Continuing his call for federal action in response to apparent fraud taking place at CareerSource Pinellas and CareerSource Tampa Bay, Congressman Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) inquired with the U.S. Department of Labor as to what oversight is currently in place and if changes are needed to prevent such misconduct from occurring in the future. This follows Crist's request that the House Committee on Education and the Workforce look into these troubling reports.

Please find below and attached a copy of the letter sent Thursday to Labor Secretary Acosta:

January 25, 2018

Secretary Alex Acosta
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20210

Dear Secretary Acosta,

I write to you regarding troubling reports of mismanagement at two workforce development programs in the Tampa Bay region, including my congressional district.  This week, I asked Chairman Virginia Foxx and Ranking Member Bobby Scott to review reporting by the Tampa Bay Times which highlights the falsification of records by officials at CareerSource Pinellas and CareerSource Tampa Bay. Given that Department of Labor funding may have be used to conduct these activities, it would seem the Department has an important role to play in that oversight process as well.

As you know, CareerSource centers in Florida rely heavily on federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding. Please provide information on what accountability and oversight processes the department follows to protect the integrity of WIOA funding.  I think we can both agree that inadequate oversight of federal tax dollars can come at a steep cost to both taxpayers and the communities who rely on these important workforce development programs.  The enclosed reports would suggest that simply outsourcing stewardship of federal tax dollars to the states may be insufficient.

Sincerely,

Charlie Crist
UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN