Situational Awareness
The Senate is not in session this week. The House is in session until Thursday.
House Elects Speaker McCarthy
Late Friday night, the rump group of representatives opposing Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid for the speakership finally relented and provided a pathway for the California Republican to pick up the gavel. With his election secured, the House of Representatives could move forward with swearing in its members and continuing its organizing work for the next two years. The concluded speaker election promises to be just the opening chapter in what is expected to be a contentious and frustrating two years for Republican leadership in keeping their troops on the same page. McCarthy and his leadership team have just four votes to spare on any legislation or risk failure. The razor-thin majority is likely to complicate the ability of leadership to do the things it needs to do to govern, such as increasing the debt limit or establishing a budget framework.
House This Week
The House will continue its organizing process this week by debating a rules package that determines how the House of Representatives will conduct its business for the next two years in the 118th Congress. There have been concerns about several provisions within the rules package some view as acceding too much power to the McCarthy holdouts: Specifically, several members have expressed their opposition to potential limits on defense department funding due to a provision in the rules holding fiscal year 2024 funding levels to what was enacted in fiscal year 2022. Freezing funding levels at 2022 rates would result in a reduction of the defense budget by roughly 7%. The House will also consider measures to rescind funding for the Internal Revenue Service that was part of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, creation of select committees on U.S.-China competition and “weaponization of the federal government.”
Labor Policy in Unified Regulatory Agenda
The Biden administration has released its unified regulatory agenda outlining potential issues and timing for regulatory actions it is planning to address. Among the many potential rules, the Department of Labor noted several items of interest to the club community.
- Establishing a new overtime threshold for exempt workers is projected to be released in May 2023.
- National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule on joint employer expected in August 2023.
- Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act panels begin for OSHA Heat Protocols January 2023.
- OSHA tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses final rule is projected for March 2023.
- Independent contractor classification final rule expected in May 2023.
- OSHA Hazard Communication Standards final rule update expected March 2023
NCA will continue to review the regulatory agenda for other agencies and provide updates to members as warranted.
New Webcast: Casting a Wider Net with Kid’s Programming
Join us Thurs., Jan 12, at 2 pm ET to expand your youth programming. Club membership is skewing younger and it’s a great time to attract new families—and keep them engaged and involved for a long time. Dan Schmitz, owner, KE Camps, will explain how focusing only on programming profits and loss can lead to missing out on some great options that offer long-term wins. Register here.
National Club Conference Registration is Now Open
Register now for the 19th annual National Club Conference, May 7-9 in Chicago! The industry’s most exciting Conference provides C-suite education for club presidents, board members, general managers/CEOs/COOs and staff with best-in-class facilities and recreational events. Don’t miss this opportunity to improve your skillset and professional network. Register at the pre-sale rate here.