Last Tuesday, led by CUPA-HR’s government relations team, four groups of higher ed HR leaders met with members of Congress and the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Our board members, along with CUPA-HR President Andy Brantley and Senior Vice President Rob Shomaker, engaged lawmakers on pressing concerns impacting the higher ed workforce.
CUPA-HR’s Day on the Hill
During the day in D.C., CUPA-HR met with Republican and Democratic members of the House and Senate. In our discussions, CUPA-HR advocated three key higher ed HR policy priorities: rulemaking around the Fair Labor Standards Act, H-1B visa fees, and the employment status of student-athletes.
CUPA-HR shared concerns on the FLSA and repeated conflicting rulemaking on overtime thresholds, joint employer liability, and contractor classification, which has left higher education HR professionals in a state of ongoing legal uncertainty. The groups also stressed that the fee on new H-1B visa petitions and the accompanying proposed rule to increase prevailing wage levels impose a significant financial burden on colleges and universities. CUPA-HR also urged Congress to preserve the scholar-athlete model under the Fair Labor Standards Act or the National Labor Relations Act. One of the groups also had the opportunity to meet with leaders in the Department of Labor, including Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling.
You Don’t Have to Go to D.C. to Be an Advocate for Higher Ed HR
Our government relations team is hard at work supporting higher ed HR by preparing position statements and comments, collaborating with counterparts at other higher ed and HR associations, and meeting with members of Congress, congressional staff and regulatory agencies. Our goal is not only to be heard by policymakers in D.C., but also to educate institutions about federal legislative and regulatory changes and their impact on the higher ed workforce.
We encourage you to stay current on the issues most relevant to your institution, and to share with campus leaders any information that may be useful:
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