H.R. 7804: Better Labor Statistics Act

This bill, known as the Better Labor Statistics Act, aims to update and enhance the responsibilities of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) under the Department of Labor. Key changes proposed in the bill include:

Additional Duties of the Secretary of Labor

The bill mandates that the Secretary of Labor must:

• **Collect Labor Statistics:** Change the wording from "may collate" to "shall collate," indicating that it is a required duty to gather labor statistics.
• **Public Reporting:** Statistics must be reported publicly online by the first Friday of each month, ensuring timely access to labor data.

Demographic Data Reporting

The bill requires that the unemployment data reported by the Secretary includes detailed demographic categorizations. This includes:

• Geography
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Gender

This aims to provide a clearer picture of unemployment trends across different demographic groups.

Updating Terminology

Further amendments to existing laws will modernize the language used in the BLS's legislative framework. These updates include:

• Specifying that reports must be publicly reported at least once a year or more often, enhancing transparency.
• Clarifying that the reports are to be provided for the Department of Labor, emphasizing organizational clarity.
• Changing references to the Secretary to denote the role accurately and consistently.

Heading Designation

The bill instructs the Law Revision Counsel to designate the heading of a specific section within the U.S. Code as "Unemployment data relating to individual demographics," which aligns with the focus on demographic reporting.

Intent of the Bill

The Better Labor Statistics Act is designed to modernize how labor statistics are collected and reported, place a stronger emphasis on demographic data, enhance the transparency of unemployment statistics, and clarify the duties of the Secretary of Labor regarding these statistics.

Relevant Companies

None found