Washington — A House committee has accredited laws that would set a limit on how long an acting secretary can lead the Department of Labor.
Advanced by the House Education and the Workforce Committee with a 23-19 vote on Sept. 14, the Department of Labor Succession Act (H.R. 4957) would amend the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. Under the legislation, the deputy labor secretary is to “perform the duties of the secretary until a successor is appointed.”
The transfer would limit the tenure of an acting secretary to seven months (210 days) from when a emptiness happens or as long as a pending nomination is earlier than the Senate. The legislation permits an extra seven months from the purpose when “the first nomination” is rejected by the Senate, withdrawn by the president or returned to the president (normally after the tip of a calendar yr).
Julie Su assumed the function of acting secretary in March, when then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh stepped all the way down to change into the chief director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association. That similar month, President Joe Biden nominated Su to succeed Walsh. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee accredited her nomination with an 11-10 party-line vote on April 26.
A Senate affirmation of Su’s nomination, nonetheless, seems to be at an deadlock after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) in July introduced his opposition.
If Su’s nomination isn’t confirmed by Jan. 1, it would be returned to the White House. The president would need to resubmit her nomination, and Su would once more want approval from the Senate HELP Committee.
