Press Releases
Bishop, Miller Take Action to Give Millions of Americans a Raise
02.26.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) today filed a discharge petition to force an up-or-down vote on Rep. George Miller's (D-Calif.) bill that will give at least 25 million hard-working Americans a raise. The Fair Minimum Wage Act (H.R. 1010) increases the minimum wage over three years from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour, indexes future annual increases to inflation thereafter, and gradually increases the tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the minimum wage. "The discharge petition I filed today is an … Continue Reading
Self-Funded Health Insurance Plans Offer Employees Critical Consumer Protections Under the ACA but Need Oversight to Protect Enrollees, Subcommittee Hears
02.26.14 WASHINGTON—Provisions within the Affordable Care Act are both boosting the economy and helping millions of Americans receive affordable, quality health care, but adequate oversight is needed for “self-funded” insurance plans, witnesses testified at a Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee hearing today. “Of the workers who get coverage through their jobs, about three in five work for an employer who self-funds their coverage, which means that they directly assume responsibility fo… Continue Reading
Miller and Hinojosa Encouraged by Department of Education’s Efforts to Rein in Distance Education Fraud, Recognize More Work is Needed
02.25.14 WASHINGTON-Congressmen Miller and Hinojosa released the following statement in response to a report from the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General highlighting the need for additional safeguards to protect taxpayer money used by students to pay for distance education. "Today's report underscores the ongoing challenges we face in the unique environment of distance education, which is rapidly evolving and expanding. The Education Department has already taken a number of positive … Continue Reading
Miller Recommits to Raising the Federal Minimum Wage in Light of New CBO Report
02.18.14 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 Congressional Budget Office report on the effects of a minimum wage increase on employment and family income. "No one who works full time should live in poverty, and today's CBO report confirms that raising the minimum wage will lift nearly a million people above the poverty line. While CBO has reproduced an outdated view of the em… Continue Reading
GAO Report Highlights Troubling Practices at Schools Offering Campus Debit and Prepaid Cards; Harkin and Miller Urge Action to Protect Students
02.13.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) called for action to better protect students and increase transparency around debit and prepaid card agreements between schools and financial firms. The lawmakers' action follows the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report today that confirms a number of alarming practices that occur when colleges partner with financial institutions to market debit cards to students. Harkin chairs the Sen… Continue Reading
Executive Order Raising Minimum Wage a Good First Step; Now Congress Needs to Act, Says Miller
02.12.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) lauded President Obama's executive order to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers and called on Congress to finish the job for all Americans by passing the Fair Minimum Wage Act today in the following statement: "By raising the minimum wage for federal contractors, President Obama's new executive order will benefit hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans and boost productivity, reduce costs, and improve efficiency on federal contrac… Continue Reading
Miller Calls on Department of Education to Better Protect Students’ Civil Rights and Promote Equity
02.12.14 WASHINGTON—Without immediate action from the Department of Education (ED), students’ civil rights could be at risk, said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus today in a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The letter explains that ED has approved policies under Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility that weaken accountability for student achievement. In 2… Continue Reading
American Retailers’ Garments “Made With Violence Against Women” in Bangladesh, Miller Says
02.11.14 WASHINGTON-Women working in Bangladesh's garment factories are caught in a web of exploitive social and economic structures, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) said today after meeting with a teenage garment worker who was trapped in the building collapse at Rana Plaza that killed more than 1,100 workers and injured 2,500 more. Following a meeting between Reba Sikder, the 19-year-old garment worker; Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity; the International La… Continue Reading
Reps. Slaughter, DeLauro and Miller: Record Trade Deficit with South Korea Shows Why Congress Should Oppose Job-Killing Trans-Pacific Partnership
02.06.14 WASHINGTON - In light of new data released today that shows the U.S.-South Korea trade imbalance has reached its largest deficit on record just two years after the Korea-United States (KORUS) agreement went into effect, Representatives Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and George Miller (D-CA) renewed their call to oppose Fast Track authority and stop future flawed trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that threaten American jobs. "Just two years after the KORUS agr… Continue Reading
American Children Deserve Federal Investments in High-Quality Early Learning Programs, Witnesses Tell Committee
