Press Releases
Miller Applauds ED Guidance to Protect Students with Disabilities from Bullying, Harassment
08.20.13 WASHINGTON- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce committee, released the following statement today in response to the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services "Dear Colleague" guidance to ensure that students with disabilities have access to educational opportunities free from bullying and harassment as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "I thank the department f… Continue Reading
GAO Uncovers Significant Nonreporting by Charter Schools on English Language Learners
08.15.13 WASHINGTON - While charter schools have increased in number and have become an important part of our education system, a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that many charter schools are not reporting data on the enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLs) in their schools. Equally troubling, the GAO found that the issues uncovered in its report are not limited to ELL enrollment. The GAO and the Department of Education (ED) have uncovered significant gaps i… Continue Reading
President Obama Signs Legislation to Save Students Billions in Lower Interest on Student Loans
08.08.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama signed into law the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act. Passed in the House by a vote of 392 to 31, the legislation reverses the July 1 doubling of interest rates for more than 7.4 million students and provides students and parents $25 billion in student debt relief through lower interest payments over the next seve… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on California School Districts' NCLB Waiver Application
08.06.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education announced that the California Office to Reform Education (CORE) would be granted flexibility from certain parts of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in exchange for adopting reforms that include college and career ready standards, new school improvement systems, and meaningful teacher and school leader evaluations… Continue Reading
Miller: GOP Leaders Standing on the Throat of the American Economy
08.02.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on today's jobs report from the Department of Labor. "Job growth is always better than job losses, but today's jobs report clearly shows we have more work to do to help get Americans back to work. The monthly jobs numbers might be enough for my Republican friends in Congress, but they're not good enough for me and I know they're not good eno… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Obama Executive Order to Improve Chemical Facility Safety and Security
08.01.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after President Obama signed an executive order today asking federal agencies to develop a plan to improve safety oversight, and coordination and informational sharing with other agencies at chemical plants and other facilities that store dangerous chemicals. "President Obama's executive order is a positive step to better protect the safety … Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Student Loan Legislation Saving Borrowers Billions
07.31.13 WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved bipartisan legislation that would reverse the July 1 student loan interest rate hike. By a vote of 392 to 31, the House passed the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, bipartisan legislation that the Senate approved last week, which provides students and parents $25 billion in student debt relief through lower interest payments over the next several years compared to current law. The bill now goes to President Obama for his signatur… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Senate Confirmation of NLRB Nominations
07.30.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed five nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, the first full slate of appointees to the agency in a decade. "I congratulate the five newly Senate-confirmed members of the National Labor Relation Board. For the first time in more than a decade, the NLRB will have a full slate of Senate-approved board members.… Continue Reading
Legislation Introduced to Protect Older Workers from Employment Discrimination
07.30.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, introduced legislation today that restores vital civil rights protections for older workers in the face of the Supreme Court's 2009 decision in Gross v. FBL Financial. Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) also introduced similar legislation in the Senate today. "As we have seen a number of times over the last few years, the Supreme Court overturn… Continue Reading
Republicans Pass Bill that Exposes Students and Taxpayers to Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Higher Education
07.24.13 WASHINGTON - With a vote of 22-13, Republicans on the Education and the Workforce committee today approved legislation that would repeal critical protections for students and parents while at the same time stymieing the administration from being able to root out waste, fraud and abuse in our federal student aid programs. "By halting critical rules on accountability and integrity in the student aid system this bill makes college more expensive, leaves taxpayer investments at risk, and hurts the … Continue Reading
New Poll: 80% of Americans Support Raising Minimum Wage to $10.10 and Want it to be a Congressional Priority
07.24.13 WASHINGTON - By a ratio of four to one, Americans support raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and adjusting it for the cost of living in future years, according to a new poll released today. Conducted on behalf of the National Employment Law Project Action Fund. The poll also found that 75 percent of Americans think it important Congress raise the minimum wage over the next year. It was four years ago today that the federal minimum wage was last increased. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) … Continue Reading
Rep. Miller Asks U.S. Trade Rep to Assess Vietnam’s Compliance with International Labor Standards
07.24.13 WASHINGTON - In light of a recently released report highlighting labor rights violations in Vietnam, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman today asking him to assess whether Vietnam is in compliance with current trade agreements. "This report compiles the stark evidence that export industry workers in Vietnam, one of the countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (… Continue Reading
Miller Urges Immediate House Passage of Senate Student Loan Bill
07.24.13 WASHINGTON - In a letter sent to Speaker John Boehner today, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) urged immediate consideration and passage of the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, the bipartisan Senate legislation that would reverse the July 1 student loan interest rate hike. "Mr. Speaker, the House passed a bill that was detrimental to students and families. The Senate has passed a bill that helps students and families afford college as they climb out of a deep recession," wrote Rep. Mill… Continue Reading
Affordable Care Act Working for Millions of Americans, GOP Efforts to Sabotage Law Dangerous
07.23.13 WASHINGTON - House Democrats pushed back efforts at a joint hearing of two House Education and the Workforce Committee panels by the Republican majority today to disrupt implementation of the Affordable Care Act that is already guaranteeing new rights for millions of Americans. "So far the majority is zero for 38 in repealing the health care law. There are other issues confronting the nation," said Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.), the ranking member of the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subco… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Proposed Changes to E-Rate Program
07.23.13 Washington - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today after the Federal Communication Commission released its proposal for modernizing the E-rate program for schools and libraries. “I applaud the Federal Communications Commission for taking this first important step to help bring our schools into the 21st century,” said Rep. Miller. “By modernizing the e-Rate program the FCC is ensuring tha… Continue Reading
Bill to Restore Equity in Airline Pilot Pension Benefits Introduced
07.23.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, joined a bipartisan group of House members to introduce legislation on Thursday to ensure that airline pilots with pensions administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PGBC) are not treated unfairly because of federal aviation requirements. The Airline Pilot Pension Fairness Act, H.R. 2697, would clarify that airline pilots forced to retire at age 60 because of a … Continue Reading
GOP House Approves Education Bill that Lets Students Down
07.19.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Republicans voted today to advance legislation that lets our students down and takes American education backwards. H.R. 5, the Letting Students Down Act, walks away from our nation’s civil rights responsibility to ensure all children have access to a quality education. Unlike previous reauthorizations of ESEA, H.R. 5 passed the House without any bipartisan support. “NCLB is very much the education reform of the past. It is inflexible. It encouraged some states to lower … Continue Reading
Rep. Miller Statement on Senate Approval of Thomas Perez as Secretary of Labor
07.18.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after Thomas Perez was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Secretary of Labor. "I congratulate Thomas Perez for his confirmation today as our next Secretary of Labor. His strong leadership at the Labor Department will be critical as we work to grow and strengthen the nation's middle class. I look forward to working with Secretary Perez on … Continue Reading
House Dems Introduce Jobs Bill to Address Long-Term and Youth Unemployment
07.18.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) joined other House Democratic members in introducing legislation today to help out-of-work Americans get a job and gain the skills needed to be successful in the global economy. The Pathways Back to Work Act (H.R. 2721) addresses the long-term unemployment crisis by connecting workers with job opportunities, providing young adults with jobs in summer and year-round employment, and creating a competitive grant for work-related training programs. Program… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller Statement on NLRB Nominations
07.17.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after President Obama nominated Nancy Schiffer and Kent Hirozawa to the National Labor Relations Board. "The swift consideration and approval of these capable and highly qualified nominees will ensure that the agency tasked to enforce the National Labor Relations Act will remain open. This is good news for our nation's workers and emplo… Continue Reading