Congressional Research Service Reports - 272 Matching Results
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- Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled Foreign Workers: Legislation in the 113th Congress
- This report provides legislative analyses of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744), as passed by the Senate, and the Supplying Knowledgebased Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas Act (SKILLS Visa Act, H.R. 2131), as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled Foreign Workers: Policy and Trends
- This report opens with an overview of the policy issues that pertain to foreign workers. It follows with a summary of each of the various visa categories available for temporary professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers, as well as an analysis of the trends seen with the use of these various visas over the past two decades. This workforce is seen by many as a catalyst of U.S. global economic competitiveness. The challenge central to the policy debate is facilitating the migration of foreign workers without adversely affecting U.S. workers and U.S. students entering the labor market.
- Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview
- This report provides a brief history and overview of the aims of these statutes: the Railway Labor Act (RLA) enacted in 1926, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS). It also discusses key provisions for each statute.
- Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview
- This report provides a brief history and overview of the aims of these statutes: the Railway Labor Act (RLA) enacted in 1926, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS). It also discusses key statutory provisions for each statute.
- Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview
- This report provides a brief history and overview of the aims of these statutes: the Railway Labor Act (RLA) enacted in 1926, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS). It also discusses key statutory provisions for each statute.
- Declining Dynamism in the U.S. Labor Market
- This report discusses certain measures of the U.S. labor market "dynamism" or "fluidity"--including job reallocation, worker churn, and geographic labor mobility-- which some observers note have been declining for the past 20 years or more.
- The National Directory of New Hires
- This report details the National Directory of New Hires - including its background, how data is managed in the directory, and concerns regarding the directory.
- Department of Labor's 2016 Fiduciary Rule: Background and Issues
- This report discusses fiduciary standard with respect to his or her advice, an individual had to, which include: (1) make recommendations on investing in, purchasing, or selling securities or other property, or give advice as to the value (2) on a regular basis (3) pursuant to a mutual understanding that the advice (4) will serve as a primary basis for investment decisions, and (5) will be individualized to the particular needs of the plan regarding such matters as, among other things, investment policies or strategy, overall portfolio composition, or diversification of plan investments.
- The National Directory of New Hires
- This report details the National Directory of New Hires - including its background, how data is managed in the directory, and concerns regarding the directory.
- The National Directory of New Hires
- This report details the National Directory of New Hires - including its background, how data is managed in the directory, and concerns regarding the directory.
- Joint Employment and the Save Local Business Act
- This report discusses the proposed "Save Local Business Act" in the House and its provisions and implications for employers and employees in businesses where unions exist. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) broadening of the definition of what constituted a joint employer in the case of Browning-Ferris Industries of California led to resist by some in the business community and the "Save Local Business Act" seeks to restore the former more narrow definition of joint employers.
- The International Labor Organization (ILO): Background in Brief
- This report discusses the International Labor Organization (ILO), and describes the ILO's mission, structure, and functions; presents case studies on how the ILO offers assistance to countries in promoting worker rights; and identifies issues for Congress.
- Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview
- This report provides a brief history and overview of the aims of each of these statues. It also discusses key statutory provisions for each statute.
- The Definition of “Supervisor” Under the National Labor Relations Act
- This report discusses the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and their attempts to define the term "supervisor" in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) so that such employees can join or form a labor union as regular employees.
- Congressional Responses to Selected Work Stoppages in Professional Sports
- This report examines congressional responses to the two most recent work stoppages in the National Football League (NFL), which occurred in 1982 and 1987. Congress is interested in the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA), set to expire in 2012, because of the status of labor-management relations in professional football. The report also examines the 1994 Major League Baseball strike to examine how Congress has responded in the past to work stoppages in professional sports.
- Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections
- This report discusses §1611, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which requires companies receiving Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funding to comply with the more rigorous labor market rules of H-1B dependent companies if they hire foreign workers on H-1B visas.
- Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections
- This report examines the current state of employment-based immigration, and discusses its perceived effects on the labor market.
- The Trend in Long-Term Unemployment and Characteristics of Workers Unemployed for Two Years or More
- This report discusses trends in long term unemployment and characteristics such as gender, age, education, marital status of the very long-term for the unemployed.
