Priorities including overtime rules, training and apreniveship programs, collective bargaining rights, retirement programs and accessibility of other employment benefits. The House Education Committee held this hearing last month. The quorum being present, the committee on education and the workforce will come to order. Good morning, everyone. And welcome to todays hearing. The committee is honored 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. It sets policies that have a widespread impact on our nations economy, employment growth, Retirement Security, and more. Whether they relate to health care, worker protections, retirement planning, Workforce Development, or employee wages and benefits, its the responsibility of this committee to am sure these policies are in the best interest of workers, employers, and taxpayers. I have said it before, but ill say it again. No matter what Party Controls the administration, this committee is dedicated to robust oversight. We take our oversight responsibilities very seriously. Today 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 time when the economy is still improving. Were all encouraged by the Economic Growth we have seen this year. In the Third Quarter of 2017, real gdp increased at an annual rate of 3 . That is a 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 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 a longterm basis. 4. 8 million workers are working part time 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 in closing this gap and helping more americans find good paying jobs. Thats why congress and the administration have made Workforce Development and skillsbased education a leading priority. This happens to be National Apprenticeship week, so were eager to hear from you, mr. Secretary, on the steps the Department Plans to take to promote apprenticeships and other skillsbased education programs. This is something our community has been focused on for quite some time now. Its encouraging to have a partner in the white house and the department of labor. We look forward to further discussion of how we can Work Together to expand Educational Opportunities and empower more americans to realize their godgiven potential. In addition, i hope youll be able to provide the Committee Members and the public with your views about the departments efforts to advance economic Committee Members and their public about their views to advance Economic Opportunities for workers while strengthening work place democracy. Insuring safe and health haddy work places and affording more Health Care Options and interested in the regulatory and enforcement agenda. This committee spent the early part of the year under the Congressional Review Act clean up the mess, deliver regulatory relief for hard working men and women. Five out of the 14 of the cra resolutions signed into law originated from this committee and just last week the house passed a save local business act to roll back the 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 year of regulatory rampage. But we look forward to building on the progress weve made together so we can get government out of the way and unleash prosperity and opportunity. There are also a number of issues impacting Retirement Security that deserve our attention. This includes the need to protect access and empower more americans to plan for it future. As the department that over sees so many important priorities, i feel ive barely scratched the surface. Mr. Secretary, thank you again for joining us. I look forward to our conversation. With that i recognize Ranking Member bobby scott. Thank you, madam chair and i want to thank secretary acosta for appearing before the committee. Youre the first agency head to appear before this committee. Youre the first one to come before the committee since the administration took over 10 months ago and i want to join it chairs criticism for the lateness of the arrival of your testimony and i want to add were disappointed you have given insufficient time for all it Committee Members to ask fiveminute questions. Its been six months since the departments fiscal year 2018 budget requests were submitted to congress and although were already well into the fiscal year, its still timely since its still under liberation. As the secretary, youre the steward of legislation this committee has pasds over many decades that has made our economy fairer and work places safer. I want to direct your attention to the portraits on the wall to your left. In these leaders have secured passage that measurably improve the lives of millions of workers. The first woman to chair the committee who steered the passage of the fair labor standards of 1938 called perkins who spearhead legislation Civil Rights Act of 1964. And the minimum wage act of 2007. And enforcing employment laws covering about 10 million employers. There are troubling questions about how the department has reversed. Progress made for Previous Administrations. The work place and Affordable Health care and Skills Development. First the department of labor has taken steps to replace a role issued by the Previous Administration that would have expanded overtime to 4 million salaried workers. This will inkrecrease the thresd with which most full time salaried workers would be eligible for overtime pay. 23660 to over 47,000 in congress. 35 of full time salaried workers. This rule was blocked and the department decided not to defend this threshold in the court of appeals. And in recent Court Filings it would release a revised over time threshhold. It thresh hold based on an inflation adjustment. But there are legitimate questions about where to set the baseline before you adjust inflation. Do you base it on the 2040 level when 13 of full time salaried workforce had protection. What do we base it on the 1975 levels when 62 has overtime protections. Secondly, the department is seek a delay in protections for retirement. A study by the Previous Administration found as much as a quarter of a work rers hard earned savings can be depleted. A conflicted Financial Advice over 35 years. They required Financial Advisers to put the best interest of their clients above their selfinterests. Rather than bolstering the ability to save for more, there are questions about whether the departments actions regarding the fid yushary rule ahead of the interests of workers. And the efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care act, the department has taken steps that would leave workers and their families without access to comprehensive Affordable Health care. The department is released an interim rule that allows employers to eliminate coverage in the Health Care Benefit plans for contraceptive care based on vaguely defined moral objections. This is squarely at odds with the Affordable Care acts requirement a that Preventative Health is covered and raises questions about the constitution. Department as also been directed to expand access to association plans. Which as a committee has heard over and over again would steer young, hello Healthy People into low cost plans there by increase ing the price for everybody who doesnt get into one of these health plan worker safety protections are s. Under attack. Previous Administration Rules helps end the scourge of black lung disease and from silica related diseases. The current dol proposed roll back of protections for construction and ship ward workers who were exposed to the tox imberillium and combustible dust. Its unclear whether theyll file a december 1 deadline. For employers and higher Hazard Industries to submit summaries of their illness ands injury logs. Without this data, there are questions about how ocea will secure needed to work sites for workers who are at greater risk. We want to make sure theyre targeted without this information that cant be done. 1 5th cuts 1. 