Press Releases
178 House Democrats Call on Speaker Boehner to End Threat of Another Government Shutdown or Default
10.31.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - As lawmakers from both parties begin to negotiate a long-term budget agreement, 178 Democrats in the House are calling on Speaker Boehner and the Republican leadership to publicly declare that they will not use the threat of another government shutdown or default on U.S. debt as a political tactic in the budget talks. Underscoring the economic damage caused by the recent shutdown, the group of lawmakers said that Congress must focus on passing a responsible budget agreement wh… Continue Reading
Failure of Labor Action Plan in Colombia Holds Lessons for Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement Negotiations, Says Congressional Report
10.29.13 WASHINGTON - Weak enforcement of existing labor laws and continued violence against labor leaders in Colombia more than a year after the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia Labor Action Plan should offer important lessons of what not to do in future trade agreements, concluded a report issued today by Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and James McGovern (D-Mass.). Miller and McGovern, who are members of the Congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia, visited the country in August an… Continue Reading
Miller Welcomes Rep. Pocan to the Education and the Workforce Committee
10.29.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U. S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, today welcomed Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) to the committee to fill the vacancy left by Rep. John Yarmuth, who was appointed to the Energy and Commerce Committee. "I am very pleased to welcome Rep. Pocan to the Education and the Workforce Committee. Mark has been a strong advocate on behalf of working families and our nation's students," said Rep. Miller. "As a union member an… Continue Reading
Miller and Levin: 6 Months after Rana Plaza Tragedy, Companies Need To Step Up & Compensate Victims
10.23.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Sander Levin (D-Mich.) issued the following joint statement today marking the six-month anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy where more than 1,100 garment workers in Bangladesh died and 2,500 injured after the building housing several garment factories collapsed. The International Labor Rights Forum and the Clean Clothes Campaign also issued a report today highlighting significant problems in compensating the families of the victims and those… Continue Reading
Miller Pays Tribute to Former Rep. Major Owens
10.22.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after learning that his former committee colleague, former Rep. Major Owens (D-N.Y.), died yesterday. "Major Owens was valued member of the committee who led a decades-long fight for educational equity and pushed for poor students to have access to the opportunity to succeed in school by having equal educational resources available to them. … Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Protect Students from Sexual and Violent Acts
10.22.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - With broad bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation to keep children safe from sexual predators and other violent adults in their schools. The Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act (H.R. 2083) creates consistency across states in criminal history background check policy. It requires public schools to conduct comprehensive background checks for any employee or applicant for employment with unsupervised access to childre… Continue Reading
New Reports: Low Wages by Fast-Food Industry Costing Taxpayers
10.15.13 WASHINGTON - U.S Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the release of two reports from the National Employment Law Center, and researchers from the University of California-Berkeley and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, examining the high public costs to low wages paid by the nation’s fast-food corporations. “These reports highlight the significant costs to our families… Continue Reading
House Dems Sign Discharge Petition to Reopen the Government, Call on Republican Group of 30 to Join Effort
10.12.13 WASHINGTON - With uncertainty continuing over the two-week-long government shutdown, House Democrats today went to the House floor to sign a discharge petition that would bypass Speaker Boehner and allow a quick vote on a bill to reopen the government if supported by a majority of members of Congress. “We could open the government and get back to the work of the American people today. All we need is for our Republican colleagues - particularly those who have already said they want to end this d… Continue Reading
After GOP Press Conference, Discharge Petition More Important Than Ever
10.10.13 WASHINGTON - Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) George Miller (D-Calif.) and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) issued the following statement today after the Republican House leadership announced that they will continue to keep the government closed and block a vote on a clean bill to reopen the government. Van Hollen, Miller and Lowey have launched an effort to force a vote on a government funding bill at Senate and House Republican agreed-to spending levels through a discharge petition. Members of Congres… Continue Reading
Republican Supporters of a Clean Funding Bill Urged to Support Discharge Petition to Reopen Government
10.09.13 WASHINGTON - House Democrats wrote to each of the 30 House Republicans who have expressed support for a clean government funding bill and urged them to sign onto a discharge petition that will allow an up or down vote on a clean bill to reopen the government as early as next week. “The discharge petition is an opportunity for a majority of House members - Republican and Democratic - to join together to vote on a clean funding resolution that will reopen the government, put Americans back to wor… Continue Reading
More than 100 Members of Congress Urge House Leaders to Move Comprehensive Immigration Reform with Strong Labor Protections
