CONYERS Statement on H.R. 1393, the "Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2017"

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

H.R. 1393, the “Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act,” helps to clarify various record-keeping and state income tax liability issues.  Nevertheless, the bill requires further revision before I can support it.

On the positive side, H.R. 1393 attempts to solve a legitimate problem presented by employee tax liability and employer withholding requirements.

Many employers are subject to multiple tax compliance record-keeping requirements for their mobile workers. 

These workers, in turn, are often subject to potentially conflicting and thereby confusing multiple state income tax requirements.

The paperwork that both employers and workers must file can be complicated and time-consuming.

And the filings, especially for sometimes miniscule amounts of income, can even be burdensome to state revenue departments.

Unfortunately, H.R. 1393, if enacted, could result in some states losing millions of dollars in revenue.

In fact, New York could lose upwards of $100 million in revenue.

Fortunately, this legislation only needs some simple changes to eliminate these negative impacts. 

For example, the bill currently has a 30-day threshold before an employee would be required to pay income taxes in a state. A much lower threshold would be fairer to the states and still provide certainty to employers and employees.

In addition, the bill’s timekeeping requirements could be tightened to help prevent tax avoidance.

A solution appears to potentially close and, accordingly, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the various stakeholders to finally achieve this goal.

I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to urge my colleagues to pass a fair and uniform framework to allow states to collect taxes owed on remote sales, rather than proceed with this flawed bill.

By staying silent since the Supreme Court’s 1992 Quill decision, Congress has failed to ensure that states have the authority to collect the sales and use tax on internet purchases.

While this decision may have made sense in 1992, it does not stand up well over time. In 2015 alone $26 billion dollars owed to states went uncollected.

Lost tax revenues mean that state and local governments will have fewer resources to provide their residents essential services, such as education and health care.

This Congress, House Republicans are advancing both TrumpCare and a disastrous budget that would both cut untold amounts of federal assistance to the states.

In light of these looming funding cuts, the loss of billions of dollars in state revenue is more pressing than ever.  This committee should move swiftly to close the internet tax loophole by passing legislation this Congress.

I thank the Chairman and yield back the balance of my time.

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Conyers and Johnson Introduce Legislation to Equalize Women’s Pay, End Forced Arbitration

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law (RRCAL) Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA) introduced H.R. 4899, the Restoring Statutory Rights Act of 2016, legislation to ensure that state, federal, and constitutional rights of all Americans are enforceable. 

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Forced arbitration clauses in countless employee and consumer contracts have whittled away our nation’s core civil rights protections. This concerning development has enabled widespread sex discrimination and systemic wage theft in the workplace. The Restoring Statutory Rights Act will turn the tide on these abuses and ensure women are not left shouldering the brunt of corporate lawlessness and institutional discrimination,” said Rep. John Conyers, Jr.

The Restoring Statutory Rights Act would ensure that when Congress or the states have established rights and protections for individuals, including protection against wage discrimination, that they are able to enforce these rights in court. The bill amends the Federal Arbitration Act to prohibit mandatory pre-dispute, commonly known as “forced,” arbitration agreements for claims rising under federal or state statute, the U.S. Constitution, or a state constitution. The bill would further require that a court determines whether an agreement is unconscionable, legally invalid, or otherwise unenforceable as a matter of contract law or public policy. Under current law, parties may resolve statutory claims, including claims rising under anti-discrimination statutes, through forced arbitration instead of the justice system.

“As we continue the fight for equal pay, equal promotion, and equal rights in the workplace, we need to ensure that we do not lose our footing on the critical milestones we have achieved through the enforcement of civil rights in our justice system,” Rep. Johnson stated. “Forced arbitration has created a rigged system that blocks women from enforcing their legal rights against unaccountable and unlawful corporations for wage violations in the workplace.”

Forced arbitration clauses that circumvent state, federal, and constitutional protections against discrimination are particularly harmful to women, who file more than 41% of charges against employers for sex-based discrimination in the workplace, and nearly 83% of sexual-harassment charges. For example, an hourly hospital employee was forced to arbitrate her claim that her employer’s payroll system rounded down her time, undermining her ability to hold her employer accountable for wage theft. In another example, former female employees at a large financial institution were forced into arbitration following their attempt to bring a class action accusing the firm of widespread gender discrimination, alleging unequal pay based on their gender, fewer promotions for female employees, and other systemic discriminatory practices that were inherent to the firm’s corporate culture. 

