The House has passed a spending bill that would cut the Dept. of Labor’s fiscal 2010 budget by 6% from the 2009 level, to $13.3 billion. But the measure does provide DOL with funds for a new green-jobs program and for more enforcement staff at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The DOL spending is part of a $733-billion 2010 appropriations package, approved on July 24, which also funds the Health and Human Services and Education Departments. DOL’s portion of the bill includes $50 million for green jobs training, a new initiative for the department. The measure also provides $1.5 billion for DOL to hire 600 additional enforcement and compliance officers at OSHA and other DOL agencies.
The Senate Appropriations Committee plans to take up its Labor/HHS bill on July 30.