Bargaining rights, retire savings programs, and Employer Health insurance coverage, Family Planning services and contraception. A a quorum quorum is present. The committee is order to welcome our distinguished guest, secretary alexander acosta. Secretary acosta has been at the helm of the department of labor since april and were grateful he could join us to testify for the First Time Since his confirmation. Mr. Secretary, welcome to the committee. We look forward to your testimony, which we are sorry did not arrive earlier, and discussing the department of labors policies and priorities under the new administration. The department of labor is on the front line of the issues facing workers and job creators and it sets policies that have a widespread impact on the nations economy, employment growth, Retirement Security and more. Whether they relate to healthcare, Worker Protections reeker timer planning, Work Force Development or employee wages and benefits, its the responsibility of this committee to ensure these policies are in the best interests of workers, employers and taxpayers. Ive stated before but ill say it again no matter what Party Controls the administration, this committee is dedicated to robust oversight. We take our oversight responsibility very seriously. Todays hearing is the latest step in our effort to hold federal government officials accountable. The American People are counting on that accountability, especially at a tame when the economy is still improving, were all encouraged be the Economic Growth we have seen this year and the Third Quarter of 2017, real gdp increased at an annual rate of 3 . Thats remarkable improvement considering its twice as much as the mere 1. 5 growth rate we saw during the final year of the Obama Administration. Its also great to see more and more americans getting back to work. Nearly 1. 5 million jobs have been added since february. Meaningful progress has be been made but theres no question we have more work to do after eight years of lost opportunities. However, even though the Unemployment Rate is down, we still have 6. 5 million workers out of work, including 1. 6 million on longterm basis. 4. 8 million workers are working parttime because their hours have been cut back or because they were unable to find a fulltime job. At the same time we have 6. 1 million jobs unfilled due in part to our nations skills gap. Expanding pathways to career success is a critical component, closing the gap and helping more americans fine good paying jobs. Thats why congress and the administration have made Work Force Development and skills based educational a leading priority. Happens to be National Apprenticeship week and were eager to hear on the extents the Department Plans to take to promote apprentice sip and other programs. Something our committee ha been focused on and its encouraging to have a partner in the white house and the department of labor, we look forward to further discussion on working together, empowering more americans to realize their godgiven potential. In addition i hope you can provide the Committee Members and the public with your views about the departments efforts to advance Economic Opportunities for workers by strengthening work place democracy, ensuring safe and healthy work places and enhancing Retirement Security and providing workers and employers with more affordable heck heck options and interested in hearing more about the departments regulatory enforcement agenda. The committee advanced resolutions to clean up the mess from the Obama Administration, deliver regulatory relief for hard working men and women. In fact, five out of the 14 of the cra resolutions signed into law originated from this committee. Just last week the house passed the save local business act to roll back the obama era joint employer scheme that threatens 1. 7 million jobs according to the American Action forum. We know the department has its work cut out after eight years of unprecedented regulatoriy rampage but we look forward to building on the progress webhead together so we can get government out of the way and unleash prosperity and opportunities. There are also a number of issues impacting Retirement Security that deserve our attention, including the need protect access to affordable retirement advice and empower more americans to plan for the future. As the department had oversees so many important priority its feel ive pa barely scratched the surface. We have a lot of ground to cover so thank you again for joining us. Ick look forward to our conversation. With that i recognize Ranking Member bobby scott for his opening remarks. Thank you, madam chair and thank secretary acosta for appearing before the committee. Youre the first agency head to appear before the committee. We have juice disk over health human services, education, al well as labor. The first one to come before the committee since the administration took over. I want to join the chairs criticism for the lateness of the arrival of your testimony. Also want to add that it were disappointed you have given limited time, insufficient time for all the Committee Members to ask fiveminute questions. Its been six months since the departments fiscal year 2018 budget request was submitted to