Washington – The Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans (also known as the ERISA Advisory Council) will meet July 21-23, 2009 in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, Room N-3437A-B.

Kansas City — A former employee of a Kansas City, Mo., gaming casino was sentenced to one year in federal prison and three years of supervised probation after completion of her prison term. Dana Wachter also was ordered to make approximately $38,000 in restitution stolen from a co-worker.

The sentencing was based on a criminal investigation by the U. S. Department of Labor’s Regional Office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) in Kansas City, Missouri and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Cincinnati – A free health law compliance assistance seminar for employers, plan fiduciaries and plan services providers, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the Ohio Department of Insurance, will take place July 15 and 16 at the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Hotel at the University of Cincinnati, 151 Goodman Drive.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the death of former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara:

"I offer my condolences to the McNamara family during this difficult time.

"Robert S. McNamara was a fellow Californian and a quintessential public servant.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained two federal court orders appointing the same independent fiduciary to manage the abandoned profit-sharing plans of defunct H&M Tool & Machine Co. Inc. and Valmar Industrial Corp., both formerly located in the Binghamton, New York, area.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the June 2009 Employment Situation report released today:

"Today's news is a reminder of the severity of the economic problem that this administration inherited and continues to illustrate the pressing needs of American working families.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending June 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 614,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 630,000. The 4-week moving average was 615,250, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average of 618,000.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced 17 grants, totaling more than $7.5 million dollars, to provide approximately 3,000 veterans with job training to help them succeed in civilian careers. The grants are being awarded under the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Workforce Investment Program (VWIP).

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a second and final increment of a National Emergency Grant, in the amount of $7,933,200, to assist in the continued clean-up and recovery efforts in Texas following Hurricane Ike.

"The state of Texas is still working to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Ike in late summer 2008," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "This increment will create additional temporary jobs to aid in the state's ongoing clean-up and recovery efforts."

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a $3,026,914 National Emergency Grant increment to continue assisting 1,063 California workers affected by mass layoffs and closures in the mortgage and banking industries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an $11,646,300 grant to create approximately 641 temporary jobs to continue the clean-up and recovery efforts necessary as a result of the 2008 severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Iowa.

"The grant awarded today is a result of the continued need for clean-up and restoration in the counties damaged in Iowa as a result of the 2008 disaster events and the discovery of additional damage," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

Atlanta – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has obtained a consent judgment and settlement agreement requiring restoration of more than $10,000 to the pension plan of defunct Professional Employee Leasing Inc. of Dadeville, Alabama.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $2,212,751 to assist state apprenticeship agencies in the development of strategies to better serve dislocated workers and other unemployed individuals through expanded partnerships with the Registered Apprenticeship system, which is administered by the department's Employment and Training Administration.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced 10 grants totaling $18,715,780 to fund projects that will support young offenders seeking to enter the workforce. Funding announced today is focused on three areas: 1) young offender re-entry planning grants, 2) juvenile offender implementation grants for state and local government partnerships and 3) one intermediary re-entry grant to an organization with experience in conducting project demonstrations in multiple cities.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $2,203,292 National Emergency Grant increment to continue to assist approximately 1,515 Wisconsin workers impacted by automotive industry layoffs and plant closures in Rock County, Wis.

"These workers deserve training and employment services that will allow them to re-enter the workforce," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The department is committed to helping auto workers upgrade existing skills or pursue new careers in promising regional industries."

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1,624,000 National Emergency Grant increment to continue to assist Illinois workers impacted by layoffs and plant closures at 31 companies across the state.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today certified for release $13,007,527 in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization incentive funds to the state of New Mexico. New Mexico qualified for a portion of its share of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) by allowing workers to use their more recent earnings to qualify for benefits.

NEW YORK — Atlantic Auto Care Center Inc. of Brooklyn; 109th & First Avenue Corp. of Manhattan; 3808 Boston Road Car Wash Inc., 2434 CW Corp. and Boulevard Car Wash of N.Y. Inc., all of the Bronx; Michael's Car Wash Inc. and Howard Beach Car Wash Corp., both of Queens; 613 Car Wash Corp.

SAN ANTONIO Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today addressed the annual gathering of the American Society of Safety Engineers. She applauded the efforts of the nation's safety and health professionals, and announced that the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will launch a major construction safety initiative in Texas to prevent workplace injuries and fatalities.

WASHINGTON Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced 98 grants, totaling more than $25 million, to provide approximately 15,000 veterans with job training to help them succeed in civilian careers. The grants are being awarded under the U.S. Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP).

"This funding will help veterans across the country access the resources they need to find good jobs and build a bright future for themselves and their families," said Secretary Solis.