- Immigration of Temporary Lower-Skilled Workers: Current Policy and Related Issues
- U.S. employers in various industries argue that they need to hire foreign workers to perform lower-skilled jobs, while others maintain that many of these positions could be filled by U.S. workers. While the discussion of current guest worker programs in this report focuses on the H-2A and H- 2B visas, it also covers the Summer Work Travel (SWT) program, the largest of several programs under the J-1 visa for participants in work- and study-based exchange visitor programs. The SWT program is particularly relevant because participants work largely in unskilled jobs, including H-2B-like seasonal jobs at resorts and amusement parks.
- Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections
- This report examines the current state of employment-based immigration, and discusses its perceived effects on the labor market.
- The National Labor Relations Act: Background and Selected Topics
- Report that discusses the National Labor Relations Act, the coverage it provides, unfair labor practices that the act prohibits, pre-election communications with employees, and several legal cases regarding the Act.
- Agricultural Guest Workers: Legislative Activity in the 113th Congress
- This report discusses the foreign temporary workers, also known as guest workers, that have long performed legal agricultural labor in the United States through different temporary worker programs.
- How Much Slack Remains in the Labor Market?
- The amount of "slack" in the labor market--jobless or underemployed workers--has consequences for the appropriate stance of monetary policy, the future path of the budget deficit, and counter-cyclical spending on programs such as unemployment insurance. This report briefly examines this concept in the context of the current economy.
- Right to Work Laws: Legislative Background and Empirical Research
- This report is divided into two parts. The first part discusses right to work (RTW) laws themselves. It provides a brief legislative history on the federal role in the regulation of unions, a summary of the origin and development of RTW laws, a discussion of recent events at the state level, and federal legislation related to RTW. The second part of the report reviews the varied empirical research on the effects of RTW laws. Specifically, it will discuss the mixed evidence indicating relationships between RTW laws and other economic outcomes.
- Labor Market Patterns Since 2007
- This report uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to outline how various factors have affected the U.S. labor market from 2007-2018. It includes background and sections related to impacts of cyclical and structural change, full employment, the changing composition of employment -- both industry and occupation as well as demographics, and what to expect going forward.
- Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview
- This report provides a brief history, including major amendments, of each of the three statutes. The discussion of each law begins with an overview of the statute and then discusses in more detail the key statutory provisions of the law and how the law is administered and enforced.
- The Buy American Act--Preferences for "Domestic" Supplies: In Brief
- This report discusses the Buy American Act of 1933, which is the earliest and arguably the best known of various statutes regarding federal procurement of domestic products. The act attempts to protect U.S. businesses and labor by restricting the acquisition and use of end products or construction materials that are not "domestic."
- The Buy American Act in Brief: Preferences for "Domestic" Supplies and Construction Materials in Federal Procurements
- This report discusses the Buy American Act of 1933, which is the earliest and arguably the best known of various statutes regarding federal procurement of domestic products.
- Immigration: Policy Considerations Related to Guest Worker Programs
- This report discusses guest worker programs. The United States has two main programs for temporarily importing low-skilled workers, or guest workers. Agricultural guest workers enter through the H-2A visa program, and other guest workers enter through the H-2B visa program.
- Apprenticeship in the United States: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report answers frequently asked questions about apprenticeship and the federal activities that support this training approach. Apprenticeship is a job training strategy that combines on-the-job training with related instruction, typically provided in a classroom setting.
- Apprenticeship in the United States: Frequently Asked Questions
- This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) report focuses on the Registered Apprenticeship system, through which the U.S. Department of Labor (or a recognized state apprenticeship agency) certifies a program as meeting certain federal requirements related to duration, intensity, and benefit to the apprentice. The report also discusses federal programs for which supporting apprenticeship activities is an allowable, but not required, use of funds.
- Child Labor in America: History, Policy, and Legislative Issues
- The history of child labor in America is long and unsavory. It dates back to the founding of the United States. Traditionally, most children, except for the privileged few, has always worked - either for their parents or for an outside employer. Through the years, however, child labor practices have changed. This report details the history of child labor in American, the Child Labor Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the re-emergence of the child labor issue in the late 20th century, and child labor initiatives in the 108th-112th Congresses.
- NLRB Rejects Former Standards Following Appointment of New Members
- This report discusses recent decisions by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after President Trump appointed two new members to the board. The decisions overturn a variety of significant past decisions and are summarized in the report.
