Labor

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on GAO Report on the Accuracy of Workplace Injury and Illness Data

November 16, 2009 -- The GAO report released today confirms that employer policies and practices that discourage the reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses are widespread and undermining the safety and health of America's workers.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Commerce awarded $6.4 million in competitive Recovery Act grants to 43 applicants in small cities and counties for energy efficiency and conservation projects. Projects include energy audits and building retrofits, as well as energy efficient traffic signals and street lighting.

The funding is targeted to reduce fossil fuel emissions and help communities be more environmentally sustainable through reduced energy usage and improved energy efficiency in the building and transportation sectors. The work is also expected to save or create more than 100 jobs.    » read more »

Federal Recovery Funds Will Help Local Governments, Non-Profit Groups Reduce Energy, Save Money

Nov. 17, 2009 -- Harrisburg – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced Pennsylvania’s Conservation Works! grant program will save more than 570 million kilowatt hours of electricity, generate an additional 14.4 million kilowatt hours, and reduce natural gas use by 2.1 million thousand cubic feet over the lifetimes of the various projects.

Conservation Works! is a $22 million competitive grant program, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to help local government and non-profit organizations improve energy efficiency, curb energy consumption and reduce energy costs by at least 25 percent.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is helping 10 companies grow in Michigan and is backing two brownfield redevelopment projects. Combined, the 12 projects are expected to create 2,245 new jobs (883 direct and 1,368 indirect), retain 11,254 jobs, and generate over $791 million in new investment in the state.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- DOVER -- Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Secretary of Labor John McMahon announced today that unemployed Delaware workers will be eligible for up to fourteen weeks of additional unemployment insurance benefits.

“These benefits will help Delawareans who have been hit hard by the national economic recession get back on their feet,” Markell said. “Turning around the state’s economy takes time. That’s why my administration is working hard every day to move our economy forward and create jobs by making Delaware the best state in the nation for starting and growing businesses.”    » read more »

Just the Beginning of a Sustained Commitment to Science

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Rush Holt, Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chairman Edward Markey, Congressman Bill Foster, and Robert Shelton, President of the University of Arizona, held a press conference this afternoon to highlight the benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the science and research community.

The Recovery Act provided $22 billion for scientific research and development at universities, to establish new facilities, and to purchase lab equipment. Below are the Speaker’s remarks as prepared:    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a measure that will make a major investment in jobs in Great Falls and will significantly improve veterans’ health care, Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus announced today.

Tester, a member of the influential Senate Appropriations Committee, and Baucus secured the funding for Malmstrom Air Force Base and for better veterans’ services in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- (Washington, D.C.) -The U.S. Senate has approved the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations spending bill which includes more than $9 million for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

This funding, which was supported by Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME), includes $7.1 million to be used for security improvements at Gate 2.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – By a vote of 100-0, the U.S. Senate today approved the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010, including $73.55 million U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) helped secure to upgrade Naval Station Newport.

“This federal funding will allow the Navy to make critical renovations at Naval Station Newport and improve readiness and operational support for our troops,” said Reed, a member of both the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees. “This federal investment is vitally important to the continued presence and growth of Rhode Island’s military facilities and defense industry, which play an important role in our state’s economy.”    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a member of the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, announced that the $398.8 million for military installations in Washington state passed the full Senate. The funding will be used to make improvements to a number of installations that facilitate training and care for service members and their families.

The funding is also expected to create family-wage construction jobs in communities throughout the state. The funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction Appropriations bill, which passed the Senate today 100-0.    » read more »

Bill contains billions of dollars for medical care, women veterans, homeless veterans; includes specific language on Walla Walla VA, South Puget Sound CBOC

November 17, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) helped pass legislation through the full Senate that provides $109 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill passed by a 100-0 vote.

The funding, which is included in the fiscal year 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill, is $150 million more than the President requested. The majority of the funding will go directly to health care services which will help cut wait-times, increase access to quality care and mental health services for our veterans.    » read more »

Senate Appropriations Bill Would Direct Nearly $87 Million to Seven Projects

November 17, 2009 --
WASHINGTON — Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, both D-Mich., today hailed the Senate’s passage of a bill including $87 million for seven projects in Michigan and funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Senate and House of Representatives must now reconcile their versions of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010 before moving to final passage in both chambers.    » read more »

WASHINGTON -- Nov. 17, 2009 – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy Tuesday joined 56 other Senators to defeat an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act that would have prohibited the use of funds to construct or modify prison facilities to hold individuals currently being detained at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Leahy has opposed similar measures designed to curb the tools and resources available to the Federal Government to bring charges against detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. The amendment was opposed by the Attorney General, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), Chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA) and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that the Senate has unanimously passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill for FY2010.

Johnson authored the spending measure from his position as Chairman, and placed a strong emphasis on addressing the needs of rural and homeless veterans while also providing for important South Dakota priorities.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) secured $3.45 million in the 2010 Military Construction Appropriations Bill for an automated sniper field firing range at North Carolina's Fort Bragg. The bill passed the Senate today, and it will now be reconciled with the House version of the bill.

"This funding will prepare our soldiers for the most challenging of missions," Hagan said. "This 21st-century sniper range will give our soldiers the skills to disrupt, dismantle and defeat terrorists abroad that threaten our country. I am extremely proud of our brave soldiers at Fort Bragg, and I am committed to ensuring we provide them with the cutting-edge tools they need to keep us safe."    » read more »