|
Washington, D.C., July 19th – Congressman Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat, included two provisions in the FY’08 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill (HR3043) affecting the Department of Labor and its employees. The bill passed the House today on a 276-140 vote. Rep. Moran is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
The first Moran provision suspends A-76 competition at the Department until GAO releases a report investigating the agency’s reported flaunting of a law preventing arbitrary outsourcing. The second requires the Secretary to provide Labor employees their full transit benefit.
“Too often over the past six years, the Department of Labor has played fast and loose with the rules,” said Moran. “From arbitrarily outsourcing jobs to denying employees their full transportation benefits, the agency has flaunted a number of congressional directives. No agency is above the law and these provisions were offered to ensure that DOL doesn’t continue cutting congressionally-mandated corners.”
A-76 Moratorium language: The Moran A-76 language requires the Department of Labor to suspend its “A-76” competitions pending a Government Accountability Office review to determine whether or not the Department is using arbitrary, numerical privatization targets outlawed by Congress. Stemming from an amendment offered by Rep. Moran in 2003 to the Transportation-Treasury Appropriations Act, Congress became aware of the Administration’s effort to outsource an arbitrary 15% of each agency and outlawed the practice. Reports persist that despite this prohibition, DOL is continuing this practice.
Full Transit Benefits for Department of Labor Employees language: The Moran transit language requires the Secretary of Labor to offer the full, legally mandated transit benefit to Department of Labor Employees in the DC area. In past years, the Secretary has been reluctant to offer the full benefit to local employees. Rep. Moran has successfully offered amendments the past three years requiring DOL to provide the benefit.
|