- Immigration: The Effects on Low-Skilled and High-Skilled Native-Born Workers
- The report opens with a discussion of how to analyze the impact of immigrants on the pay and job opportunities of native-born workers. It then uses this framework to examine and interpret the empirical literature on the subject. The report concludes with a discussion of policy implications.
- U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues
- This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
- Child Labor in America: History, Policy, and Legislative Issues
- This report examines the historical issue of child labor in America and summarizes legislation that has been introduced from the 108th Congress to the 113th Congress.
- Proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues
- This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
- Insourcing Functions Performed by Federal Contractors: Legal Issues
- "This report provides a brief overview of key legal issues related to recent insourcing initiatives. While agencies are prohibited by federal law and policy from contracting out functions that are "inherently governmental," other functions could potentially be contracted out. There has long been debate over both general government policies promoting the use of the private sector to perform "commercial functions," and whether specific functions should be performed by government personnel or contractors. However, since 2008, the insourcing initiatives of recent Congresses and the Obama Administration have generated particular controversy.5 Several lawsuits have been filed challenging agencies' determinations to insource particular functions,and broader questions have been raised as to whether agencies' implementation of insourcing runs afoul of civil service, ethics, or small business laws." (p. 1).
- Returning to Full Employment: What Do the Indicators Tell Us?
- This report analyzes recent trends in labor market indicators during the current economic recovery, with a particular focus on the contrast between the unemployment rate and other labor market indicators. It reviews studies seeking to determine how much of the decline in the labor force participation rate is caused by the recession and how much is caused by structural factors (such as the aging of the labor force). It then considers whether the economy might reach full employment at a higher rate of unemployment compared to recent expansions.
- Immigration-Related Worksite Enforcement: Performance Measures
- In the spring of 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued new guidance on immigration-related worksite enforcement. According to 2008 estimates, there are some 8.3 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. civilian labor force. Enforcement activity by the Department of Labor (DOL) is also relevant to a discussion of federal efforts to curtail unauthorized employment.
- Immigration-Related Worksite Enforcement: Performance Measures
- In the spring of 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued new guidance on immigration-related worksite enforcement. According to 2010 estimates, there are some 8.0 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. civilian labor force. Enforcement activity by the Department of Labor (DOL) is also relevant to a discussion of federal efforts to curtail unauthorized employment.
- Immigration-Related Worksite Enforcement: Performance Measures
- The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for immigration-related worksite enforcement, or enforcement of the prohibitions on unauthorized employment in Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The INA §274A provisions, sometimes referred to as employer sanctions, make it unlawful for an employer to knowingly hire, recruit or refer for a fee, or continue to employ an alien who is not authorized to be so employed. This report looks at enforcement measures of this act.
- Insourcing Functions Performed by Federal Contractors: An Overview of the Legal Issues
- Recent Congresses and the Obama Administration have taken numerous actions to promote "insourcing," or the use of government personnel to perform functions that contractors have performed on behalf of federal agencies. Members of the 112th Congress have introduced several measures which seek to ensure that certain contractors have standing to challenge insourcing determinations; would provide for additional review of insourcing determinations that affect small businesses; or could otherwise constrain insourcing initiatives.
- Federal Taxation of Aliens Working in the United States
- This report outlines issues regarding the taxation of aliens since several pieces of current legislation have been introduced that would impose restrictions for claiming child tax credits or for claiming credits and refunds. The report includes an overview of immigration status, resident or nonresident aliens, taxation of income for various classifications, and Social Security and medicare taxes.
- Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues
- This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
- Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Report that looks at instances of trafficking in persons (TIP) in Latin America. It looks at current legislation in the U.S. to combat this problem.
- Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Report that describes the nature and scope of the problem of trafficking in persons in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues
- This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
- Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean
- This report looks at instances of trafficking in persons (TIP) in Latin America. It looks at current legislation in the U.S. to combat this problem.
- Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean
- This report describes the nature and scope of the problem of human trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean, including U.S. efforts to deal with trafficking in persons in the region, as well as the successes and failures of some recent country and regional antitrafficking efforts. The report concludes by raising issues that may be helpful for the 113th Congress to consider as it continues to address human trafficking as part of its authorization, appropriations, and oversight activities.