Press Releases
Miller & Polis Call for Hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
07.11.13 WASHINGTON - Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Jared Polis (D-Co.), the lead House sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act who also serves on the committee, today called on Chairman John Kline (D-Minn.) to hold a hearing into legislation that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Today’s Senate Student Loan Vote
07.10.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), released the following statement today as the Senate attempted to move legislation that would reverse the July 1 doubling of interest rates on student loans. "I applaud Senators Reid and Harkin for standing up again today for the 7.2 million students who saw their interest rates double last week. Last month, a majority of the Senate voted in support of a responsible solution that puts students first, only to have it blocked by a Republican minori… Continue Reading
Rep. Joe Courtney Opening Statement at Subcommittee Hearing on the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act
07.10.13 WASHINGTON, DC - The following are prepared remarks by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, for the hearing on the Federal Employees' Compensation Act. *** Chairman Walberg, thank you for calling this hearing today to discuss the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, or FECA. FECA has been the governing statute providing benefits for federal civilian workers injured or killed on the job since … Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Senate HELP Committee Bipartisan Approval of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
07.10.13 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 the Senate HELP committee approved the Employment Non-Discrimination Act on a bipartisan vote of 15-7. "Today's bipartisan Senate committee vote in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act reflects the growing consensus that LGBT Americans should have the freedom to work and be full participants in our economy. The Senate HE… Continue Reading
Levin and Miller Joint Statement on So-Called Bangladesh Safety Alliance
07.10.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, and George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following joint statement on today's announcement of the U.S. corporate-led Bangladesh factory safety alliance by the Bipartisan Policy Center. "This May, following a long string of preventable tragedies in the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh, we called on the major U.S. bra… Continue Reading
Miller: Students Need Relief Now, Congress Must Act Today to Reverse Rate Increase
07.09.13 Rep. George Miller (D-CA) Opening Statement at Committee Hearing on Improving Higher Education through Innovation WASHINGTON, DC -- Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for the committee hearing on improving higher education through innovation. *** Good morning, Chairman Kline. We meet today to examine ways to improve higher education. We will look at innovations from around the country… Continue Reading
With July 1 Doubling of Interest Rates, GOP Once Again Blocks Efforts by Democrats to Keep Federal Loan Interest Rates Affordable
07.09.13 WASHINGTON - While Congress' immediate job today is to undo higher borrowing costs for more than 7.2 million college students, House Republicans are content to leave students saddled with the extra debt. "Today we offered our Republican colleagues a chance to immediately move forward on a bill that would keep rates low for one more year. Not a single one chose to take action," said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member on the committee. "House Republicans may be content to… Continue Reading
GOP Student Loan Bill Harmful to Students, Totally Irresponsible
07.08.13 Washington, DC - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today as congressional Republicans' refuse to act to reverse the doubling of student loan interest rates. Interest rates on need-based student loans doubled last week from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent due to Republican obstruction. This rate increase will cost more than 7.2 million students an additional $1,000 per loan. "Once again, House … Continue Reading
Miller Announces Next Steps on Student Loan Interest Rates
07.02.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, announced today that he is collecting signatures to force committee action on legislation (H.R. 2574) to reverse yesterday's doubling of student loan interest rates. Today's announcement comes after Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) ignored a request from committee Democrats to take immediate action on the Keeping Student Loans Affordable Act of 2013, legislation introduced by Mil… Continue Reading
House Education Committee Democrats Aim to Force a Vote to Prevent Doubling of Student Loan Rates
06.28.13 WASHINGTON - Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee today began a procedural move to force the committee to take up recently introduced legislation to ensure another year of debt relief for college students, keeping student loan interest rates for 7 million people at 3.4 percent. The legislation (H.R. 2574), introduced by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the committee, is identical to a bill introduced by Senate Democrats yesterday that locks in interes… Continue Reading
Levin and Miller Joint Statement on Suspension of GSP Trade Preferences for Bangladesh
