Press Releases
Miller-Courtney Letter Calls for Action on Mine Safety Legislation, Recognizes Fourth Anniversary of Upper Big Branch Disaster
04.04.14 WASHINGTON— The House Republican majority still has not considered legislation to improve mine safety and close glaring loopholes in our nation’s mine safety laws that could help save miners’ lives, even as we mark the fourth anniversary of the deadliest U.S. coal mine tragedy in the last 40 years. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today sent a letter to committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) requesting that the committee mark up… Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Introduce the Strengthening Education through Research Act
04.02.14 WASHINGTON-Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) and Ranking Member Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) today introduced the Strengthening Education through Research Act (H.R. 4366), legislation that will reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act and make it easier for states and school districts to access timely information on successful education practices. "I firmly believe that in order to successfully prepare our students for the workforce… Continue Reading
Higher Education Policy Must Support Today’s Students, Including Those Transferring Schools, Witnesses Tell Committee
04.02.14 WASHINGTON-To meet future workforce demands, colleges and universities, states, and the federal government need policies that eliminate barriers to college completion for today's students, members learned at a House education committee hearing today. "Today's college students rely on diverse ways of learning, and institutions are exploring new models of education, but students face substantial barriers to completing their degrees and graduating as they move through the higher education system,"… Continue Reading
Kline, Miller Introduce Legislation to Support Quality Charter Schools
04.01.14 WASHINGTON-House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Senior Democrat George Miller (D-CA) today introduced the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 10), legislation to encourage the growth and expansion of quality charter schools. "I had the opportunity yesterday to visit two exceptional charter schools in Minnesota: Global Academy and Aspen Academy. Through conversations and classroom visits with students, parents, and teachers, I s… Continue Reading
Miller, House Democrats Reintroduce Legislation to Save College Students’ Time and Money When They Transfer Between Schools
04.01.14 WASHINGTON-Helping college students smoothly transfer between schools will save money for both students and taxpayers, while increasing the likelihood that transferring students will graduate on time. To help students who move between public institutions of higher education complete their studies without wasting time and money retaking courses, senior House Democrats reintroduced legislation today that allows students to keep more of their credits and protects their academic standing at the new … Continue Reading
Miller Cheers News That Seven Million People Have Enrolled in the ACA
04.01.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement upon the announcement that seven million people have enrolled in health insurance via the Affordable Care Act marketplaces: "Today's announcement that more than seven million people have signed up for health insurance through the marketplaces further confirms that the Affordable Care Act is making a difference in the lives of working families. During… Continue Reading
Labor Dept. Protecting Americans’ Economic Security, But Congress Must Support Workers and Raise Minimum Wage, Committee Learns
03.26.14 WASHINGTON-While U.S. Department of Labor initiatives will help increase working families' income and put Americans back to work, Republicans in Congress continue to hold up legislative proposals to strengthen the economy, members learned at a hearing with Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez today. "The core principle [behind the Labor Department's budget] is as American as they come: the notion that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should have the opportunity to succeed," said Perez, wh… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Department of Education’s New Civil Rights Data
03.21.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement upon the release of the Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2011-12 school year. It is the first comprehensive look at civil rights data from every public school around the country in nearly 15 years. "This new data shows how far we still have to go to give all kids an equal shot at a good education. By tracking vital issues like… Continue Reading
Congress Must Act on Comprehensive Immigration Reform and DREAM Act So All Students Have Opportunity to Succeed
03.18.14 LAS VEGAS, NV- By passing comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act, Congress can help ensure that all American high school students-including undocumented immigrants-have the opportunity to pursue college and a career, members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce learned at a field hearing on career and technical education programs today. "Today's career and technical education programs, or CTE, are successfully preparing millions of students for lifelong success, bri… Continue Reading
Miller Applauds President Obama’s Plan to Strengthen Overtime Protections
03.13.14 WASHINGTON-In response to President Obama's announcement today that he will direct the Department of Labor to revamp regulations on overtime pay, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement. "It's pretty simple: people deserve fair pay for a fair day's work. This is a basic promise of the American Dream. President Obama has moved to ensure we make good on that promise. Today's announcement will strengthen ov… Continue Reading
