News
Top Democrats Tell DeVos: Immigrant Student Rights Must Be Protected
by Corey Mitchell
04.03.17 Congressional Democrats want the Trump administration to stress that-despite drastic changes in federal immigration enforcement policy-the nation's public K-12 schools are still obligated to educate undocumented children. Seeking to ensure that the administration intends to honors its "sensitive locations" memorandum, which broadly prohibits the arrest of undocumented students and parents on school grounds schools and other "sensitive locations," the lawmakers-including U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, t… Continue Reading
House Democrats ask Trump administration to remind schools that they must educate undocumented children
by Emma Brown
04.03.17 House Democrats are asking the Trump administration to send a clear message reminding the nation's public schools that, despite recent changes in federal immigration enforcement policy, they are still legally obligated to educate undocumented children. The representatives expressed concern that the educational rights of undocumented students may be overlooked as the new administration cracks down on those in the country illegally. The Supreme Court ruled 25 years ago that U.S. public schools mu… Continue Reading
Top Democrat Introduces Bill to Direct Over $5 Billion to 'Disconnected' Youth
by Andrew Ujifusa
03.30.17 Legislation introduced by the top Democrat in the House of Representatives on education would direct $5.5 billion in competitive and formula grants to provide more educational and career opportunities for young people who are not in school and not working. Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott's bill, the Opening Doors for Youth Act, would authorize $2 billion in competitive federal money for "local community partnerships" in which school districts, local governments, and others would support alternative p… Continue Reading
Bill Proposed to Put Dropouts Back on Educational Path
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
03.28.17 As Krisha Ross got closer to aging out of foster care, she decided to drop out of high school in 2015 in order to find work. "I did not see the value of continuing school for two years when I needed to work to live," said Ross, who dropped out of high school in Los Angeles during her sophomore year. But she didn't have much luck. "I would sit and stare at the computer screen for hours filling out applications," she said. After attending a series of iFoster workshops on résumé w… Continue Reading
Cuts To Medicaid Will Hurt Our Children And Schools
by Rep. Bobby Scott
03.24.17 During the month of March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), and National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) are raising awareness of accessibility and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities in education, health care, and the workforce. But Republicans have moved full speed ahead with their proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and make drastic cuts to Medicaid. These change… Continue Reading
Don’t Discriminate Against Mutants Like Me
by Louise Aronson
03.23.17 SAN FRANCISCO - You can't tell by looking at me, but I'm a genetic mutant. My mother is, too, as were my aunt and grandmother. Our mutation is a chromosomal defect that puts us at increased risk for cancers of the colon, uterus, ovaries, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, kidney, urinary tract and brain - mostly organs it's hard to do without. I could tell you about another mutant relative, too, but I won't. Not after House Republicans proposed the so-called Preserving Employee Wellness Progr… Continue Reading
Economic security needed in Trump’s budget
by Rep. Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)
03.23.17 While working to reduce the federal deficit in Washington, we should not sacrifice key investments in our nation's infrastructure or in our citizens. Smart investment in our students and our teachers, in jobs and innovation, in working-class families, our communities and in a modernized transportation system, is an investment in our future. That's why I am so concerned about President Trump's recently released federal budget, which imposes harsh across the board cuts to a number of federal agen… Continue Reading
This Last-Minute Obamacare Amendment Could Hurt Millions of Veterans’ Health Coverage
by Christopher Jacobs
03.22.17 As the House of Representatives steamrolls toward a vote tomorrow on Republicans' "repeal-and-replace" legislation, lawmakers weighing their vote may wish to consider a few key questions. These include: How did an ostensibly "technical" amendment end up withdrawing refundable tax credits from up to seven million veterans? Does Donald Trump-who released a specific plan early in his campaign to "ensure our veterans get the care they need wherever and whenever they need it"-realize the potentia… Continue Reading
Murphy, Courtney: Trump cuts to job training grants could hurt EB
by Ana Radelat
03.22.17 WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's budget calls for cutting manufacturing training money that has helped provide hard-to-find skilled workers for Electric Boat and its suppliers, even as the president wants to ramp up building submarines. "This is exactly the wrong direction we should be going," said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2ndDistrict. In May of 2015, Courtney invited former Labor Secretary Thomas Perez to tour Electric Boat and its suppliers. The result: Connecticut received a $6 million gr… Continue Reading
Fewer Americans Would Be Insured With G.O.P. Plan Than With Simple Repeal
by Margot Sanger-Katz
03.21.17 The Congressional Budget Office recently said that around 24 million fewer Americans would have health insurance in 2026 under the Republican repeal plan than if the current law stayed in place. That loss was bigger than most experts anticipated, and led to a round of predictable laments from congressional Democrats - and less predictable ones from Republican senators, including Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Thune of South Dakota, who told reporters that the bill needed to be "more helpful… Continue Reading
Here's What Key Lawmakers Told State Chiefs About ESSA, Budget
by Alyson Klein
03.21.17 Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., told a roomful of state education chiefs Tuesday that he'll push to fund the new block grant Congress created under the Every Student Succeeds Act to help districts cover the cost of health, safety, technology programs, and moer. And he said he looks forward to the kind of innovation and change the new law can bring to states. Meanwhile, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., also an ESSA architect and the top Democrat on the House education committee, challenged states to deve… Continue Reading
Why Are We Criminalizing Black Students?