congress and although were already well into the fiscal year, this hearing is still timely since the appropriations legislation is still under deliberation. As the secretary you are the steward of legislation this committee passed over many dedicates that made our economy fairer and work places receive safe safer and i want to direct your attention to portraits on the wall to your left. These leaders have secured passaging of legislation that measurably improved lives of millions of workers, mary norton, the fir woman to chair the committee, two steered the passage of the fair labor standards act of 1938. Carl perkins, who spearheaded legislation to establish the mine Safety Health administration, augustus hawk kins who tau her to tiedle vii of the civil right act. George miller who led the fight for the fair minimum wage act of 2007. Today the department of layian bears the tremendous responsible of impreempting and enforce can employment laws cover 10 million employers and about 125 million workers. However in its first ten months there are trouble questions be we department has reveressed important progress made in Previous Administrations and laid the groundwork to undermine workers wages, Retirement Security, work place safety, Affordable Health care, and skills development. First the department of labor has taken steps to replace a rule issued by the Previous Administration that would expand overtime benefits for 4 million salaried workers. This increases the salary fleshhold beneath which most full time salary worker wood be eligible for overtime pay from 23,660 to over 47,000 and covers 35 percent of fulltime salaried workers. Unfortunately a court in texas blocked the rule and regretly this department decided not def this threshold in the court of appeals. Dol indicated it will issue other a revised youre time threshold and i understand and in Senate Testimony you mentioned 33,000 as overtime salary threshold based on an inflation judgment but there are legitimate questions about where to set the baseline before you adjust for inflation, based on the 2004 level when 13 of fulltime salary work force has overtime protection. Or the 1975 levels when 62 had overtime protection. The department is seeking a deflay protection for retirement saver the study by the Previous Administration fountains a much as a quarter of the workers hard organ aviation can be depleted by conflicted Financial Advice over 35 years, to respond to the Previous Administration required Financial Advisers to put the best interests of their clients above their selfinterest. Rather than bolstering workers able to save for more retirement there are questions whether the departments actions regarding the fiduciary roll of place degree hands of wall street ahead of the interests of workers. Third in line with the administration los overall efforted to sabotage the Affordable Care act the department has taken steps that would leave workers and theyre families without access to comprehensive Affordable Health care. The department has released on interim rule that allowed employers to eliminate coverage in the health care heck benefits plans for contraceptive care based on religious or vaguely defined moral objections. This is squarely at odds with the Affordable Care acts requirement that Preventive Health services are covered and raise legitimate questions about the constitution. The department has also directed been directed to expand excess to Association Plans the Association Health plans which as the committee has heard over and over again would deer young exHealthy People into low, cost junk plans and leave sicker and higher cost people behind, thereby increasing the price for everybody that doesnt get into one of these health plans. Fourth, a Worker Protection worker safety protections are under attack while Previous Administration rules helped end the scourge of black lung disease the current dol proposed role back of protections for construction and Shipyard Workers exposed to the toxic borellam. Its unclear whiff dol will finalize a deed lane for employers and higher Hazard Industries to commit summarize of the illness and injury logs and without this dat the are question busy how osha will secure information needed to target inspections to this work sites where workers are greatest at risk. Youre aware that only a relatively few inspections can actually be made weapon want to make sure theyre togetherred. Without this information that cant be done. Fifth. The departments budget request for fiscal 2018 cuts funding for Work Force Development programs by 1. 