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Department of Labor
DepartmentsAt-will removal
At a glance
Type
Cabinet departments
Removal of leadership
Removable at will
Appointed by
Secretary appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate
Structure
Cabinet department · led by the Secretary of Labor
Term
No fixed term
Funding
Annual appropriations
Independence
Direct presidential control
What it does
The Department of Labor is the Cabinet department charged with fostering the welfare of U.S. wage earners, job seekers, and retirees. It enforces federal laws on minimum wage and overtime, workplace safety, pensions and benefits, and collects national labor statistics. It oversees employers and workers nationwide through agencies such as OSHA, the Wage and Hour Division, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Labor
Where it sits
How it fits
Created by Congress under the Organic Act of the Department of Labor (Act to Create a Department of Labor) (Act of Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 141, 37 Stat. 736; codified at 29 U.S.C. § 551), it acts within the authority that statute grants. Its actions are subject to judicial review and to congressional oversight and funding.
Recent actions
Mining of Pillars
Electrical Equipment for Coal Seams Above the Water Table
Improving and Eliminating Regulations; Installation of Foam Generator Systems in Underground Coal Mines
Improving and Eliminating Regulations; Limit on Exposure to Diesel Particulate Matter in Underground Metal and Nonmetal Mines
Improving and Eliminating Regulations; Permissible Lamps in Underground Coal Mines
Respirable Crystalline Silica and Respiratory Protection
Unemployment Insurance Program National Minimum Weekly Work Search Requirements
Rules of Practice and Procedure for Administrative Hearings Before the Office of Administrative Law Judges