In FY 2018, DOL continued its conference review process involving the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, and the Office of the Solicitor. In total, DOL incurred over $4.5 million in costs to the Department for conferences in the fiscal year.

Throughout the year, DOL hosted a variety of conferences and trainings ranging from grantee trainings to agency leadership meetings which were designed to set the stage for the agency's significant initiatives for the next fiscal year, including organizational and management goals that are critical for the agency's successful implementation of its operating plan.

If there are any questions concerning this reporting, or if additional information is required, please contact Dylan Sacchetti, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, at sacchetti.dylan.m@dol.gov.

Department of Labor Conferences over $100,000 in costs to the Department

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Conference Title: CPI Full-Time Regional Staff Refresher
Conference Expenses: $108,200.00
Location: Indianapolis, IA
Date: September 18 – 20, 2018
Explanation: The purpose of this meeting was for CPI RO, OFO NO, and PO staff to discuss and address issues related to data collection, production, and analysis for the CPI survey through a variety of workshops with the goal of training staff on new procedures and improving collection skills. Over the three days, the parties met on the CPI geographic revision, methods and best practices for use of web-scraping, and obtaining corporate data sets in support of plans to reinvent its data collection business model.
Total Number of Federal Employee Participants: 95

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Conference Title: American Apprenticeship Initiative National Grantee Convening
Conference Expenses: $110,112.00
Location: Alexandria, VA
Date: April 23 – 25, 2018
Explanation: The purpose of the April 2018 convening was to bring together representatives of the 46 AAI grantees for a third time to learn from subject matter experts about expanding apprenticeship and to engage in peer learning across the grantee cohort. Experience and feedback from the first two AAI grantee national convening and past NGA Center-led efforts indicate that grantees greatly value the opportunity to learn from their peers. The national meeting included engagement with external subject matter experts and also help grantees identify strategies to expand and improve programs as well as to learn from Subject Matter Experts (SME) and engage in peer networking and learning. 
Total Number of Federal Employee Participants: 53

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud
Conference Title: 2018 OI All Hands Conference
Conference Expenses: $197,212.00
Location: Savannah, GA
Dates: May 7-11, 2018
Explanation: This conference provided all Office of Investigations employees critical training, including CIGIE required periodic training. The conference allowed Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from across the country to meet in small groups and discuss how best they can provide support and train agents working in their areas of expertise.
Total Number of Federal Employee Participants: 170

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Audit
Conference Title: Continuing Professional Education 2018 Conference
Conference Expenses: $224,085.85
Location: Louisville, KY
Dates: August 6 – 10, 2018 
Explanation: This conference provided approximately 24 hours of Continuing Professional Education to Office of Inspector General auditors and staff. This annual professional training requirement is mandated by GAO's Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards for the OIG to maintain its accreditation as a national audit organization.
Total Number of Federal Employee Participants: 110

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
Conference Title: Basic II Training
Conference Expenses: $367,045.71
Location: San Antonio, TX
Date: March 5 – 23, 2018
Explanation: Basic II Training is a required course intended for investigators who have accumulated at least 12 months of investigative experience following the Basic I Training. Investigators complete a series of pre-Basic II activities before attending the class. This final face-to-face training enables participants to conduct investigations beyond provisions covered by the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA). Facilitated by agency experts, the training focuses on advanced regulatory knowledge and investigative skills. The curriculum addresses Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, the Service Contract Act, Agriculture-related Acts, provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The training also addresses outreach and education practices that support compliance of WHD enforced labor laws.
Total Number of Federal Employee Participants: 115

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
Conference Title: Advanced Investigator Training
Conference Expenses: $202,704.06
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Date: April 9 – 20, 2018
Explanation: The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) enforces numerous federal labor laws across the country—including special provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Immigration and Nationality Act. Some of the more specialized laws WHD enforces concern H-2B labor laws and Section 14(c) of the FLSA (which governs the payment of sub-minimum wages to workers with disabilities). To enhance WHD investigators’ understanding of these more technical aspects of federal labor laws, WHD’s Training and Education Branch has developed advanced training for its investigators. This advanced training, among other things, allows investigators and supervisors to learn from agency experts and regional solicitors who regularly deal with these more complex laws. To improve efficiency, WHD has combined the trainings into two three-day training sessions at one location. 
Total Number of Federal Employee Participants: 144

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
Conference Title: Basic II Training
Conference Expenses: $213,927.22
Location: Beckley, WV
Date: July 9 – 26, 2018
Explanation: Basic II Training is a required course intended for investigators who have accumulated at least 12 months of investigative experience following the Basic I Training. Investigators complete a series of pre-Basic II activities before attending the class. This final face-to-face training enables participants to conduct investigations beyond provisions covered by the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA). Facilitated by agency experts, the training focuses on advanced regulatory knowledge and investigative skills. The curriculum addresses Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, the Service Contract Act, Agriculture-related Acts, provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The training also addresses outreach and education practices that support compliance of WHD enforced labor laws.
Total Number of Federal Employee Participants: 82