House Subcommittees Hold Hearing on "Rewriting Federal Labor Policies Through Executive Fiat"

On Thursday, February 26, the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), and the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), held a joint subcommittee hearing on “The Blacklisting Executive Order: Rewriting Federal Labor Policies Through Executive Fiat.” 

President Obama issued Executive Order 13673 in July 2014, which gives the federal government the ability to deny employers federal contracts if they or their subcontractors violated or allegedly violated various federal labor laws.  Each agency’s contracting officer and a newly created Labor Compliance Advisor will review an employer’s three-year compliance history and decide whether the employer’s actions demonstrate a “lack of integrity of business ethics.”

In a press release, the Subcommittee said, “employers have expressed concerns the executive order demands an unreasonable scope of reporting requirements, undermines their due process protections, disregards existing remedies to address labor law violations, and relies on a highly subjective review process.”  The hearing provided Subcommittee members an opportunity to examine the effect of the President’s executive order on the federal procurement system, as well as concerns raised by employers and stakeholders.

The Witness List included:

Mr. Willis Goldsmith – Partner, Jones Day, New York, NY **Testifying on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce**

Mr. Stan Soloway – President and CEO, Professional Services Council, Arlington, VA

Ms. Angela Styles – Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, D.C.

Ms. Karla Walter – Associate Director, American Worker Project, Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C.

Click here for an archived webcast of the hearing.

Click here for the opening statement by Rep. Tim Walberg.