[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 105 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 105

     Recognizing the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the 
                          Department of Labor.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2013

  Mr. George Miller of California submitted the following resolution; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Recognizing the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the 
                          Department of Labor.

Whereas, for the past 100 years, the Department of Labor has fostered, promoted, 
        and developed the welfare of wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of 
        the Nation;
Whereas the Department of Labor has continually sought to make the American 
        workplace safer, healthier, and fairer for everyone;
Whereas working families across the Nation and around the world have benefitted 
        from the Department of Labor's efforts to assure work-related benefits 
        and rights, including the right to be paid fairly for every hour 
        labored;
Whereas the Department of Labor has historically championed many of the 
        cherished characteristics of work life in the United States, including 
        the 40-hour work week, weekends, overtime pay, the right to collectively 
        bargain, unemployment insurance, and the prohibition of child labor;
Whereas the Department of Labor has evolved to meet the changing needs of the 
        workforce by partnering with employers, community organizations and 
        institutions of higher learning to improve job training, provide 
        lifelong learning opportunities, and advance efforts for profitable 
        employment;
Whereas, since the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, the 
        Department's Wage and Hour Division has protected workers from 
        exploitation and discrimination by enforcing the law's Federal minimum 
        wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics has served the Nation for nearly 130 
        years, predating the Department, by measuring and analyzing statistical 
        data in order to provide policymakers, economists, investors, and the 
        public with open, accurate information about the workforce and economy;
Whereas, after decades of serious injury or loss of life as a result of unsafe 
        working conditions, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
        and the Mine Safety and Health Administration have administered laws 
        that have dramatically reduced injuries and illnesses and assure workers 
        the right to safe and healthful workplaces;
Whereas, after hosting the first meeting of the International Labor Organization 
        in Washington, DC, in 1919, the Department of Labor has engaged with the 
        international community to promote the values of fairness, justice, and 
        respect for human dignity around the world, continuing its role as a 
        vital partner in the Nation's efforts to combat human trafficking and 
        child labor through extensive research and reporting and technical 
        cooperation projects;
Whereas, since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act 
        which, in part, created the Job Corps, the Department has administered 
        the education and vocational training program with a mission to attract 
        eligible young people, teach them the skills they need to become 
        employable and independent, and place them in meaningful jobs or further 
        their education;
Whereas the Department's Employee Benefit Security Administration provides 
        critical protection for the pension, health, and other employee benefits 
        promised to workers and their families, through its administration and 
        enforcement of laws including the Employee Retirement Income Security 
        Act (ERISA); the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA); 
        The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); 
        and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA);
Whereas the Department of Labor continues to strive to achieve the aims of the 
        Civil Rights era by protecting access to economic opportunity for all 
        Americans and eradicating discrimination in the workplace;
Whereas the Department of Labor has promoted and defended gender equality in the 
        workplace, and since 1919, the Department's Women's Bureau has developed 
        standards and polices to ensure fair treatment of women in the 
        workplace;
Whereas, in 1965, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs was 
        established by President Johnson, with the aim of holding Federal 
        contractors to a higher obligation for affirmative action by prohibiting 
        such contractors and subcontractors from making employment decisions 
        that discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, or national 
        origin;
Whereas, after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, the 
        Office of Disability Employment Policy has dramatically expanded the 
        idea of inclusion in the American workforce by prohibiting 
        discriminatory practices on the basis of a disability and promoting the 
        concept of reasonable accommodation;
Whereas, in 1916, the Federal Employees' Compensation Act created the Office of 
        Workers Compensation Programs, which today provides wage replacement 
        benefits, medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation, and other 
        benefits for disabled Federal Government workers, longshore workers, 
        coal mine workers, energy workers, and overseas contractors, along with 
        eligible dependents and survivors;
Whereas, by administering laws like the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker 
        Protection Act of 1981, the Department stands up for some of the most 
        vulnerable workers in the Nation, including farmworkers, low-wage 
        workers, and migrant workers and ensures that legal protections are 
        applied fairly and forcefully to all;
Whereas, from World War II through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 
        Department of Labor has played an evolving role in providing employment 
        support services members of the Armed Forces and veterans, including 
        training and certification programs administered today by the Veterans' 
        Employment and Training Service; and
Whereas the services provided by the Department of Labor will remain of critical 
        importance to the well-being of all Americans and will continue to meet 
        the needs of future workers: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 100th anniversary of the establishment 
        of the Department of Labor; and
            (2) congratulates and commends all those who have served as 
        employees of the Department of Labor to improve the lives of 
        working people.
                                 <all>