02.05.14 WASHINGTON-High-quality early learning can improve educational outcomes and strengthen our economy, and Congress must invest more in these programs, particularly to aid low-income working families who lack affordable, quality choices for their children, witnesses testified before the House Education and the Workforce Committee today. "Ask any parent in America how important access to pre-K is for their family, or whether the quality of their child's program matters. They will tell you how impor… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on NLRB Rule to Streamline Union Election Process
02.05.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a proposed rule aimed at streamlining the process through which employees can form a union: "I commend the NLRB for announcing a proposed rule that will help modernize union elections and eliminate unnecessary delays. This common-sense rule will reduce frivolous litigation, reduce delays in scheduling … Continue Reading
OSHA Needs Better Tools to Protect American Workers from Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses, House Labor Subcommittee Learns
02.04.14 WASHINGTON—At a congressional hearing intended to attack the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for allegedly exceeding its authority, Members of Congress instead learned that legislative reforms are needed to give OSHA the tools and resources necessary to protect worker health and safety. “Our committee needs to focus on helping OSHA address the challenges of updating outmoded health standards, but instead, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying to use this h… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Obama’s Plan to Invest in High-Speed Internet Access for Schools
02.04.14 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement to applaud President Obama’s announcement that the FCC will be investing $2 billion in the E-Rate program, which will give more than 20 million students high-speed broadband access over the next two years. To highlight the need to make the latest technology available to teachers and children across the country, Rep. Miller will also be joining … Continue Reading
Miller Releases New Report on Preventing Sexual Abuse in Schools, Calls for Hearings to Address Issue
01.30.14 WASHINGTON—Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today released a report that reviews national efforts to prevent sexual abuse of students by school personnel in public K-12 schools and called on Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) to hold hearings aimed at addressing the shortcomings of child abuse laws and regulations. “Children have a right to be safe in schools and schools have a legal and moral obligation to fulfill that prom… Continue Reading
Miller Reacts to Obama State of the Union Address; Calls for Action to Raise the Minimum Wage, Support Early Childhood Education
01.28.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement in response President Barack Obama's 2013 State of the Union address tonight: "Tonight, President Obama called on Congress to get on board and increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour so that hard-working Americans with full-time jobs don't have to raise their families in poverty. More than 180 of my colleagues have already signed on to H.R. 1… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on President Obama’s Announcement to Raise Minimum Wage for Government Contract Workers
01.28.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) released the following statement this morning in response to the announcement that President Obama intends to use an executive order to raise the minimum wage for new federal contract workers, which he will share with the country tonight during the State of the Union speech: "The president is setting the right example through this executive order. The fact is, mayors, city councils, state legislatures, governors, and voters have already been raising… Continue Reading
Committee Dems Announce New Labor Policy Director
01.28.14 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, today announced that Leticia Mederos has been promoted to serve as the committee Democratic staff's new labor policy director. "Letty brings passion, strategic thinking, and a wealth of policy and political experience to this role," says Rep. Miller. "Her dedication and hard work will help our committee advance policies that support working families and protect their rights. He… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Release Findings of eForum on Contingent Faculty
01.24.14 WASHINGTON-The Democratic staff of the House Education and the Workforce Committee today released the findings of an eForum on the state of contingent faculty in higher education, which details working conditions, the role those conditions play in affecting adjunct instructors' career prospects and ability to earn a living, and how the instructors' working conditions may impact their teaching. "What's been happening to the higher education workforce during the last couple decades should give al… Continue Reading
Miller: Spending Bill includes a Big First Step for Early Learning
01.13.14 WASHINGTON—Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement in response to the omnibus spending bill unveiled by the House and Senate Monday night. Early childhood education programs would see large increases—including a boost for Head Start that would roll back the cuts implemented under sequestration, new funding to establish child care-Early Head Start partnerships that can improve the quality of care for infan… Continue Reading
Bangladesh Factories See Little Oversight of Labor, Safety Conditions from U.S. Military Contractors, Say Committee Democratic Staff
12.23.13 WASHINGTON-Democratic staff of the House Education and the Workforce Committee today released a report which details how U.S. military provides little to no oversight of the labor and safety conditions in Bangaldeshi factories that produce garments for sale by military exchanges. Read the report by clicking here.… Continue Reading