(a) The Department has the power to acquire and diffuse among the people useful information concerning the means of promoting the material, social, intellectual, and moral prosperity of laboring men and women.
     (b) The Department shall monitor the employment progress of women and minorities in the work force, including access to the public sector, the private sector, labor unions, and collective bargaining units. This information shall be provided to the General Assembly in the form of a biennial report no later than April 1 of each even-numbered year.