Press Releases
Miller Applauds Vergara Decision, Affirms Students’ Right to Equity in Education
06.10.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement in response to today's decision in the Vergara v. California case, in which a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that three state laws regarding teacher tenure and dismissal are unconstitutional because they infringe upon poor and minority students' right to an equitable education: "Judge Treu's ruling affirms the simple and undeniable premise that e… Continue Reading
EEOC Remains Critical to Stopping Workplace Discrimination, Subcommittee Learns
06.10.14 WASHINGTON-Fifty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, there remains a substantial, ongoing need to combat discrimination and advance civil rights in the workplace, members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee learned at a hearing on the Equality Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today. "The foundation of our civil rights laws is to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to participate in and contribute to society, while being able to provide for themselv… Continue Reading
Miller: President Obama’s New Plan Will Help Millions Manage their Student Debt
06.09.14 WASHINGTON—Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in support of President Barack Obama’s plan to help millions of people who have borrowed to pay for their college education better manage their debt: “A higher education remains the surest path to the middle class and economic prosperity in this country,” said Rep. Miller. “Unfortunately, too many families have been engulfed by debt as they work to affor… Continue Reading
Praise for Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Improve America’s Workforce Development System
06.05.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.- Since a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators announced a deal to improve the nation's workforce development system through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a broad array of labor, business, and workforce development leaders, as well as governors and mayors from around the country, has expressed support for the proposal. Read a summary of the bill here. Excerpts from letters of support sent to the bipartisan, bicameral group are immediately below, and … Continue Reading
Miller Announces Changes to Education and the Workforce Committee Democratic Staff
06.02.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller, senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today announced changes to the committee's Democratic staff. Megan O'Reilly has been promoted to staff director for the Committee Democrats. She is replacing Jody Calemine, who is leaving the committee after more than a decade of service to take a position with the Communications Workers of America. Brian Kennedy will assume Megan's former role as general counsel. Miller lauded Calemine upon his … Continue Reading
Miller: Republicans Put Special Interests Ahead of Children’s Health
05.29.14 WASHINGTON—Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today after Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee passed an agriculture spending bill that will allow schools to opt out of standards requiring that students across the country receive healthy school meals. Rep. Miller was the original sponsor of the House version of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which made the nutrition requirements law … Continue Reading
153 House Democrats to USTR Froman: Protect Workers’ Rights in TPP Negotiations
05.29.14 WASHINGTON, DC-More than 150 House Democrats today called on United States Trade Representative Michael Froman to do more to protect and strengthen international workers' rights as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. Led by Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), 153 Democratic Representatives sent a letter to Ambassador Froman asking that the ongoing TPP negotiations include an enhanced framework for pr… Continue Reading
Miller: President’s Plans Will Help Protect Youth from Concussions
05.29.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and leader of legislative efforts to better protect our nation's children from concussions sustained while playing sports, released the following statement in response to the White House's Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit: "Sports are a great way for our nation's youth to stay healthy, as well as to learn important leadership and team-building skills. But concussions sust… Continue Reading
Bicameral Group of Democratic Lawmakers Introduces Legislation to Prohibit Risky Banking Practices on College Campuses
05.22.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.—Lawmakers in both the Senate and House today introduced legislation to protect students from unfair banking practices involving campus-sponsored financial products and to preserve the integrity of federal student aid programs. These bills remove conflicts of interest and end kickbacks between financial institutions and schools, ensure that students are in control of their own financial aid and banking products, and provide much-needed transparency over campus-sponsored financia… Continue Reading
Leading Congressional Democrats Call for Stronger Oversight of Dangerous Chemical Storage Facilities
05.21.14 WASHINGTON—Following the recommendations of a newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, leading Democratic lawmakers called on the Obama administration to better protect workers and communities against disasters like last year’s massive ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion in West, Texas. “Last year’s devastating ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, is a tragic example of what can happen when there are inadequate protections on the use of highly explosive c… Continue Reading
Bipartisan, Bicameral Group Announces Deal to Improve American Workforce Development System
05.21.14 (Washington, D.C.) - Today, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers announced that they have reached a deal to improve the nation's workforce development system through new legislation, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill, which will now be considered by both the House and Senate, modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st century jobs, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American business… Continue Reading
House Leaders Call on Colombian President To Investigate Recent Bombing, Protect Worker Safety
05.15.14 WASHINGTON—In light of recent violence against workers throughout Colombia, today leaders from the U.S. House of Representatives asked the Colombian government to investigate the recent bombing of a public sector union’s headquarters in the industrial Colombian city of Cali and to further safeguard workers’ rights. Members of the Congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia, which is charged with overseeing the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement’s (FTA) provi… Continue Reading
Reps. Miller, Conyers, and Scott Honor Brown v. Board Anniversary, Call for Examination of Education Equity Today
05.15.14 WASHINGTON-At the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, much more must be done to reduce segregation and increase equity in our school system, say Representatives George Miller, John Conyers, and Bobby Scott. Today the three members sent a joint letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request an examination of current policies in school districts and the impact of such policies on racial and socioeconomic integration and student educati… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Service Member Loan Abuses by Sallie Mae
05.13.14 WASHINGTON-U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement after today's announcement of the federal government's settlement with Sallie Mae to resolve allegations that the loan servicer violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. "The Department of Justice and other federal regulators today stood up to defend the rights of our nation's service members and the benefits they have earned. Our nation's st… Continue Reading
Miller, Kline Praise Passage of Charter School Bill
05.09.14 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House of Representatives today approved the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 10) with strong bipartisan support in a vote of 360 to 45. Introduced by House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Senior Democratic Member George Miller (D-CA), the legislation supports state efforts to start, expand, and replicate high-performing charter schools. “This bipartisan legislation will help ensure that every child in e… Continue Reading
House Democrats Call On USTR to Stop Hiding Real Export Numbers
05.09.14 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Four Democratic members of the House of Representatives-Rosa DeLauro, George Miller, Louise Slaughter and Paul Tonko-today called on the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to be upfront about the true cost of the Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed two years ago. The Korea FTA is a template for the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and both are based on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has shipped jobs overseas and weakened the middle class. A … Continue Reading
College Athletes Unionizing for Basic Health and Safety Protections, Witnesses Tell Committee
05.08.14 WASHINGTON-College athletes lack many basic health and safety protections, which has spurred them to band together to seek union representation and generate policy changes, members learned at a Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing today. The hearing explored the issues faced by today's college athletes, who are key figures in the multi-million-dollar collegiate sports business and find that the 40 to 50 hours a week that they must dedicate to numerous sports-related practices and te… Continue Reading
Tierney, Miller Introduce Student Loan Refinancing Bill to Help Make Paying for College More Affordable
05.06.14 WASHINGTON-Millions of student loan borrowers would save thousands of dollars under the new legislation being introduced today by Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The Bank on Students Emergency Refinancing Act would allow borrowers to refinance federal and private student loans to the lower rates that are currently available to new borrowers. Nearly 40 million Americans are working to repay $1.2 tr… Continue Reading
New Report Shows Graduates Could Save $4,000 By Refinancing Student Loans
05.06.14 WASHINGTON-Details on the amount of money that student loan borrowers would save under the new legislation introduced yesterday by Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, are being released today in a report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The Bank on Students Emergency Refinancing Act would allow borrowers to refinance federal and private student loans to the lower rates that are currently… Continue Reading
Miller Applauds Effort to Keep Students Safe from Sexual Abuse by Clarifying Schools’ Responsibility
04.29.14 WASHINGTON—In response to today’s release of updated guidance from the U.S. Department of Education to help schools and districts better protect children from sexual violence, Representative George Miller, senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement: “Providing schools with clearer guidelines about their responsibility to protect students from sexual violence by school personnel, as the Department of Education has done with today’s updat… Continue Reading