Sec. 9. Research, education, and technical assistance program
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The Secretary shall provide information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning compliance with this Act. In order to achieve the objectives of this Act— the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor, shall issue guidance on compliance with this Act regarding providing a flexible, predictable, or stable work environment through changes in the terms and conditions of employment as provided in section 3(a); and the Secretary shall carry on a continuing program of research, education, and technical assistance, including— conducting pilot programs that implement fairer work schedules, including by promoting cross training, providing three weeks or more advance notice of schedules, providing employees with a minimum number of hours of work, and using computerized scheduling software to provide more flexible, predictable, and stable schedules for employees; and evaluating the results of such pilot programs for employees, employee's families, and employers; publishing and otherwise making available to employers, labor organizations, professional associations, educational institutions, the various communication media, and the general public the findings of studies regarding fair work scheduling policies and other materials for promoting compliance with this Act; sponsoring and assisting State and community informational and educational programs; and providing technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, professional associations, and other interested persons on means of achieving and maintaining compliance with the provisions of this Act.
The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on— the impact of difficult scheduling practices on employees and employers, including unpredictable and unstable schedules and schedules over which employees have little control, and particularly how these scheduling practices impact absenteeism, workforce turnover, and employees' ability to meet their caregiving responsibilities; the prevalence in occupations not described in section 2(16)(A) of employees routinely receiving inadequate advance notice of the shifts or hours of the employees, being assigned split shifts, being sent home from work prior to the completion of their scheduled shift without being paid for the hours in their scheduled shift, being assigned call-in shifts (where the employee is required to contact the employer, or wait to be contacted by the employer, less than 24 hours in advance of the potential work shift to determine whether the employee must report to work), or being called into work outside of scheduled hours; the effects on employees in occupations not described in section 2(16)(A) of providing advance notice of work schedules, reporting time pay when employees are sent home without working their full scheduled shift or are assigned to call-in shifts but given no work for those shifts, and split shift pay when employees are assigned split shifts; and the effects on employers in occupations not described in section 2(16)(A) of providing advance notice of work schedules, reporting time pay when employees are sent home without working their full scheduled shift or assigned to call-in shifts but given no work for those shifts, and split shift pay when employees are assigned split shifts.
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall prepare and submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress concerning the initial results of the study conducted pursuant to paragraph (1). Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall prepare and submit a follow-up report to such committees concerning the results of such study.