Press Releases
Miller, Waters Pledge Action on Private Student Loan Debt
05.09.13 WASHINGTON- Two senior Democratic lawmakers from the House - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Ranking Member on the Financial Services Committee - released the following joint statement today after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a report highlighting ways in which student loan debt can have a domino effect on other financial decisions for consumers. For example,… Continue Reading
Miller: Republican Proposal is a Bait and Switch to Tax Students
05.09.13 WASHINGTON- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the Republican majority on the committee released legislation that would tax students working towards obtaining a college credential. "My concern is how this bill affects students and their families. The fact is, the Republican plan is a nearly $4 billion tax on students and their parents or grandparents. It's a nearly $4 billion tax on p… Continue Reading
More Work and Less Pay: House GOP Votes to Put Americans’ Overtime Pay at Risk
05.08.13 House GOP rejects Dem amendment to ensure workers could use comp time when they need it WASHINGTON - House Republicans voted to advance legislation today that puts hourly workers’ overtime pay at serious risk on a 223 to 204 vote. The bill, H.R. 1406, would allow employers to replace workers’ overtime time-and-a-half pay with nonguaranteed time off in the future. Any unused comp time would be repaid to the worker at the end of the year without interest, amounting to an interest-free loan fr… Continue Reading
Congress Should Work to Guarantee that All Students Have Access to a Quality Education, Witnesses Tell House Education Panel
05.07.13 WASHINGTON - As Congress looks to rewrite the nation's education law, federal education policy must work to ensure states and school districts provide a high quality education for all students through accountability measures that promote equity, witnesses told the House Education and the Workforce Committee today. "We must continue to support the simple idea that states, districts, and schools must improve each year and that they take action when students do not make the progress they should," … Continue Reading
Levin, Miller Urge Concrete and Coordinated Action on Bangladeshi Worker Rights, Working Conditions
05.01.13 In Letter to President Obama, Request Administration Convene Key Stakeholders to Develop Action Plan WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin and Education and Workforce Committee Senior Democratic Member George Miller today sent a letter to President Obama urging the Administration to convene representatives of the European and American retailers, the Bangladeshi garment industry, garment workers, their unions and the government, the International Labor Organization, a… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller: We Shouldn’t Have to Settle for the Status Quo on Worker Safety
04.29.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement marking Workers Memorial Day on April 28, a day to remember those who have been fatally injured or died while on the job. “On Workers Memorial Day, we reflect on the unacceptable price paid by thousands of workers who lose their lives each year and the millions who are severely injured while just trying to make a living. This reflection shoul… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Introduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
04.25.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate reintroduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, legislation that would end employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. "I applaud today's bipartisan introduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This bi… Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Call for Feedback on Higher Education Act Reauthorization
04.25.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee today called upon students, parents, college leaders, and higher education stakeholders to share their views on policies and amendments that should be included in the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. “Congress will soon be set to rewrite the nation’s higher education policy,” said senior Democratic Member George Miller (D-Calif.). “It is my hope that the results of this process will help ensure th… Continue Reading
After Deadly Bangladesh Factory Collapse, Rep. Miller Calls on Wal-Mart to Sign onto Binding Worker Safety Agreement
04.25.13 WASHINGTON - After a building collapse in Bangladesh that has reportedly killed more than 200 garment workers this week, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, called on Wal-Mart, which subcontracted with this facility, to commit to improving conditions. “The recent actions taken by the company on a voluntary basis are not working to alleviate the deadly negligence that continues to cause so much human loss and suffering. … Continue Reading
House Dems Ask GAO to Examine Oversight Gaps at West, TX & Similar Facilities Nationwide
04.25.13 WASHINGTON - Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) today requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate gaps in regulatory oversight of the West, Texas fertilizer plant where an April 17 explosion killed 15 and injured more than 200. Miller, the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Courtney, the senior Democratic member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, also asked the GAO to catalog similar facilities acros… Continue Reading
Students and Families Need Clear, Practical Information about College Costs and Financial Aid, Witnesses tell House Education Subcommittee
