Labor gains bigger voice in job training boards nationwide
H.R. 567 — Expanding Labor Representation in the Workforce System Act · Filed by Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 20, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill increases the minimum labor representation on state and local workforce development boards from 20% to 30%, and expands the definition of 'labor organization' under federal workforce law to include labor federations, public-sector unions, railroad workers, and agricultural workers—groups currently excluded from the standard definition. The effect is to give organized labor a larger voice in how workforce training and employment programs are designed and run.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to increase labor's formal seat share on workforce boards and broaden which worker organizations count as 'labor organizations' for that purpose. It is a straightforward governance reform aimed at worker voice in employment policy.
What the text implies
- Labor organizations may gain leverage in negotiating apprenticeship standards, wage floors, and training curricula through board membership, potentially raising labor costs for employers using these programs.
- Public-sector unions (previously excluded from the definition) now have formal standing in workforce boards, expanding their influence over public employment and training policy.
- Agricultural and railroad worker inclusion may shift board priorities toward sectors historically underserved by workforce development funding.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Workers and labor organizations gain formal representation in workforce development decisions that directly affect job training, placement, and wage standards. Expanding the definition to include public-sector and agricultural workers ensures broader worker voice. The higher threshold ensures labor cannot be marginalized on these boards.
Named in the bill
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), State workforce development boards, Local workforce development boards, National Labor Relations Act, Labor organizations, Labor unions, Public-sector unions, Agricultural workers, Railroad workers
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Jan 20, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 20, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $240,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 45 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Mikie Sherrill, the sponsor, reported $-3,200 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- National Right to Work Committee — $240,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 16, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,315 characters) on Sep 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 16, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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