Labor & Employment (Gig Economy)

HR 1119, the Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025, requires unemployed individuals applying for regular benefits to actively engage with job opportunities by responding to work-related requests, attending required interviews, and complying with reasonable assessments like drug tests or skills evaluations. It also mandates the Secretary of Labor to study increasing random audits of unemployment claims and potentially expand these audits to improve program integrity. Additionally, the bill links federal funding for extended unemployment benefits to states adopting these new requirements, stating that states must include the interview and compliance provisions before receiving federal funds for extended benefits. These changes directly affect unemployed workers seeking benefits and state unemployment programs administering the system.

Save Local Business Act This bill provides that a person may be considered a joint employer of the employees of another employer under federal labor law only if such person directly, actually, and immediately exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment. Such control may by demonstrated by hiring and discharging employees; determining individual employee rates of pay and benefits; day-to-day supervision of employees; assigning individual work schedules, positions, or tasks; or administering employee discipline.

The Small Businesses before Bureaucrats Act raises the dollar threshold that determines when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) declines jurisdiction over labor disputes involving small businesses. Starting in 2026, the threshold will be set at 10 times the current threshold, and for future years, it will adjust annually using the Personal Consumption Expenditure Per Capita Index to account for inflation. This change means more small businesses will fall below the threshold and avoid NLRB oversight for labor disputes, directly affecting small business owners and the NLRB's jurisdictional decisions. The bill takes effect on or after January 1, 2026, or the bill's enactment date, whichever is later.

This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to shift labor dispute resolution from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to federal courts. It eliminates the NLRB’s authority to investigate unfair labor practice charges or file complaints, requiring workers or unions to instead file civil lawsuits in federal court for issues like retaliation or union interference. The NLRB’s rulemaking power is also restricted to internal operations, prohibiting it from creating rules affecting workers’ or employers’ substantive rights. This directly affects workers, unions, and employers involved in labor disputes, as it changes how allegations of unfair labor practices are addressed. The bill also mandates the NLRB to review and revise existing regulations within six months to align with these changes.

The Employee Rights Act (S 2984) amends key labor laws to change union representation processes and worker classification. It requires secret ballot elections for collective bargaining (Section 2), prohibits non-lawfully-status employees from voting in union elections (Section 3), and establishes privacy protections for employee information used in organizing efforts (Section 4). The bill also changes how workers are classified as employees versus independent contractors (Section 5) and creates a new "independent negotiating" option for workers who leave unions (Section 7). These changes directly affect union representation processes, employee classification, and privacy protections for workers across various industries.