10.04.13 WASHINGTON - A group of 101 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter today to Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi supporting comprehensive immigration reform that includes polices that ensures economic competitiveness and does not undermine working conditions of U.S. workers. "While we build a common sense immigration system to allow millions of aspiring Americans to become citizens a priority, we must also ensure that changes to our legal immigration laws provide access to a just sy… Continue Reading
House Members Announce New Path Forward to Open the Government through a Discharge Petition
10.04.13 WASHINGTON - Senior Democratic Members of the House of Representatives announced today a new effort to overcome the Republican leadership's obstruction and allow the House to vote to open the federal government as early as October 14th through a discharge petition. This discharge petition only needs a majority of House Members to sign on and does not require any action by the Republican leadership. "The only thing standing between this Congress and an open government is Speaker Boehner's refus… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller: Every American Finally has Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care
10.01.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today on the official opening of the online insurance marketplaces as part of the nation's historic health reform law, the Affordable Care Act. Americans without health insurance and those who are self-insured but think their premiums are too high are now able to shop for coverage in their community over the next six months via www.healthcare.gov o… Continue Reading
Democratic Lawmakers Ask Big Bank CEOs to Explain Student Debit Card Deals with Colleges
09.27.13 Washington, DC - Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate today expressed deep concern over financial arrangements between colleges and banks that could steer financially-strapped students into fee-laden debit cards that increase the costs of college. In letters sent to some of the nation's largest banks, the legislators ask bank executives to explain the scope of any such arrangements, how much money the deals pay to colleges, and how much in fees are charged to students. Policymakers que… Continue Reading
Federal Investment in High-Quality, Career and Technical Education is Vital to Student Success, Witnesses Tell Education Subcommittee
09.20.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Federal investments in career and technical education programs must be used in innovative ways to ensure that all students are prepared for high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand jobs, witnesses told the House subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education today. "High quality, relevant, and rigorous career and technical education is imperative for our nation to stay competitive and build a stronger economy," said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the ran… Continue Reading
Significant Roadblocks Exist for Workers to Exercise Labor Rights, House Labor Panel Learns
09.19.13 WASHINGTON - Members of a House labor subcommittee learned today about the significant hurdles faced by workers organizing a union and getting a first contract from a Cablevision employee who was fired when he and his colleagues organized and spoke out for fair bargaining at his workplace. "Ten years ago, I put my life on the line 6,000 miles away from home in the name of protecting the basic rights of American democracy. I never thought that I would see the day that I, as an American citizen, … Continue Reading
Congress Should Incentivize High Quality, Low-Cost Innovative Partnerships that Benefit Students, Witnesses Tell House Education Panel
09.18.13 WASHINGTON, DC - As colleges outsource more functions such as classroom materials, housing, and financial aid disbursement to the private sector, they must ensure that such partnerships operate for the benefit of students, making college more accessible and affordable, not less, witnesses told the House Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee. “I strongly support innovative partnerships that work to make high quality higher education more affordable and accessible for all students… Continue Reading
Extending Basic Wage Protections to Home Health Care Workers the Right Thing to Do, Says Rep. George Miller
09.17.13 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 the Department of Labor published a final rule today that extends basic minimum wage and overtime protections to two million home care workers. The final regulation, also known as the "companionship rule," would update an exemption to wage protections meant to apply to those individuals who provide elder sitting services similar to… Continue Reading
Miller applauds vote to increase California’s minimum wage
09.13.13 Washington - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) issued the following comment today after the state legislature passed legislation supported by Gov. Brown to increase California's minimum wage from $8.00 per hour to $10.00 per hour. Miller, the senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee in Congress, is the author of The Fair Minimum Wage Act (H.R. 1010) that would increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour in three steps. "Three cheers for our legislators and the governo… Continue Reading
Congress Must do More to Help Service Members Transition Back into Civilian Life, Witnesses Tell Education Subcommittee
09.11.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - With more than 2 million service members returning from combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress and colleges must do more to help them transition back into civilian life, witnesses told the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training today. “Congress must have federal regulations in place to protect veterans and service members from unscrupulous companies, institutions, and lenders attempting to cash in on their GI benefits,” said Rep. Rubén Hinojo… Continue Reading