President Biden issues proposed FY2025 budget

President Biden issues proposed FY2025 budget by the editors of FELI Although Congress has yet to finish approving government funding for fiscal year (FY) 2024, including for the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Nation Labor Relations Board (NLRB), President Joe Biden issued his proposed FY2025 budget on March 11.

Significantly increasing penalties for DOL, EEOC, NLRB

The proposed FY2025 budget calls for “significantly increasing” penalties at the DOL, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the NLRB for employers that violate workplace safety and health, wage and hour, child labor, equal employment opportunity, and labor organizing rules. The increase in penalties is intended to “create meaningful deterrence for employers from violating workers’ rights, ensure those who do violate their rights are held accountable, and level the playing field for responsible employers.”

FY2025 budget seeks substantial increase for EEOC

President Biden is seeking $488M for EEOC in his FY2025 proposed budget. This would be an increase from the $481M he sought for FY2024 and the $455M the agency received in the enacted FY2023 budget. In its FY2025 Congressional Budget Justification, the agency said the increase was necessary to enable it to address use of artificial intelligence and to advance racial justice and pay equity. President Biden in his budget message said the assignment of new tasks such as implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act also justified the increase.

Small increase sought for DOL