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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
OPA News Release: [02/12/2004]
Contact Name: Ed
Frank
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao Stresses Job Training,
Worker Protections in President’s Budget
WASHINGTON—U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao today told a
House appropriations subcommittee that President Bush’s new budget request
will provide American workers with more effective job training, help them stay
safer in their jobs and better protect their employer-sponsored benefits and
union dues.
“The Department of Labor has three fundamental missions: to protect
workers, to provide for workers facing dislocations, and to prepare workers for
the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century economy,”
Secretary Chao said in testimony before the U.S. House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. “The
President’s budget delivers on our commitment to American workers.
“This Administration is setting new standards for protecting
workers—with record-breaking enforcement and innovative compliance
assistance,” Secretary Chao continued. “The most recent data show
that workplace fatalities fell to all-time lows—including a 6% decline in
fatal injuries among Hispanic workers. In fiscal year 2003, mining deaths also
fell to an all-time low. Our Employee Benefits Security Administration
recovered a record $1.4 billion in workers’ retirement and health
benefits. And the amount of back wages collected on behalf of workers increased
to $213 million—a 21% increase. We are building an enforcement record in
this Administration that is making workers safer and more secure than
ever.”
Chao pointed out that the President’s request includes $250 million
for a new Community Based Job Training Initiative that will use America’s
community colleges to train workers for jobs in emerging high-growth sectors.
She also touted the President’s proposal to establish Personal
Reemployment Accounts, which would give job seekers more flexibility in how to
most effectively use their job-search funds.
Other highlights of the President’s budget request for the Labor
Department include:
- Funding for a new prisoner reentry initiative, which aims to build a
path from incarceration to full employment;
- An $8.3 million increase in the budget to protect the retirement
security of workers and retirees;
- A $10.8 million increase in funding to make American
workers—including miners—safer;
- Additional resources to expand the Wage and Hour Division’s
enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act, ensuring increased recovery of
back pay—including overtime—for low-wage workers.
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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
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