by Tyrone C. Howard
03.21.17 A recent special report in Education Week revealed serious concerns about the prevalence of school resource officers at elementary and secondary schools across the nation ("Policing America's Schools: An Education Week Analysis," Jan. 25, 2017). On the surface, the presence of law-enforcement personnel would seem to be a good step in helping to create and sustain safe learning environments for students and school personnel. However, a deeper look at the presence of SROs on school campuses raises… Continue Reading
Republicans’ arguments against Obamacare are in a death spiral
by Editorial Board
03.20.17 "OBAMACARE IS not going to last," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said Sunday when challenged to explain how he could support a replacement plan that independent experts project would result in millions of people losing health coverage. "There's no way Obamacare could stick another two or three years, let alone 10 years." This is the last rhetorical refuge for defenders of a shoddy GOP replacement plan: Practically any system would be better than the "collapsing" status quo. "Five states ha… Continue Reading
Congress May Undo Rule That Pushes Firms To Keep Good Safety Records
by Nell Greenfieldboyce
03.20.17 Safety advocates are worried that lawmakers are getting ready to make it harder to penalize companies that don't keep track of workers' injuries. Since 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has required many employers to keep careful records of any worker injuries or illnesses. David Michaels, the former head of OSHA who now is a professor at George Washington University's School of Public Health, says the rules affect millions of Americans employed in "everything from steel … Continue Reading
Compounding the Risk for Coal Miners
by Editorial Board
03.20.17 President Trump's vow to bring back the coal industry's heyday is a delusion. But it's already inspiring Republican legislatures in Appalachia to resurrect a grim element of those boom times: loose safety laws that endangered miners' lives and protected owners' profits. Republican leaders contend the federal government can do the inspections just as well as the states. This is a remarkable turn by politicians usually heard decrying the intrusiveness of Washington bureaucrats. The Trump adminis… Continue Reading
Grijalva: Republican Health Care Plan Hurts Arizona
by Nancy Montoya
03.20.17 The Republican health care plan will hurt Southern Arizona hospitals, along with those who lose health care in the state, Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva says. The state Medicaid system analysis released last week by The Associated Press estimated the plan now working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives will knock 380,000 Arizonans off of health insurance rolls. "The major hospital systems would then have to deal with people coming into their emergency rooms, and by law… Continue Reading
African Americans Have Much to Lose Under House GOP Health Plan
by Peggy Bailey
03.17.17 Running for President, President Trump asked African Americans, "What do you have to lose by trying something new like Trump?" As it turns out, one answer is health insurance. With the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimating that the House Republican health plan would cause 24 million people to lose health insurance, African Americans have particular reason for concern due to existing health disparities and related financial burdens. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) boosted the African Ame… Continue Reading
Meals on Wheels Helps Millions in LA, But Faces Large Cut in President Tump's Proposed Budget
by Elex Michaelson
03.16.17 MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (KABC) -- Meals on Wheels serves about 17 million meals each year in Los Angeles County through a variety of funding sources, but after President Donald Trump proposed a new budget, a significant source of funds could be drying up. Patrick Ward is disabled and lives on a fixed income. It's not easy for him to shop for himself. "It was something that changed my life," Ward said. "Every day I know that food is coming and I don't have to worry about it. It means a peace of… Continue Reading
‘It's merciless’: Democrats focus on seniors while attacking GOP health care bill
by Liz Goodwin
03.13.17 As congressional Republicans enter their second week pushing to overhaul the nation's health care system, Democrats have latched on to what they hope will be a particularly potent line of attack: the bill's implications for seniors, a key voting group in the midterm elections. At two marathon committee markups of the legislation last week, Democratic members of Congress blasted their colleagues for pushing through a bill that allows insurers to charge higher premiums for older people, referring… Continue Reading
Why a House bill wants workers' genetic information
by Ben Rosen
03.12.17 Since 2008, Americans have been protected from being penalized for refusing a genetic test in the workplace or having to share the results with their employer. That could change under legislation the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved on Wednesday. Passed along party lines, the bill, put forward by chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R) of North Carolina, is now under review by other House committees. If enacted, the legislation would mean that employees who refuse to submit to… Continue Reading