Senators Baldwin and Harkin, Reps. Miller and DeLauro Stand up for American Workers, Strengthening Opportunity for Economic Security
03.13.14 WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), have introduced legislation to give American workers the opportunity to succeed free of workplace harassment. The Fair Employment Protection Act corrects the error of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2013 decision in Vance v. Ball State University, which significantly weakened the ability of workplace harassment victims to seek legal recourse. Baldwin… Continue Reading
Charter Schools Can Boost Educational Success, Must Be Held Accountable for Serving All Students Equitably, Committee Learns
03.12.14 WASHINGTON—Exceptional charter schools are closing achievement gaps and shattering low expectations that have stood in the way of educational success for at-risk students, but, as public schools, charters must be held to a high standard of accountability to ensure they equitably serve all students, Representatives learned at House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing today. “In many ways, charter schools have been teaching us what is possible when it comes to educating kids—and their w… Continue Reading
House Dems Seek International Labor Accord on Gender-Based Violence at Work
03.12.14 WASHINGTON—In advance of this month’s International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Board meeting, leading Democratic lawmakers today asked the Obama Administration to support the ILO’s efforts to combat gender-based violence in the workplace around the world and across industries. Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and 34 other Democratic Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Labor Tom Perez seeking their backing for a proposed … Continue Reading
Harkin, Miller Welcome DOL Rule to Strengthen Fee Disclosure for Worker Retirement Accounts
03.11.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA), senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee, today welcomed the Department of Labor's (DOL) proposed rule to ensure employers are given a summary of the fees being charged in connection with their 401(k) and other retirement plans. "Millions of people are counting on their 401(k) plans to provide financ… Continue Reading
Inspector General Report on Campus Debit Card Use Confirms Need to Better Protect Students
03.11.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA) today said that a Department of Education Inspector General (IG) report they requested in 2012 recommends that the Department of Education should take action to better ensure that student interests are protected when colleges and universities use third-party servicers - such as Higher One and Sallie Mae - to deliver Title IV student financial aid dollars to students. “The Inspector General has expande… Continue Reading
Miller Announces Congress’s First eForum to Showcase Nationwide Importance of Increasing the Minimum Wage to $10.10 per Hour
03.10.14 WASHINGTON-People and organizations now have an opportunity to share their stories and research with the U.S. House of Representatives on the importance of increasing the minimum wage, thanks to an eForum announced today by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), author of a bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. "Study after study demonstrates the pressing need to raise the minimum wage. Academics and advocates will tell you that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour will… Continue Reading
Allegations of Illegal Pay Practices Lead Miller and Courtney to Question Fast Food Companies’ Labor Policies
03.06.14 WASHINGTON-Fast food workers already struggling to survive on the industry's low wages are also victims of an alarmingly widespread pattern of illegal pay practices. To learn more about the policies behind this reported abuse, senior Democratic members on the House committee with jurisdiction over labor laws today requested detailed information about the business model and labor practices at five of the nation's largest fast-food companies. Citing numerous reports of wage theft and the large pe… Continue Reading
New Report: 57 Percent of Small Business Owners Support Harkin-Miller Proposal to Raise Minimum Wage to $10.10
03.06.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to a new report from the Small Business Majority showing that 57 percent of small business owners support the Harkin-Miller proposal to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 because it will boost consumer demand for small businesses, h… Continue Reading
Union Elections Ambushed by Threats Against Workers, Not NLRB Rule, Witness Tells Committee
03.05.14 WASHINGTON-Free and fair union elections are jeopardized by anti-labor threats, such as those made recently in Tennessee, but not by the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) new election rule, according to witness testimony before the House Education and Workforce Committee today. During the hearing, Democratic committee members defended the NLRB's proposed rule from unfounded Republican attacks, while raising concerns about the democracy-threatening public comments that were made recently… Continue Reading
Miller Fought to Protect Taxpayers, Workers' Lives from House Republican Efforts to Impose Unnecessary, Onerous New Requirements
02.27.14 WASHINGTON-Today House Republicans jammed misguided legislation through the House that would unnecessarily hamstring the federal government's efforts to protect taxpayers and preserve American lives. In response to the 60 onerous new requirements included in the All Economic Regulations Are Transparent Act (Alert) Act (H.R. 2804), Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) offered two amendments aimed at safeguarding taxpayers and students, protecting public and workplace safety and health, and otherwise inc… Continue Reading