The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2017 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act Jul 14 in a 31-19 vote. 

The bill included several ABC- supported provisions to roll back harmful regulations from the Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Language in the bill would:

Block DOL’s final overtime rule
Block the NLRB from enforcing the new joint employer standard
Roll back the representation-case procedures regulation, also known as the ambush election rule
Prohibit the use of electronic voting in union elections
Roll back the NLRB’s recognition of “micro” bargaining units
Continue provisions providing flexibility in the H-2B program

Ahead of the markup, ABC sent a letter to U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) thanking them for addressing many key ABC issues. ABC also encouraged them to adopt an amendment that would prevent DOL from implementing its final DOL’s persuader rule and expressed disappointment that the bill did not include language addressing OSHA’s final rule on respirable crystalline silica and President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, commonly referred to as the blacklisting proposal. The bill passed out of committee without these provisions.

The bill now awaits action on the House floor, likely after Congress returns from recess in September.