After three weeks of infighting, House Republicans nominated and a majority of the House of Representatives voted to approve Representative Mike Johnson, a 4th term Republican from Louisiana, as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. Johnson faces immediate pressure for the House to approve a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown on November 17. In addition, the Administration proposed a supplemental appropriations bill to provide continuing U.S. support to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan as well as increased border security funding.
As reported during the ARAWC Connect conference, there are several Congressional issues that ARAWC is keeping an eye on. These include efforts to eliminate mandatory arbitration, proposals to restrict the use of confidentiality agreements, and proposed changes to ERISA to deem arbitration and discretionary clauses in employer benefit plans unenforceable. While it is unlikely these measures can pass as stand-alone bills, whenever Congress is faced with last-minute, must pass legislation, such as a continuing resolution and other substantive bills, it is an opportunity for a Member of Congress to try to attach a seemingly unrelated amendment to enact into law a provision that couldn’t otherwise be approved on its own.
In addition to appropriations, Congress has more substantive measures that may take up valuable time on the legislative calendar. These include the defense bill, Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, a Farm bill, rail safety, and energy permitting reform, just to name a few. In addition, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su’s nomination continues to hang out there without a vote scheduled to remove “Acting” from her title. All of this is on top of stalled judicial and military nominations which still need Senate approval.
As noted at the ARAWC Connect conference, because workers’ compensation is a state issue, there is little awareness in Congress (or the Administration) of how Congressional proposals can affect workers’ compensation generally, or Texas injury benefit programs specifically. This is where ARAWC’s capabilities in Washington, DC come in. ARAWC works at the federal level to make both legislators and business groups aware of how legislation affects employers with injury benefit programs.
