[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3662 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3662

   To amend the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to 
                           improve such Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2007

  Mr. McHugh introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to 
                           improve such Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Forewarn Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE WORKER ADJUSTMENT AND RETRAINING ACT.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 2(a) of the Worker Adjustment and 
Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2101(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``100'' each place that such 
                appears and inserting ``50''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``4,000'' and 
                inserting ``2,000'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``50'' and inserting 
        ``25''; and
            (3) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii), by striking ``500'' and 
        inserting ``100''.
    (b) Notice Required.--Section 3 of the Worker Adjustment and 
Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2102) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``60-day'' and inserting 
        ``90-day'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``60-day'' each place 
        that such appears and inserting ``90-day''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Calendar Days.--All references in this Act to `days' shall 
mean calendar days.''.
    (c) Notice to Other Parties and Secretary of Labor.--Section 3(a) 
of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 
2102(a) is amended--
            (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Local 
        Governments'' and inserting ``Government Officials'';
            (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (3) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and inserting 
        a semicolon; and
            (4) by adding after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(2) to the Secretary of Labor, including the number of 
        employees affected;
            ``(3) to the United States Senators, United States 
        Representative, State Senator, and State Representative who 
        represent the area in which the plant is located; and
            ``(4) to the Governor of the State in which the plant is 
        located and to the chief elected official of the unit of local 
        government within such closing or layoff is to occur.''.
    (d) Determinations With Respect to Employment Loss.--Section 3(d) 
of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 
2102(d)) is amended by striking ``, each of which is less than the 
minimum number'' and all that follows, and inserting ``during any 180-
day period, one or more of which is less than the minimum number 
specified in section 2(a)(2) or (3) but which in the aggregate equal or 
exceed that minimum number, shall be considered a plant closing or mass 
layoff.''.
    (e) Penalty.--Section 5 of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining 
Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2104) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by striking ``back pay'' and 
        inserting ``two days' pay multiplied by the number of calendar 
        days short of 90 that the company provided notice before such 
        closing or layoff'';
            (2) in the matter following subparagraph (B), by striking 
        ``60 days'' and inserting ``90 days''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Authority of Secretary of Labor.--A civil action may be 
brought by the Secretary of Labor (or the appropriate State attorney 
general if the Secretary fails to act within 6 months of the alleged 
violation) on behalf of one or more employees for relief under this 
section.''.
    (f) Educational Materials.--The Worker Adjustment and Retraining 
Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:

``SEC. 12. EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS.

    ``The Secretary of Labor shall make educational materials 
concerning employee rights and employer responsibilities under this Act 
available to the general public and employers. Such materials shall be 
available on the Internet website of the Secretary and in written form 
for distribution by employers.''.
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