The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--EXECUTIVE CALENDAR” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S7817-S7818 on Dec. 20.
The Department provides billions in unemployment insurance, which peaked around 2011 though spending had declined before the pandemic. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, claimed the Department funds "ineffective and duplicative services" and overregulates the workplace.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, in a moment, I will ask unanimous consent to confirm Executive Calendar No. 1204, the nomination of Jessica Looman, of Minnesota, to be Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor. Ms. Looman's nomination was favorably reported out of the Senate HELP Committee on November 29 with a strong bipartisan vote of 13 to 9.
Jessica Looman has very capably served as the Principal Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division since January of 2021. In recognition of her excellent service, Ms. Looman was nominated to permanently lead the Division at the Department of Labor, and I can't think of a better candidate.
I have had the opportunity to know and to work with Jessica since 2011. Jessica is from St. Paul, MN. She is a longtime labor leader, attorney, and lifelong champion of workers. In addition to being a strong advocate for working people, she is also thoughtful and innovative and fair. She has led executive agencies and has wide experience working with diverse stakeholders. I am confident that she will be a fair and pragmatic Administrator as she enforces some of our Nation's most important labor laws, including laws governing minimum wage, overtime, and child labor.
This role that she will serve in has a direct impact on working people, like the waitress who should be protected from a boss who steals her tips, like the building trades carpenter or laborer who has the right to earn the prevailing wage that can support their families when they work on a Federal project, and like the worker who has the right to earn overtime and isn't being paid for the hours they work.
At a time when we have seen child labor abuses at meatpacking plants in Minnesota and auto suppliers in Alabama, it is critical that we have strong oversight and enforcement to protect children from abuse.
Ms. Looman's values are rooted in upholding the dignity of work and supporting hard-working Americans. In all of the time I have known her, she has approached issues with a keen desire to understand both sides of an argument and to find fair solutions that both sides can accept. This is why she is respected by both labor and employers, first in Minnesota and now in her work at the U.S. Department of Labor. Ms. Looman has built this reputation because she is reasonable and builds consensus even when it is difficult and there are real differences to bridge.
Ms. Looman will be a strong, fair Wage and Hour Administrator for workers and for employers across the country. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to support her nomination and to allow this request to move forward.
So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that, as in executive session, the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 1204, Jessica Looman, of Minnesota, to be Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
The Senator from Indiana.
Mr. BRAUN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, before coming to the Senate, I was actually involved in a very, very small business. For nearly 17 years, this business had 1 location and 15 employees. After all that work, over the next 20 years, it did grow into then a regional company and a national one. All I can tell you is that that is the hardest job out there. Farming is another example where you are a sole proprietor and you have all the risk.
Whenever there are burdensome regulations that come into play, they have to be measured. You have to make sure you don't have things that are going to make that job even more difficult. Living that life as a Main Street business owner, I know firsthand how some of that stuff, even though well-intentioned, can end up being something that makes the difference whether you survive or not.
As Wage and Hour Administrator, Ms. Looman would be in charge of enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act, which is a Federal statute dictating minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements for private employers. As Acting Administrator, she oversaw the end of the Trump administration's rules on joint employers, independent contractors, and overtime. These rules brought greater regulatory certainty and consistency to employers and entrepreneurs, small ones.
The Biden administration is working on their own version of these rules, which I fear will be job-killing, burdensome, and bring uncertainty to employers, employees, and entrepreneurs.
The other thing that these businesses do--unlike larger ones, this is their main source of income. Their living is made out of it. They are lucky if they scrape out a return on investment. So if it gets to be too burdensome, you are taking away, in essence, a paycheck.
Most recently, they announced a proposed rule for determining independent contractor classification. This proposed rule would have immediate and long-term disruptive effects on millions of workers and thousands of businesses at a time when the economy is facing high inflation rates and stress in the business community in general.
This position impacts too many Americans and small businesses not to have a vote for them or to have undue, burdensome regulations; therefore, I do object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.
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