Explore Your Career Options Week (April 1-6)

This one is personal for me. If you are happy with your career, then this is not what you need. But, if the job you are doing is changing you and making you into someone you don't like...well, it's time to explore your options. After all, you have to live with yourself for the rest of your life.

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GE says it may move up to 500 US jobs overseas

General Electric Co. may move about 500 American jobs overseas because Congress did not renew a government program that allows foreign companies to borrow money to buy U.S. products, the industrial conglomerate said Tuesday.

Authorization for the U.S. Export Import Bank was not approved by Congress, forcing it to stop lending July 1. Foreign companies use the agency to buy expensive U.S. products when bank loans are not possible.

As a result, GE says 100 jobs from a Houston plant that makes gas turbines will move to Hungary and China in 2016. The Fairfield, Connecticut, company says those countries have lending options in place for customers.

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Hawaii County Discontinues Urinalysis Screenings for Employment

Hawaii County is settling an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit by agreeing to stop subjecting prospective county workers to urinalysis screenings.

Under terms of the settlement, the county will pay $115,000 in legal fees and stop requiring pre-employment urinalysis and other medical screenings, except for some employees considered “safety-sensitive” such as police officers.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of Rebekah Taylor-Failor, a Kailua-Kona resident who was required to complete a urinalysis before starting work as a county clerk.

The county said her drug test wasn’t going to screen for drug use, but assess her health.

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Introducing The Fair Chance Act

Washington, D.C. - September 11, 2015 (The Stuff Gazette) -- Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations released the following statement after the introduction of the Fair Chance Act:

“As Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee, it is my honor to join colleagues from the right and left today as we introduce this critical piece of legislation. To all those who worked tirelessly to make this day possible—I thank you.

“In particular, I am grateful to those in the business community who have led the way by removing the criminal history box from their applications. On its face, the Fair Chance Act of 2015 reforms the hiring practices of the federal government—practices that have long deserved a critical look. I commend my colleague and longtime friend Elijah Cummings for his leadership on this issue.

“At its roots, this bill is a response to our broken criminal justice system and the epidemic of mass incarceration. This bill acknowledges that one of the most difficult parts of coming into the criminal justice system is the journey of coming out of it. For an individual who has served their time and paid their debt, the process of re-entering society is paved with tremendous, and often insurmountable, obstacles.

“Roughly 70 million people in the United States have a criminal record—this is nearly one in every three adults. About 700,000 incarcerated individuals re-enter our communities each year. Research, experience, and common sense tell us that access to employment is to successful re-entry. Studies have shown that employment is the single most important influence on decreasing recidivism.

“But for formerly incarcerated individuals, the risks associated with unemployment extend beyond recidivism. We know that there is a direct link between unemployment and depression. One survey revealed the rate of depression among unemployed individuals was double that of employed individuals. Upon release, the risk of depression is already higher for formerly incarcerated individuals than that of the general public. That risk is undoubtedly exacerbated when combined with the shame and burden of unemployment.

“That is why it is especially meaningful that we are introducing this legislation today, on World Suicide Prevention Day. The prevalence of mental illness within our criminal justice system and the population of formerly incarcerated individuals is staggering. Opening up job will have a direct impact on the mental health and emotional well-being of these individuals.

“The introduction of the Fair Chance Act could not come at a more appropriate time—we are in an unprecedented surge of support for criminal justice reform. In my service as Ranking Member of the Crime Subcommittee, I have been working directly with Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers on legislation to reform all stages of our criminal justice system that we hope to introduce in the coming weeks. The Fair Chance Act of 2015 is one more critical step in this long overdue and urgently needed effort to comprehensively reform our criminal justice system.”

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Washington, D.C. - August 29, 2015 (The Stuff Gazette) -- A bill to protect pregnant workers from discrimination has been introduced in the Senate. This legislation would prohibit employers from discriminating or retaliating against workers who may have limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or other related medical conditions, and require employers to make reasonable accommodations for these employees. Employers would be prohibited from forcing pregnant employees to take paid or unpaid leave, or to leave a job against their will when an accommodation can be made for employees to continue working. These reasonable accommodations are similar to the accommodations required for employees with disabilities by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The legislation would apply to businesses with more than 15 employees and provide protections for both job applicants and employees. It also provides an exemption for businesses in the event an accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the employer.

“Women in the workforce should never be forced to choose between a healthy pregnancy and their paycheck,” said Senator Peters. “This legislation helps ensure that pregnant workers can continue to provide for their families throughout their pregnancy. I’m proud to cosponsor this important measure that will give workers in Michigan and across the country the workplace protections they deserve,” stated Senator Gary Peters (D-MI).

Rep. Veasey Works at Fort Worth-Based Eye Care Company Alcon

I think this is a wonderful idea, and I applaud Congressman Veasey for doing this.

Fort Worth, TX - August 14, 2015 (The Stuff Gazette) -- On Wednesday, August 19, Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, will join the assembly line at the Fort Worth-based global headquarters of Alcon, a leader in the eye care industry. In conjunction with the Democratic Caucus’ “Make It In America” initiative, Rep. Veasey will learn firsthand the tools that U.S. based manufacturers like Alcon need to continue producing quality goods made by American workers. Congressman Veasey will join the ranks of Alcon’s over 3,000 U.S. manufacturing employees to learn how to assemble surgical packs for ophthalmologists worldwide and prepare eye care products for global distribution.

Since March 2014, Veasey has spent a day each month working at a different job in his district learning about the diverse range of industries in the 33rd Congressional District of Texas. He has braved the Texas heat to perform door-to-door trash pickup at one of Dallas’ affordable housing developments, aided in storm clean up with the Dallas Parks and Recreation department, and worked as a waiter at Odom’s Barbeque. The Marc Means Business series connects Veasey with constituents at their place of employment to better understand the challenges they face in their work and daily lives.

Two pharmacists, Robert Alexander and William Conner, founded Alcon in 1945 as a small ophthalmic shop in Fort Worth, Texas. Over the course of seven decades, Alcon has grown from a hometown operation to become the global leader in eye care. Today, Alcon employs over 3,000 in its U.S.-based manufacturing sites, and more than 8,500 employees in the U.S.