04.24.13 WASHINGTON - Students and families do not have easy access to clear, consistent, and timely information about college costs and financial aid options in order to help them effectively plan for college, witnesses told the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training today. Witnesses said that requiring up-front college cost and financial aid information that uses plain language will help students and parents plan effectively when deciding which college to attend. "We must do a b… Continue Reading
Poll: Small Businesses Support Minimum Wage Increase
04.24.13 WASHINGTON - Two-thirds of small businesses say they support raising the federal minimum wage and tying future increases to inflation, according to a Small Business Majority poll released today. “Small businesses understand that bigger paychecks for working families go right back into the economy and to local businesses. This poll is just more evidence that by giving workers a raise, we will grow the economy,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Educ… Continue Reading
GAO: State Workplace Safety Agencies Falling Short in Protecting Workers
04.18.13 WASHINGTON - In a report released today (pdf), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some of the state-run occupational safety and health programs have failed to meet minimum workplace safety inspection goals, because of state budget cuts, reduced staffing, and policies that limit their ability to retain safety and health inspectors. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, a state is allowed to run its own workplace health and safety program if the state’s program is at… Continue Reading
Bill to Strengthen Worker Health and Safety Law Introduced by House Dems
04.18.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee reintroduced legislation today that strengthens and modernizes the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 by giving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) tools to ensure that employers promptly correct hazardous working conditions, protect workers from retaliation when they blow the whistle on unsafe working conditions, and hold employers accountable for violations that cause death or serious… Continue Reading
Pressure Builds for Increase in Minimum Wage, Including for Restaurant Workers
04.17.13 WASHINGTON - Pressure is mounting on Congress to approve legislation to increase the minimum wage, including an increase for tipped workers who have not seen a raise in more than 20 years. In a major announcement on Capitol Hill today, a new association of restaurant owners who support fair wages and benefits for their employees was unveiled. At the event, restaurant owners, activists, and lawmakers called on Congress to pass legislation to increase the minimum wage. "A $2.13 an hour wage for… Continue Reading
Committee Sends Bill to Floor that Weakens Overtime Pay, 40-Hour Workweek
04.17.13 WASHINGTON - The House Education and the Workforce Committee today pushed through a bill (H.R. 1406) on a partisan vote that would force working families to make an unnecessary choice between overtime pay they rely on and time off they need to meet family obligations. The bill is expected to receive full consideration in the House of Representatives in the coming weeks. “This bill is really about working more and getting less at the end of the week,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the s… Continue Reading
Urgent Congressional Action is needed to Stop Student Loan Interest Rates from Doubling, Witnesses Tell Education Panel
04.16.13 WASHINGTON - Witnesses told a House Education subcommittee today that urgent congressional action is needed to stop student loan interest rates from doubling. Testimony also emphasized that continued federal investment in financial aid programs is key to enriching individual economic success, building a strong state economy, and developing a competitive workforce. "Landmark investments in federal higher education programs have improved the lives of low-income and middle income students and wor… Continue Reading
House GOP Votes to Weaken Middle Class Families, Again
04.12.13 WASHINGTON -- House Republicans voted to weaken the nation’s middle class and working families by stopping the enforcement of the nation’s labor laws on a 219 to 209 vote today. This latest bill after two years of attempts to weaken workers’ rights, H.R. 1120, would stop the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from issuing decisions or rulings on workplace disputes between workers and businesses. Democrats offered a final amendment to the bill that would have protected veterans' rights on the… Continue Reading
GOP to Advance Bill Undermining American Workers’ Overtime Pay, House Subcommittee Learns Today
04.11.13 WASHINGTON - A Republican bill expected to make its way through the House of Representatives would force an unnecessary choice between overtime pay that workers rely on and time off that they may never be able to take advantage of, the Workforce Protections Subcommittee learned today. "This legislation is based on smoke and mirrors. It pretends to offer the time off people need when they need it, but in fact, it is a pay cut for workers without any attendant guarantee of time," said Judith Lich… Continue Reading
Students Deserve a 21st-century Education: News of the Day
04.11.13 WASHINGTON - Today, Politico published a joint op-ed by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, on the need for greater investment in education technology. In February, Miller introduced the Transforming Education through Technology Act that would require states and school districts to develop plans and policies that put the best te… Continue Reading