According to a May 28, 2017 article in the Austin American-Statesman, members of Congress, including Lloyd Doggett, asked the Department of Labor to change rules that shield frequent violators of USERRA. USERRA is the law that protects Guardsmen, Reservists and other service members from discrimination in their civilian jobs. Some employers just do not get it. They do discriminate frequently. Dept. of Labor knows who they are because DOL processes with administrative complaints filed by the Reservists.

In 2016, the House Veterans Affairs Committee opened an inquiry into the ,matter after the newspaper reported several employers in Texas frequently discriminated against Reserve members in their civilian jobs. DOL initially agreed to change their rules, but have not cooperated since. In Texas, some 16 different employers have had multiple complaints filed which DOL investigated. Those investigations resulted in a settlement or a finding of discrimination.

In 2016, the American-Statesman submitted FOIA requests to DOL seeking the names of the employers. But, the DOL refused, saying they need to protect the privacy of the service member. Lloyd Doggett met with DOL officials in December, 2016. They told him they feared that outing these employers would cause them to hire veterans less.

A review by the newspaper suggests some 40% of lawsuit filed based on USERRA are against state and federal agencies. Texas lead the nation in 2015 with 230 USERRA complaints filed with DOL.

The Trump administration has reportedly instructed departments to refuse requests from Democratic members of Congress, further obstructing Rep. Doggett’s efforts to seek transparency. See Austin American-Statesman report.