CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA INTRODUCES THE DATA AND ACCESS AND TRANSPARENCY ACT (DATA)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) introduced the Data Access and Transparency Act (DATA). Every day, thousands of immigrant workers and English as a second language (ESL) workers turn to state and federally-funded labor agencies to access critical information, including health and safety protections, anti-discrimination protections, and wage and hour protections. This bill would make investigations and findings under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) more accessible to Americans who primarily speak a language other than English. A public database containing this information already exists on the Department of Labor's website; however, it is only in English. This bill will make this data available in the top 8 most spoken languages in the United States.

"I'm proud to introduce this bill to empower my community and communities like it by giving them the resources they need," said Congresswoman Garcia. "From firsthand experience, I've seen the uphill battles language barriers create for residents across my district, Texas, and the country. This bill is a massive step towards a more equitable country where all residents can thrive. We must ensure that this important information is accessible to as many workers as possible, including those whose primary language is not English."

"Workers across the country have the right to know when the US Department of Labor determines that businesses have violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. It's important for workers AND consumers and the promise of the OPEN Government Data Act can only be realized when the information is disseminated in the languages commonly spoken in this country, particularly because immigrant workers are the most frequent victims of wage theft. We comment Representative Garcia for introducing this bill and look forward to working with her to see it signed into law," Judy Conti, Director of Government Affairs, National Employment Law Project.

Wage theft has multiple forms, including not paying overtime, paying less than minimum wage, not paying for all hours worked, etc. It is the largest form of theft in the United States, and estimated that around $50 billion dollars are stolen each year from workers. Wage theft affects low-wage employees at a disproportionately higher rate than other individuals. For instance, in the ten most populous states in the country, 2.4 million low-wage employees were paid less than the legal minimum wage. These low-wage jobs are disproportionally worked by immigrants and those who do not speak English as a first language, making this legislation vital for protecting our most vulnerable laborers. This is a problem that workers continue to endure, and it is necessary to give workers and consumers the resources they need to identify companies guilty of wage theft, among other labor violations.

Current original cosponsors include: Reps. Barbara Lee, Jan Schakowsky, Colin Allred, Eleanor Holmes-Norten, Marc Veasey, and Darren Soto.

The bill is endorsed by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) and UnidosUS.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the Financial Services Committee.