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Committee advances labor department realignment after Secretary outlines enforcement, fee and operating figures
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Summary
The committee adopted a committee report to advance House Bill 24-47 after Department of Labor Secretary testified that revised authorities, enforcement tools and revolving accounts would help operations and data systems. The secretary provided recent fee-collection and cost figures.
House Bill 24-47, a measure to realign the authority and duties of the Commonwealth Department of Labor, was advanced by the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations after the committee dissolved into a committee of the whole for a department presentation.
Why it matters: The bill alters departmental enforcement authority, updates adjudication procedures for employment disputes and would create or restore revolving accounts that the department says are necessary to fund data systems and operations without relying entirely on the general fund.
Secretary of Labor testimony: The department’s secretary told the committee the bill ‘‘would better enable the Department of Labor to do everything that we’re supposed to do,’’ particularly enforcement actions that the secretary said remain constrained by outdated statutes last revised under Public Law 17-01 and earlier regulations. The secretary described a need to modernize enforcement definitions, move toward fully electronic records and establish revolving accounts to pay for systems and operational costs.
Department figures provided to the committee (as reported by the secretary): certificate of good standing fees collected last year: $13,000; umbrella permit/immigration-related small fees: ~$200; administrative hearing fees: ~$25,000; collections tied to the CW program (average 5–6% over three years): $61,000 last year; enforcement penalties collected since 2022: about $40,000 (none collected in the last fiscal year). Total fee collections cited: approximately $140,000. The secretary said the department’s FY 2024 operational expenses were about $137,000 and that, if revolving accounts are established, the department could be at least minimally self-sustaining.
Committee action and next steps: After the committee-of-the-whole discussion, a motion to adopt a committee report for passage of HB 24-47 carried. The committee will report the bill to the full House for consideration in the next session.