3 billion which is a 40 reduction compared to current levels. This cut threatennens access to job and skills Development Programs that worker need to secure better paying jobs, and while i hope the expansion of apprenticeships remains bipartisan, the questions regarding the departments plans. For example, the department is signaled it will allow federal support for apprenticeships relying show on employer standard about not clear if with prepare credentials comparable to registered apprenticeship and no indication how we ensure that federal dollars are only spent on quality programs i look forward to your testimony and yield back the balance of my time. Thank you very much, mr. Scott. Pursuant to Committee Rule 7c all members will be permitted to submit written statements to be included in the permanent hearing robert. The record will remain open for 14 days to allow such statements and other extraneous material referenced during the hearing to be summited nor official hearing record. Now, my pleasure to introduce our distinguished witness, the honorable r. Alexander acosta, the secretary of the u. S. Deach labors. Secretary acosta has served in three president ially appointed Senate Confirmed positions, and in 2002 appointed to serve as a member of the National Labor relations board, in 2003, appointed assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the u. S. Department of justice, and from 2005 to 2009, he served as the u. S. Attorney for the Southern District of florida. Secretary acosta i ask you to raise your right hand. Do cow soldierllly swear or affirm the testimony you are got to give with this will at the truth, the whole truth, and nothing bit the truth. Let the record reflect the secretary answered in the affirmative. Before i recognize you to provide your testimony, let me briefly remind you of our lighting system. We typically allow five minutes for each witness to present, although ill be somewhat flexible if were testimony, begin youre our only witness today. When you begin the lying in front of you will turn green. When one minute is left the lite i light will turn yellow and at five minutes the light will turn reb. Members have three minutes to ask questions and we understand you have a busy afternoon and have had for a hard stop at noon. Youre recognized. Ranking member scott, members of the committee. Thank you for the invitation to appear today, and let me just say im honored to be the first cabinet officer to appear before your committee. Found out about that just a minute ago. I appreciate the opportunity to epa here to represent the administration and the hard working men and women of the department of labor and to provide an update on the critical work. At the outset let me just say this has been a remarkable year of growing for the American Economy, for American Workers, for american jobs seekers and american job creators. Some highlights as the chairwoman mentioned, since january 2017, the American Economy has created nearly 1. 5 million jobs. Gdp has green at 3 or more for two consecutive quarters. This in particular is great news for Retirement Savings. Yet employment race ha disease ease forgot 5 to 4. 1 . The lowest in 1 years, the number of open fulltime positions in the American Economy is at a near alltime high of 6. 1 million open and unfilled jobs. Job creators want to hire and job seekers want to work. And the fact we have 6. 1 million open jobs speaks to the strength of the American Economy. Since becoming labor secretary i made it a point to travel to leave washington when i can, and visit different places across the nation. I visited the ford rouge facility in michigan, where a new f150 rolls off the Assembly Line every 349 seconds and met with apprentices doing amazing work and also receiving wonderful and strong workplace education. The National Training center for the united brotherhood of carpenter in nevada is another place i visited. Of you havent been through would commend that to you. Looks like a modern university, a very hightech, very hightouch training center. I went to the Graduation Program for dozens of steam figurersersd pipe fitters working hard to education themes so they can go back home and educate knew apprentices. A train the trainers program. Through my travels one thing struck me as very clear. Our nations work force is an amazing work force. Its the American Work fore exhibiter is why we are doing so well as a country. It is the best work force in the world, which is one reason why we need to focus so much on Work Force Education. So we at the department are hard at work continue crease Employment Opportunities for all americans, to enforce safe, healthy and fair workplace us, promote strong benefit programs, and to ensure that the departments regulations are common sense regulations that make sense. So i think its particularly the chairwoman mentioned, fitting im here this week, its National Apprenticeship week. On mist chaired the inaugural meeting 0 do President Trump signed a executive order on apresence tip advance. We should be growing apprenticeships in this inningsment members of the task force included leaders from business, from learn, from educational associations, from trade associations, two fors, Community Organization leaders, public individual, all coming together to talk about how to expand the apprenticeships across industries. Especially those industries where apprenticeships are underrepresented. The program as currently envisioned are not scaling. Theyre not growing at the rate that they could grow. Currently its 0. 3 of the American Work force and gigs is to sale and to grow these further, and were engaged in the discussions as to how to do that. Let me also say that the Trump Administrations focus on expanding access to health coverage. On october 20th the president signed an executive order directing the department to consider how to best allow for more employers to F