The 106th Congress ended on December 15th, 2000. The final omnibus-spending bill (H.R. 4577) passed both House and Senate, but left several important issues for the 107th Congress to take up when it meets on January 3, 2001.
H.R. 4577 covered appropriations for the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor for fiscal year 2001. The total level of discretionary spending authorized for the Labor Department is up by 6% from FY2000, reaching $11.9 billion.Two new programs are covered in this amount: a compensation program to provide health care benefits and lost wages to nuclear defense workers, and an Office of Disability Policy, to improve access to government services for individuals with disabilities as they try to enter, re-enter, or remain in the workforce.Youth training programs received an increase of $230 million over the FY2000 budget levels; funding for adult training programs remains level at $950 million.
What remains to be done?
H.R. 4577 is silent on the controversial issue of the OSHA Ergonomics Standard that was issued on November 14th and becomes effective January 16, 2001.The standard is currently the subject of a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The LPA, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Beer Wholesalers Association, and the Society for Human Resource Management are attempting to block the standard, and it will undoubtedly continue to be a contentious issue in the 107th Congress.
Similarly, the $1 increase in the minimum wage will re-appear on the agenda in January 2001, as Congress was unable to find an acceptable compromise in the minimum wage/tax cuts for business trade-off.It was largely the minimum wage provisions within the bill that kept Congress in session, wrangling for 10 weeks longer than scheduled.
Electronic Monitoring and Workplace Privacy Debate Will Return
H.R. 4908, the Notice of Electronic Monitoring Act, was abruptly pulled from the Congressional schedule of the 106th Congress last fall, as a result of employer concern that not enough time had been allowed for business participation in the committee stage of the legislation.It is expected that this issue will return in the coming Congress.