3 billion, which is a 40 reduction compared to current levels. This threatens access to jobs and Skills Development programs that workers need to secure better paying jobs and while i hope the expansion of apprenticeships remains a bipartisan issue, the questions regarding the departments plans, for examplethal signal it will allow federal support for apprenticeships relying solely on employer standards but theres no clarity on whether this will produce high quality Transferable Skills and credentials relative to apprenticeships and no indication on how well insure federal dollars only spent on quality programs. I look forward to your testimony and yield back. Persunt to Committee Rules all members will be permitted to submit written statements and without objection it will remain open for 14 days to allow such statements and other extraneus material referenced to be submitted for the official hearing record. Its now my pleasure to introduce our distinguished witness. The honorable r. Alexander acosta. Among his career highlights secretary acosta served in three president ally confirmed senate positions in 2002 appointed to serve as a member of the National Labor relations board. In 2003 he was apointed assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the u. S. Department of justice and from 2005 2009 he served as the u. S. Attorney for the Southern District of florida. I ask you to raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear or affirm the testimony youre about to give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but it truth . Let the record reflect secretary acosta answers in the affirmative. Before i recognize you to provide your testimony, let me briefly remipd you of our lighting system. We typically allow five minutes for each witness to present. Although ill be somewhat flexible with your testimony given youre our only witness today. When you begin, the light p in front of you will turn green. When one minute is left, light will turn yellow at the fiveminute mark. Light will turn red. Members will have three minneapolminutes to ask questioning and we ask you have a busy afternoon and have asked for a hard stop at noon. Secretary acosta, you are recognized. Ranking member scott, members of the committee, thank you for the invitation today. Im honored to be it first cabinet officer to appear before the committee. I appreciate the opportunity to appear here to represent the administration and the hard working men and women of the department of labor and to provide an update on our critical work. At the outset let me just say this has been a remarkable year of growth for the American Economy, for American Workers, job seekers and job creators. Some highlights as the chairwoman mentioned, since january 2017 the American Economy has created nearly 1. 5 million jobs. Gdp as grown at 3 or more for two consecutive quarters. This is great news for Retirement Savings. Yet employment rate as decreased to 4. 1 , the lowest in just about 17 years. And the number of open full time positions in the American Economy is at a near all time high of 6. 1 million open and unfilled jobs. Job creators want to hire and job seekers want to work. And the fact that we have 6. 1 open million jobs speaks to the strength of the American Economy. Since becoming labor secretary ive made the a point to travel, to leave washington when i can and visit different places across the nation. I visited the ford rouge facility where a new f150 rolls off the Assembly Line and i met with apprentices that are receiving wonderful and strong workplace education. Another place that i visited. If you havent been there, i would commend tattoo you. It looks like a modern university is a very high tech, very high touch training center. I went to the graduation for dozens of steam fitters and pipe fitters who are working hard to educate them svls so they could educate new apprentices. Throughout my travels one thing struck me as very clear our nations work force is an amazing work force. And it 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. And so we at the department are hard at work to increase Employment Opportunities for all americans, to enforce safe, healthy work places sdwoo insure the departments regulations are commonsense regulations that make sense. And so i think its particular that as the chairwoman mentioned, fitting its here this week. On monday i chaired the inaugural meeting of the president s task force and expansion. President trump signed an executive order and this is an issue that is so important. We should be growing apprenticeships in this nation. Members of the task force included leaders from business, from educational associations, to governors. Community organization leaders, public individuals, all coming together to talk about how to extend apprenticeships across industries especially where theyre under represented. One important take away was the Apprenticeship Programs are not scaling. Theyre not growing at the rate they could grow. Currently its 0. 3 of the work force is to scale and grow these further and were engaged in discussion on how to do that. Let me say the trumps focus on expanding access to health coverage. He signed a executive order on how to best aloafor more employers to offer Association Health plans. Yesterday the office sent to the office of regulatory affairs, a notice are eguarding age. That notice became public this morning. Finally in conclusion ret me say on november 9th, the Charlotte Observer published an oped co authored by the chairwoman and myself. I want to conclude by reading from this because i think it captures much of what were looking for on the Work Force Education issue and it says when americans make career choices they should be encouraged to consider a broad range of options. That was the case for us referring to dr. Fox and myself. A university is right for many young people yet not it only route to career success. We need to change the perception of a single right career path. To that end were encouraging leaders from business, labor and trade associations to recognize the benefits of apprenticeships. It goes on to say were partners with it comes to modernizing it Work Force Education process. With over 6 million americans looking for jobs and over 6 million open nation wide, its time to modernize that we prepare americans for it work force and thats to respect all career choices made to develop the skills that will lead them to excellent family sustaining and finally let me acknowledge my written testimony did not make the deadline. I apologize for that responsibility is mine. Im not happy it did not make the deadline. It is on me and i want to apologize to the committee. Thank you very much, mr. Acosta. As i mentioned in my opening remarked, we will have to because i believe in the interest of all the members here to give every member an opportunity to ask questions because of the hard stop. We will confine our questioning time to three minutes. I will recognize myse