Washington Update June 27, 2018

by Web Admin | Jun 29, 2018 | DC Updates

The Two-In-One Cabinet Agency

Politico (June 22, 2018)

The White House plan calls for merging “all of the existing” programs at the Education and Labor departments into a single new “Department of Education and the Workforce,” or DEW. The new combined education and labor agency would contain four major subdivisions that focus on K-12 education, workforce and higher education (including federal student aid programs), enforcement of labor and civil rights laws, and research.

Is this proposal a done deal? Not even close. Because many of the functions performed by the Education Department and the Labor Department are based in statute, it’ll be up to Congress to approve the shuffle. “It’s absolutely going to require congressional approval, no question,” said Max Stier of the Partnership for Public Service, a good-government nonprofit. “They’re talking about creating a new entity, and taking existing responsibilities from ED and Labor into it. It’s a long and steep climb to make this stuff happen.”

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The Modern Workforce Is Freelance – Cities Should Get Ready

Fast Company (June 27, 2018)

Last year, 238 cities across North America submitted themselves to Amazon as the hopeful site of its next headquarters, spurred by the promise of 50,000 high-paying jobs and $5 billion in investment. In January, the tech giant narrowed that pool down to 20.

Read the full article here

Five Things To Know About Labor Department’s New Health Plan Rule

Bloomberg (June 27, 2018)

Small businesses will soon have access to a new model of health care, following the release last week of a high-profile Labor Department rule. Here’s what you need to know about it.

The regulation expands access to a type of group health insurance known as an association health plan. The style of group health care isn’t new, but the loosened requirements under the DOL rule have the potential to dramatically alter small group and individual health care in the U.S.

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Washington Update June 22, 2018

by Web Admin | Jun 22, 2018 | DC Updates

Trump Administration To Seek Merger Of Education, Labor Departments

Politico (June 20, 2018)

The Trump administration plans to advocate a merger of the Education and Labor departments as part of a sweeping government overhaul, according to two individuals familiar with the proposal who declined to be named because it’s not yet public.

The new combined agency, if approved by Congress, would be part of a broader government reorganization plan that could be announced as soon as Thursday, Politico reported. Mick Mulvaney, director of the OMB, has been working on the reorganization plan since his confirmation more than a year ago.

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House and Senate Labor-HHS Markups Set For June 26

Caphill Partners

The House Appropriations full Committee markup will be held at 10AM and the Senate Labor-HHS Subcommittee will markup at 11AM.

We are hearing that the House bill will pass along partisan lines, much like it moved through the Labor-HHS Subcommittee earlier this month, but that Democrats will be offering a host of message amendments that will not be offset and likely to fail along party lines.

We expect the Senate Labor-HHS to move through Subcommittee on a bipartisan basis. Full Committee consideration could occur later next week in the Senate, but has not yet been scheduled.

Obamacare Alternative Coming From Labor Department

Fox Business (June 19, 2018)

The Labor Department on Tuesday announced the approval of Associated Health Plans (AHPs), a ruling that will let small businesses, including sole proprietorships, to jointly buy bulk health insurance — a cheaper and more flexible option than ObamaCare.

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What’s Really Going On With Wages

CNN Money (June 13, 2018)

With unemployment near historic lows, there seems to be just one missing piece in the economic recovery: Wage growth.

Take-home pay picked up in 2015 and 2016, but it has since flattened out at annual growth rates that remain substantially below the 5% that workers enjoyed prior to the Great Recession.

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