The following organizations support the Restoring Statutory Rights Act and are dedicated to eliminating sex discrimination in the workplace: the National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, 9to5, National Association of Working Women, AFL-CIO, African American Ministers In Action, American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Center for WorkLife Law at the UC Hastings College of the Law, Equal Rights Advocates, Family Forward Oregon, Institute for Science and Human Values, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America – UAW, the Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Council of Jewish Women, National Employment Law Project, National Employment Lawyers Association, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National Organization for Women (NOW), NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Public Justice Center, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, USAction, Women Employed and the Women's Law Project. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights also supports restoring civil rights protections comprised by forced arbitration.

The H.R. 4899, the Restoring Statutory Rights Act is an identical companion to S.2506, the “Restoring Statutory Rights and Interests of the States Act of 2016,” introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Al Franken (D-MN) on February 4, 2016.

Original cosponsors of the Restoring Statutory Rights Act include Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), and David Cicilline (D-RI).

Restoring Statutory Rights Act 4.12.16

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Full Employment Caucus Co-Chairs Conyers, Wilson, and Kaptur Applaud DOL’s Proposed Rule to Diversify Apprenticeship Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), co-chairs of the Congressional Full Employment Caucus, applaud the Department of Labor’s proposed rule to promote equal opportunity for Americans seeking positions in apprenticeship programs. The proposed rule comes in response to the Full Employment Caucus’s June 2014 letter asking DOL’s Employment and Training Administration to update apprenticeship regulations.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Apprenticeships—sometimes called the ‘other four-year degree’—empower hardworking students to become successful employees.  When employers work with our education system to provide a smooth transition from the classroom to the shop floor, everybody wins.  But as we expand this new pathway of opportunity, we must ensure that women and minorities are able to fully enjoy the benefits.  I am pleased to see the Department of Labor has proposed this rule, and I will closely monitor it going forward,” said Congressman John Conyers, Jr.

“An apprenticeship is a pathway to better wages and secure employment for many Americans. As apprenticeship programs expand and are utilized in new industries, we must ensure they remain available to all Americans, including women and minorities,” said Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson. “I applaud DOL’s work to promote diversity in the proven apprenticeship model.”

“Apprenticeships and other forms of on-the-job training have consistently proven to be the most effective path to enter or re-enter the workforce,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. “Building these initiatives forward to create and grow opportunity is an effective way to expand our workforce. And we have the opportunity and responsibility to ensure that apprenticeships and workforce training work for all people, including for women and minority candidates. The Department of Labor is to be applauded for their work on this rule and in the broader effort to improve our best apprenticeship models.”

The proposed rule, the first proposed update since 1978, was announced during the Department of Labor’s first annual National Apprenticeship Week.

Full Employment Congressional Caucus Letter To POTUS Requesting Update To Minority Workforce Regulations

More information on the proposed rule can be found here.

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The Full Employment Act at 35: America's Unfinished Business

By John Conyers, Jr.

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

For the first time since the start of the Great Recession, the unemployment rate is below 6 percent. America has experienced 55 consecutive months of net job creation, resulting in the addition of 10.3 million new jobs.

Look beneath these surface-level statistics, however, and you'll still find massive unused human potential and unnecessary suffering. Nearly 19 million people across the nation are still searching for full-time work. The unemployment rates for African-Americans and young Americans remain in the double digits. The percentage of Americans in the workforce remains below pre-recession levels because millions of people who want jobs have become too discouraged to continue to seek employment. If these jobless Americans were counted in official statistics, the unemployment rate would be upwards of 9.6 percent.

The federal government has not only a moral obligation to address the ongoing jobs crisis -- it has a legal mandate. Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Humphrey Hawkins Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act, a law that requires federal policies to be directed toward the attainment of full employment. The law is in effect today, yet Congress continues to shirk its responsibilities to ensure that people are working.

The Humphrey-Hawkins Act, named after the law's authors, the late Senator Hubert Humphrey and the late Representative Augustus Hawkins, was a turning point in American public policy because it first established the principle that the federal government should serve as an "employer of last resort." The bill set specific targets for employment and authorized the use of a broad range of fiscal and monetary tools to achieve them.

While private sector hiring is the ideal, the Humphrey-Hawkins Act commits the government to step in when workers are idle and public needs -- like roads, schools, bridges, health centers, and scientific research -- go unmet. The cost of inaction is simply too great: unemployment means serious damage to Americans' health (by causing anxiety and lost insurance coverage), homes and neighborhoods (through foreclosures and increased crime), and lifelong career prospects (because of atrophied skills and discrimination against the long-term unemployed). When we create jobs -- whether through private investment or federal action--businesses have more customers able to buy more goods and services and the overall economy prospers. When there are more jobs available, lower-income and moderate-income workers can bargain for higher wages.

