HR Policy Association Outlines Workplace Policy Priorities of Large Employers to 118th Congress

Chief HR Officers address the most important issues
facing the nation’s employers and their employees

WASHINGTON, D.C. – HR Policy Association, representing chief human resource officers of more than 400 of the largest employers in the United States, today releases its letter sent to all members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as the 118th Congress convenes and begins working towards the development of legislative proposals.  The Association would welcome the opportunity to work with these members of Congress to develop pragmatic solutions and forward-thinking workplace public policies to address the most important issues facing the nation’s employers and their employees. 

HR Policy Association is the leading organization representing chief human resource officers (CHROs) of the largest corporations doing business in the United States and globally. Collectively, the Association’s more than 400 member companies employ more than ten million employees in the United States—nearly nine percent of the private sector workforce—and 20 million employees worldwide. The Association brings CHROs together to discuss and advocate for improvements in human resource policy and practices, and to pursue initiatives that promote job growth, employment security, and competitiveness.

Chatrane Birbal, vice president of government relations of HR Policy Association, highlighted the following issues in the letter that are of particular importance to HR Policy member companies:

• Paid Family and Medical Leave - The Association’s member companies understand the importance of paid family and medical leave and have experience and expertise with the implementation of these benefits. As you pursue legislative text, we urge you to consider some of the issues and questions we are hearing from our members related to a national federal paid FMLA program.
  
  
• Health Care Affordability and Prescription Drug Prices - Rising prescription drug and hospital prices continue to be top concerns for our members. As such, we support increasing transparency throughout the prescription drug supply and reducing anti-competitive practices through patent reform and prohibiting all-or-nothing contract clauses. The Association also believes all Americans should have access to affordable high-quality healthcare benefits and we look forward to working with Congress to modernize health plans that accompany health savings accounts to provide predeductible coverage for primary care, chronic disease management, and access to onsite clinics.
  
  
• Behavioral Health - The Association appreciates Congress extending the ability for employees to continue to utilize telehealth benefits through 2024 as telehealth is critically important for timely access to behavioral health providers and services. We encourage you to permanently expand employee access to telemedicine, including enabling employers to offer a telehealth service plan to all employees regardless of their enrollment in the employer’s medical coverage. We look forward to working with Congress to improve access without creating unintended problems.
  
  
• Non-compete Agreements - A proposed rule to ban non-compete agreement has been published in the Federal Register by the Federal Trade Commission. We believe that non-compete clauses, when used responsibly, can help companies protect vital investments in their employees, while ensuring the security of research and development, trade secrets, and institutional knowledge. As such, we oppose a blanket restriction on the use of non-compete clauses in employment agreements, especially at senior executive levels.
  
  
• Workforce Development and Job Training - According to the Association’s Workplace 2020 report, in the United States, employers pay for the bulk of formal and informal postsecondary workforce education and training. As lawmakers continue to consider legislation to support the workforce, including workforce development, HR Policy encourages you to support employer-provided initiatives.
  
  
• Data Privacy - Large employers seek to maintain a culture of trust in the workplace while providing leading wages, benefits, and a safe work environment. Toward these ends employers collect and process information about workers that is essential for issuing pay checks, administering benefits— such as health insurance and paid leave—and withholding taxes. As Congress works on consumer privacy legislation, we encourage members to consider the inherent differences between employment-related and consumer data. Any federal consumer privacy legislation must be clear in its scope—focused on consumers.
  
  
• Employment-based Immigration - The Association along with our members encourage Congress to pass legislation that will create a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, young immigrants brought illegally into the U.S. as children. In addition, we encourage Congress to take action to support international STEM talent. DACA recipients and STEM talent fill key roles in organizations across the country, including in many HR Policy member companies. Congressional action is needed to help U.S. companies meet their critical workforce needs, especially as the nation is grappling with a workforce shortage crisis. In areas where such workers meet a workforce need, wages increase and new jobs are created, contributing to the U.S. economy.
  
  
• Labor Law Reform - Employee voice is critical in fostering positive workplace culture, productive work environments, and peaceful labor relations. Current federal labor law is based on an outdated, adversarial labor relations model pitting unions against employers that inhibits practical solutions to modern workplace issues We encourage lawmakers to find solutions that embrace the future of work and allow for more creative and integrated labor relations paradigms prioritizing employee voice.
  
  
• Contingent Workers - The Association believes that independent contractors play a vital role in the American economy, and that the flexibility provided by contracting work arrangements provide numerous benefits for both workers and companies. The Association further acknowledges the necessity for greater protections for gig economy workers. Accordingly, the Association encourages legislation that would empower companies to provide benefits and protections for their contingent workers without unnecessarily creating an employer-employee relationship.
   

To read the full letter, visit: https://www.hrpolicy.org/getmedia/0d8d7a29-9777-433e-9084-d2307ea6c522/HRPA-Welcome-118th-Congress.pdf 

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HR Policy Association is the lead organization representing chief human resource officers of major employers. The Association consists of more than 400 of the largest corporations doing business in the United States and globally, and these employers are represented in the organization by their most senior human resource executive. Collectively, their companies employ more than 11 million employees in the United States, over nine percent of the private sector workforce, and 20 million employees worldwide.   They have a combined market capitalization of more than $8 trillion. These senior corporate officers participate in the Association because of their commitment to improving the direction of human resource policy. Their objective is to use the combined power of the membership to act as a positive influence to better public policy, the HR marketplace, and the human resource profession.  For more information visit www.hrpolicy.org.