WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of more than $12 million in competitive funding to states through the Workforce Data Quality Initiative. Grants funded through this competition will be used to create longitudinal workforce databases and improve the quality and breadth of the data within existing systems.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced the transmittal of the Unemployment Compensation Integrity Act of 2010 to Congress. The draft legislation, if enacted, will help states fight employer fraud and reduce improper benefit payments.

Buffalo, New York – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment appointing an independent fiduciary to manage the abandoned 401(k) plan of defunct Franbilt Inc., which was a steel fabrication plant located in Lockport, New York. The court also has ordered the former owner of the company, Thomas Barnes, to pay $145,094 in restitution to the plan.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today certified for release $10,412,823 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to the state of Alaska. Alaska qualified for the remaining two-thirds of its share of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by extending unemployment benefits to individuals who leave jobs for compelling family reasons.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that approximately 8,500 workers from companies in 13 states – California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin – are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 444,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 448,000. The 4-week moving average was 450,500, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised average of 459,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.6 percent for the week ending May 1, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.6 percent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today unveiled a new tool to help employers and others understand how to comply with requirements under the H-1B visa program, which allows for the temporary employment of foreign workers in the U.S. in certain specialty occupations.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today unveiled the official theme for October's National Disability Employment Awareness Month: "Talent Has No Boundaries: Workforce Diversity INCLUDES Workers With Disabilities." The theme serves to inform the public that workers with disabilities represent a diverse and vibrant talent pool for hire.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration today announced that the EFAST2 electronic filing system for Forms 5500 and 5500-SF employee benefit plan annual reports has a new e-signature option. This option is designed to simplify the electronic filing process, especially for small businesses that use service providers to complete and file their annual reports.

Chicago – The U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Chicago, seeking the appointment of an independent fiduciary to terminate the Intercounty Title Company of Illinois retirement savings plan and to distribute more than $270,800 in assets to plan participants and beneficiaries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today certified for release $20,332,402 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to the state of Utah. Utah qualified for a portion of its share of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by updating its laws to allow workers to use recent earnings to qualify for benefits.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is launching a pilot program seeking to partner with building inspectors in 11 American cities to reduce injuries and fatalities at construction sites.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today unveiled a new interactive website, or Union Elections Advisor, to help millions of union members, union officers, union election committees and candidates in union elections better understand their rights and responsibilities under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. The site is http://www.dol.gov/elaws/unionelections.htm.

The Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards administers and enforces most provisions of the LMRDA.

Washington – Assistant Secretary of the Employee Benefits Security Administration Phyllis C. Borzi today issued the following statement regarding the Affordable Care Act:

"The Affordable Care Act lets young adults stay on their parents' health care plan until age 26. Before the President signed this landmark Act into law, many health plans and issuers could and did in fact remove young adults from their parents' policies because of their age, leaving many college graduates and others with no coverage.

Tacoma, Washington – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Keith D. Vincent and Vincent’s Apartment Washer Service Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington for allegedly using employee and employer contributions owed to the company’s savings incentive match plan for employees individual retirement account plan for the benefit of the company, in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Public invited to submit job videos for chance to win $1,000

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that it soon will release to the public a large portion of a greatly enhanced version of its Site Exposure Matrices website. The new version will contain more data and provide additional ways to look for information regarding toxic substances at U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons facilities covered under Part E of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

Tulsa, Oklahoma – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Oklahoma Insurance Department will host a free health law compliance assistance seminar on May 19 and 20 in Tulsa at the Tulsa Technology Center, Lemley Campus, 3420 South Memorial Drive, Health Science Building, Room HSC 3117.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the April 2010 Employment Situation report released today:

"This past April, the economy gained 290,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.9 percent.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that approximately 7,300 workers from companies in 15 states – Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin – are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance.