Press Releases
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
Robust Federal Education Funding Necessary for Strong Economy; Republican Cuts Detrimental, Sec. Duncan Tells House Education Committee
04.29.14 WASHINGTON-The federal government must invest in our nation's schools to grow our economy and support students, rather than slashing education funding as congressional Republicans propose, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told the House education committee today. "I worry about the long-term impact of the continuing slide in federal education funding on the health of our economy and our democracy," said Duncan, testifying before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about the Dep… Continue Reading
Miller Comments on New Rule to Help Prevent Black Lung Disease by Reducing Exposure to Coal Mine Dust
04.24.14 WASHINGTON-Today Congressman George Miller, senior Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, provided the following comment on new rules issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to control coal mine dust and reduce exposure, helping protect miners' health and lives through the prevention of black lung disease: "While black lung rates have dropped dramatically for miners who began mining after the passage of Coal Act in 1969, there has been a resurgence of coal … Continue Reading
Miller, Levin Urge Bangladeshi Government to Improve Working Conditions
04.22.14 WASHINGTON - Today, in anticipation of tomorrow’s one-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sandy Levin (D-MI) and Committee on Education and the Workforce Senior Democratic Member George Miller (D-CA) sent a letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urging improved conditions for the country’s workers. The letter outlines specific labor issues that have yet to be addressed by the Bangladeshi government as part of the Labor Act… Continue Reading
Senators Warren, Harkin, Durbin & Congressman Miller Join Colleagues to Call on Education Department to Prohibit Harmful Banking Practices Targetting College Campuses
04.22.14 Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.), and their colleagues in the House and Senate today sent a bicameral letter to Secretary Arne Duncan of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in support of changes to Title IV's cash management rules, which are currently under revision. The letter urges ED to protect students from unfair banking practices, including campus-sponsored debit cards with terms… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Open Inquiry into Tennessee State Officials’ Potential Interference with Federal Labor Rights
04.16.14 WASHINGTON-Leading House Democrats today began an inquiry to assess whether Tennessee state officials may have violated or otherwise run afoul of federal law by undermining, or attempting to undermine, labor rights guaranteed to workers at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, during the recent United Auto Workers union election. Committee Democratic Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and John Tierney (D-Mass.), ranking … Continue Reading
Mine Safety Legislation Declared Dead by Chairman Kline, Miller Outraged
04.09.14 WASHINGTON—Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) effectively declared mine safety legislation dead for this session of Congress during today’s markup of labor-related legislation. “What we learned today is that the blood of the 29 miners who died at Upper Big Branch four years ago was shed in vain, and that congressional actions needed to prevent a similar disaster in the future will not be taken any time soon,” said Representative George Miller, senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Commi… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Force Votes on Priority Legislation to Help Workers and Families, Republicans Reject Proposals
04.09.14 WASHINGTON-Committee Democrats today forced votes on multiple pieces of priority legislation to help workers and families during a committee markup of two union-busting Republican bills. As Committee Republicans focused on moving highly partisan bills with no hope of becoming law, senior committee Democrat Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) led efforts to pass legislation, including the Fair Minimum Wage Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the Robert C. Byrd Min… Continue Reading
Raise the Minimum Wage and Pass Paycheck Fairness to Help Restore Equal Pay for Equal Work, Says Miller
04.08.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today to mark Equal Pay Day, which reflects how far into the current year women must work to match what men earned in the previous year: "Today, too many Americans are seeing their hard work go unrewarded because of circumstances beyond their control. Many women know this struggle all too well. Women in this country face a pay gap that means they earn 23 … Continue Reading
Committee Approves Bipartisan Bills to Support Charter Schools, Enhance Education Research
04.08.14 WASHINGTON- The House Education and the Workforce Committee today approved two pieces of legislation that will improve the nation’s K-12 education system. The Success and Opportunity through Quality Charters Act (H.R. 10) and the Strengthening Education through Research Act (H.R. 4366) both passed the committee with bipartisan support. “I am pleased the committee approved with bipartisan support two pieces of legislation that will help raise the bar in our nation’s schools,” Chairman John Kline… Continue Reading
Miller Announces New Subcommittee Ranking Democrats, Welcomes New Democratic Member
04.08.14 WASHINGTON-Today Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, announced new subcommittee ranking Democrats, a new Democratic committee member, and subcommittee assignments for the remainder of the 113th Congress. Committee Democrats held an organization meeting Monday evening, during which they elected Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) as the ranking member of the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee and Rep. Dave Loebsac… Continue Reading
Colombian Workers Continue to Face Widespread Violence, Human Rights Violations, Members of Congress Hear From New Report
04.07.14 WASHINGTON—Three years to the day after the U.S.-Colombia Labor Action Plan (LAP) was signed, workers in Colombia remain repressed through widespread violence and other human rights violations, according to a new report. The National Labor School (ENS) found that the limited reforms agreed to as part of the LAP have failed to produce meaningful results in protecting Colombian workers’ internationally recognized rights, including the right to be free from threats and violence, or in prosecuting r… Continue Reading