06.27.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Sander Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, issued the following joint statement after the Obama administration announced that it will suspend Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade benefits for Bangladesh. "Given the deteriorating conditions for worker rights in Bangladesh, President Obama's decision to suspend GSP trade benefi… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on New Senate Proposal to Prevent Student Loan Rates from Doubling
06.27.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), released the following statement today after Senate Democrats announced a new plan to keep student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1. "I applaud Senator Harkin's continued efforts to keep interest rates from doubling on July 1 and to keep a focus on students in that process," said Rep. Miller. "The new Senate proposal will provide $4 billion in student debt relief for the neediest students next year. This stands in stark contrast t… Continue Reading
Sen. Franken, Rep. George Miller Announce Introduction of Bill to Train Workers for Open, High-Skills Jobs
06.27.13 WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) announced the introduction of legislation to close the skills gap-where jobs go unfilled because businesses can't find workers with the right skills-by fostering partnerships between community and technical colleges and businesses to train students to fill high-demand jobs in Minnesota and across the country. Rep. Miller is introducing the legislation in the House today, and Sen. Franken plans to introd… Continue Reading
Standards for School Nutrition are Needed for Student Success, Witnesses Tell House Education Panel
06.27.13 WASHINGTON - Public schools have a distinct responsibility to ensure the meals they serve our children are nutritious, well-balanced and tasty enough that our kids actually want to eat them, witnesses told the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Today's hearing comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced final standards this morning to ensure that children have access to healthy "competitive food" options while in school. Competitive foods are … Continue Reading
GOP Rerun: Legislation to Weaken Workers’ Rights Expected to Move
06.26.13 WASHINGTON - House Republicans indicated that they will shortly move on new legislation to dramatically restrict the ability of American workers to join together to collectively bargain for a better life, marking a continuation of a sustained campaign against workers’ rights and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). “Union rights have paved the way to the middle class for millions of Americans over the last century,” said Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.). “Unfortunately, today’s hearing is one … Continue Reading
Student Loan Solution that Makes Student Debt Worse No Solution At All, Says Rep. George Miller
06.26.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on the latest developments on student loans. "I'm disappointed that Republicans are blocking an agreement on student loans by insisting that students take on even more debt to pay down the Bush deficit. Their obstruction is unacceptable. A solution that makes the long-term problem of student debt worse, or fails to cap potentially high inter… Continue Reading
After Marriage Equality Decisions, Time to Act on Employment and Education Non-Discrimination
06.26.13 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after this morning's Supreme Court decisions regarding marriage equality: "Today's Supreme Court rulings mark an enormous step forward in the battle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to be treated as full-fledged citizens. Of course there is much more work to do to ensure full marriage equality across the country, but today s… Continue Reading
Waters and Miller Applaud CFPB’s Proposed Rule to Oversee Nonbank Student Loan Servicers
06.26.13 WASHINGTON- Two senior Democratic lawmakers from the House- Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Ranking Member on the Financial Services Committee, and Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic Member on the Education and the Workforce Committee, today released a joint letter to Director Richard Cordray commending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for its proposed rule to subject certain nonbank education loan servicers to its supervisory authority. The letter… Continue Reading
On FLSA’s 75th Anniversary, Time to Renew Commitment to Nation’s Minimum Wage, Overtime and Child Labor Protections
06.25.13 WASHINGTON - On the 75th anniversary of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) issued the following statement urging Congress to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and stop Republican attacks on the law’s basic wage protections. “Seventy-five years later, the Fair Labor Standards Act remains the nation’s bedrock laws that ensures workers are paid fairly for the work they perform. It established the minimum wage, made the 40-hour work week possible and provided tha… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Affirmative Action Case
06.24.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court delivered the decision in Fisher v. University of Texas-Austin, a case challenging the use of race as one factor in admissions policies in higher education. The Court preserved the principle that universities may consider racial and ethnic diversity as one factor among many in a carefully crafted admissions p… Continue Reading