Labor Department Funding Proposals to Be Reconciled

Lawmakers will meet Thursday to reconcile House and Senate versions of legislation to fund the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the Department of Health and Human Services after the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30, reports Bloomberg BNA . The Senate passed a minibus appropriators package in August that provides $12.1 billion in discretionary funding for the DOL for fiscal year 2019, about $92 million less than Congress enacted last year. The House version also seeks about $12.1 billion for the DOL. The potential sticking point for the two chambers comes with funding proposals for the NLRB, which the Senate seeks to keep at its current $274 million spending level, but the House measure would trim funding by about 5 percent. The House legislation also includes policy riders, such as a provision to undo an Obama-era NLRB decision that expanded "joint employer" liability for businesses in staffing, franchise, and other contractual relationships.