the meetings.

    CUPA-HR will continue to participate in these meetings and will keep members apprised of any legislative proposals that result from these meetings.



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