There are cost-effective policies Congress should pass right now to live up to the law it passed 35 years ago. Specifically, Congress should pass the new 21st-century Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Training Act (H.R. 1000) to create the means to hire people to make necessary upgrades to our infrastructure, healthcare, and education systems. Another excellent option is the updated and upgraded version of President Obama's American Jobs Act (H.R. 2821). Even if Republican leadership disagrees with these proposals to put Americans back to work, they should show respect for the suffering of unemployed Americans and their families by allowing them to receive a fair up-or-down vote.

If the Republican-controlled Congress continues to obstruct critical job creation initiatives, President Obama should build on his "year of action" to use the authority granted to him by the Humphrey-Hawkins Act to promote action for the unemployed wherever possible. I stand ready to assist President Obama in building Congressional support for an agenda that fulfills the promise of Humphrey-Hawkins.

Thirty-five years after the enactment of the Full Employment law, America remains far from the realizing the vision of a Full Employment society. We have both a moral obligation and a legal mandate to get to work.

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CONGRESSIONAL FULL EMPLOYMENT CAUCUS CO-CHAIRS ANNOUNCE DISCHARGE PETITION FOR THE AMERICAN JOBS ACT

WASHINGTON – Today, Reps. John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) - all co-chairs of the Congressional Full Employment Caucus - announced a discharge petition for H.R. 2821, the American Jobs Act, to compel House Republican leaders to bring the comprehensive package of employment measures to the House floor for a vote. 

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“The American Jobs Act will finally put an end to the painful impacts of the Great Recession,” said Rep. Conyers.  “Despite the progress we have seen in recent employment numbers, there are still more than two applicants for every single job opening.  There are still more than twice as many people among the ranks of the long-term unemployed than there were before the financial crisis struck in 2008.” 

H.R. 2821 is an updated version of President Obama's American Jobs Act, a bill that, according toindependent analysis, would have created 1.9 million jobs and boosted growth by 2% if passed when originally introduced in 2011.  Congressional leaders allowed the bill to expire at the end of the 112^thCongress without bringing it to the floor for a vote.

This critical legislation rewards work and targets job creation through several fully paid-for provisions.  It would cut taxes for working Americans by reinstituting the Making Work Pay Credit, which provides a tax credit equal to 6.2% of earnings and up to a maximum credit of $400 individuals and $800 for couples.  It would also facilitate job-creating infrastructure investment by supporting public-private financing for projects such as airport and air traffic control systems, highway and bridge rehabilitation, and high-speed rail projects.  Lastly, H.R. 2821 would restore emergency unemployment insurance and end sequestration, the across-the-board budget cuts that are projected to cost Americans more than 2 million jobs over the next decade.

“Together with Democratic leadership, we are introducing this discharge petition for the American Jobs Act because it is time for Congress to focus on the priority that matters most for the American people: Jobs.  House Republicans should stop protecting corporate welfare and start fighting for American jobs,” said Rep. Wilson. “By putting teachers, police, firefighters, and construction workers back on the job, we can not only improve our employment situation but also boost educational outcomes and perform urgently-needed upgrades to our infrastructure.”

“The American public has told Congress over and over again that it is time to get serious about creating jobs, and the American Jobs Act would do just that,” said Rep. Kaptur. “This jobs bill would put millions of Americans back to work, strengthen our communities, and keep America competitive in our increasingly globalized world. Not only would the American Jobs Act put individuals back to work, it would place them in good paying jobs that provide a high quality of life.  This is the American dream and this Congress must act to pass the American Jobs Act, legislation that can quickly turn around the lives of millions of Americans.”

The Congressional Full Employment Caucus is a coalition of 25 Members of Congress who are committed to ensuring that all Americans who want to work have access to either employment or training.  The Caucus regularly hosts expert economists, academics, and policymakers to identify effective job-creation proposals and implement strategies for their adoption.

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REP. CONYERS, SENATOR SANDERS INTRODUCE THE EMPLOY YOUNG AMERICANS NOW ACT

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced the “Employ Young Americas Now Act,” legislation that would fix our country’s youth jobs crisis.

Rep. John Conyers. Jr. and
Sen. Bernie Sanders

The Employ Young Americans Now Act will provide $5.5 billion in immediate funding to states and localities to employ one million young Americans between the ages of 16 and 24, and provide job training to hundreds of thousands of young Americans.  The legislation also allocates $4 billion in grant funding to the U.S. Department of Labor to create summer and year-round employment opportunities for low-income youth and another $1.5 billion in competitive grants for work-based training.

The youth unemployment rate in the United States for 16- to 19-year-olds was 19.6 percent in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The African-American youth unemployment rate is 32.8 percent. 

“Nearly six million young Americans are neither in school nor working,” said Conyers.  “This is a national emergency that demands immediate federal action.  By empowering states, local communities, nonprofits, and small businesses to train and hire young Americans, this legislation will restore financial security, productivity, and dignity.  Our economy and society are strongest when our young people enjoy decent opportunity.”

“The most serious crisis facing this country is the lack of decent-paying jobs, particularly when it comes to young Americans,” Sanders said.  “If young high school graduates are unable to find entry-level jobs, how will they ever be able to develop the skills, the experience and the confidence they need to break into the job market?”

Sanders and Conyers emphasized that youth unemployment has long-term consequences.  Today, more than5.8 million young Americans have either dropped out of high school or graduated from high school and have no jobs.  Unemployment can equate to lower lifelong earnings and productivity for affected workers.  Recent academic studies have shown that people who experience early bouts of unemployment suffer 10 to 15 % lower wages than their peers.  These “wage scars” have been demonstrated to last upwards of 20 years.                                                                                                             

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is a cosponsor of the Senate bill.  “High unemployment hits our communities and families hard, and it is particularly devastating for teens and young adults who are denied the opportunity to get the basic job skills they need to go on to college and get a good paying job,” she said.  “This legislation is an investment in our young adults who just need the chance to prove themselves and get ahead.”

In the House, the Employ Young Americans Now Act is cosponsored by Representatives Charles Rangel (NY-13), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), John Lewis (GA-05), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Elijah Cummings (MD-07), Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Frederica Wilson (FL-24).

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), United Automobile Workers (UAW), the United Steelworkers of America, Campaign for America’s Future and the National Employment Law Project have also expressed support for this critical legislation.

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REP. CONYERS, SENATOR SANDERS TO INTRODUCE THE “EMPLOY YOUNG AMERICANS NOW ACT”

WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will hold a press conference to introduce the “Employ Young Americans Now Act,” legislation that would provide$5.5 billion in grants to states and local governments to provide job opportunities and professional career training to millions of young Americans.

According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the youth unemployment rate is 19.6% and the African-American youth unemployment rate is 32.8%.           

         

 Who: Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

What: Press conference on youth jobs crisis

When: TOMORROW – Tuesday, Sept. 16 - 11:30 a.m.

Where: Senate Radio/TV Gallery   (S325)

                                                            

            Contact: Michael Briggs (202) 224-5141   

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH —SUMMER 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics

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U.S. Representative John Conyers Jr, 1967 Press Release on Job Creation

October 1, 1967 Press Release of U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. asking support of the "Full Opportunity Act" taken from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Archives.

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Conyers: GOP Pay Freeze Legislation a Cynical Political Ploy That Punishes Federal Working People Across the Country

**Follow Me On Twitter @RepJohnConyers**

For Immediate Release

Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Contact: Matthew Morgan – 202-226-5543

Conyers: GOP Pay Freeze Legislation a Cynical Political Ploy That Punishes Federal Working People Across the Country

(WASHINGTON) –  Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released the following statement in response to a Republican effort  to hold a “cost of living” (COLA) increase for middle class federal workers hostage to further the Republican Party’s political ends.   H.R.3835, a Republican sponsored bill, ties an additional two year freeze on federal worker pay to a congressional pay freeze. 

“Today, House Republicans are bringing an overtly political piece of legislation to the floor that would freeze the pay of federal employees through 2013, as well as extend the current pay freeze for Members of Congress.

“House Republicans clearly hope that those of us who support middle class Americans will throw federal civil servants under the bus in order to protect ourselves from political attacks.  It will not work.  Let me be clear - I neither need nor want a cost of living increase and I have cosponsored legislation that would keep the sensible freeze on the salaries of Members of Congress in place. On the other hand, middle class federal workers are suffering through their third consecutive year of stagnant wages, while private sector wages have increased by 4.7 percent during that same period of time.

“Since 2010, the wage freeze for federal employees has provided $60 billion in deficit reduction, while the wealthiest Americans have used their influence and lobbyists in Washington to avoid paying their fair share. This is grossly unfair and that’s why I support President Obama’s effort to provide federal workers with a small wage increase in his Fiscal Year 2013 Budget and why I am opposing this cynical Republican ‘gotcha’ legislation on the floor today.”

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