Press Releases
Miller Statement on President Obama’s 2014 Education Budget
04.10.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today on President Obama's education budget for Fiscal Year 2014: "Today, President Obama presented a responsible proposal for education that will continue to rebuild our economy, strengthen the middle class, and make education a top priority," said Rep. Miller. "While pressing for a balanced approach to deficit reduction, the President contin… Continue Reading
Federal Investment in STEM Education Essential to Boosting U.S. Competitiveness, Witnesses Tell Education Panel
04.10.13 WASHINGTON - Witnesses told a House Education subcommittee today that continued federal investment in science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM) is needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness in a global workforce. The Department of Commerce projects that, between 2008 and 2018, STEM career fields will grow at double the rate than that of other fields. "STEM education is a worthwhile investment that Congress must consider furthering," said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, the senior Democrat o… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller Statement on Meeting with Survivor of Bangladesh’s Tazreen Factory Fire and other Human Rights Leaders
04.10.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after meeting with a survivor of the Tazreen factory fire and other human rights leaders. Rep. Miller met with Sumi Abedin, a survivor of the Tazreen fire in Bangladesh that killed 112 workers in November 2012, Kalpona Akter, the executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, and other international workers' rights leaders. … Continue Reading
Nominations to NLRB Deserve Swift Up-or-Down Vote, says Rep. Miller
04.09.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on President Obama’s nominations to the National Labor Relations Board. “President Obama has announced a full slate of nominees from both sides of the aisle to the National Labor Relations Board. This agency is critical to workers, employers and the economy as a whole. Yet, over the last four years, it has been subject to all manner of obstruction… Continue Reading
Restore the Promise of Equal Pay for Equal Work, says Rep. George Miller
04.09.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today on Equal Pay Day. Each year, National Equal Pay Day reflects how far into the current year women must work to match what men earned in the previous year. Today, the typical American woman working full time is paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to her male counterpart, according to U.S. Census data. This earnings gap translates t… Continue Reading
Inaction on Mine Safety Is Shameful, say Reps. Miller and Courtney on 3rd Anniversary of Upper Big Branch Tragedy
04.05.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, issued the following statement today on the third anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in Montcoal, W. Va. "Three years ago, 29 miners' lives were taken in an entirely senseless and preventable tragedy at the Upper Big Branch mine. While many on Capitol Hill have turned… Continue Reading
GAO Uncovers Troubling Practices Carried Out by Financial Firms That Drain Americans’ 401(k) Retirement Savings in Report
04.03.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - America’s workers are often presented with false and misleading information regarding fees and their options on what to do with their 401(k) assets when they leave an employer, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation released today by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). Following the release of the report, Miller, Harkin, and Nelson called on the Departments of Labor (DOL) and Treasury to act on GAO’s recom… Continue Reading
Cablevision Case Highlight Hurdles in Negotiating First Contracts, Committee Democrats Learn at Brooklyn Forum
03.25.13 BROOKLYN, NY - As the Cablevision fight in New York suggests, significant hurdles exist for workers in achieving a first collective bargaining contract when an employer is intent on subverting the wishes of workers, presenters told Democratic members of the House Education and the Workforce congressional committee in Brooklyn today. "Good labor relations promotes job growth. Bargaining in good faith promotes good labor relations. When there isn't good faith bargaining, we need a legal … Continue Reading
House Democrats Reintroduce Miner Safety Reforms
03.21.13 WASHINGTON - House Democrats reintroduced legislation today to bring the nation's mine health and safety laws up to date, give mine safety officials the ability to effectively investigate and shut down habitually dangerous mines, and hold mine operators accountable for putting their workers in unnecessary danger. The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2013 is similar to legislation introduced in 2011. "It's been almost three years since the Upper Big Branch mine explosion. After numer… Continue Reading
Rerun: House Labor Committee GOP Pushes Through Bill Attacking Americans’ Rights That Will Go Nowhere
03.20.13 WASHINGTON - House Republicans in the Education and the Workforce Committee today pushed through a bill that would create great uncertainty by not allowing final adjudications on workplace disputes and union elections. "This bill is a frontal assault on collective bargaining in this country," said Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ), the senior Democratic member of the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee. "The outrage from the Republicans is all about politics, not about so-called uncertai… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Nomination of Thomas Perez as Secretary of Labor
03.18.13 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 President Obama nominated Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez to be the next U.S. Secretary of Labor. "I applaud President Obama's nomination of Tom Perez to be the next Secretary of Labor. Mr. Perez has had an accomplished career fighting for the fundamental rights of all Americans. As we work to build a fair and sustai… Continue Reading
ROCKEFELLER, MILLER, MANCHIN, RAHALL CALL ON DOL TO MAINTAIN FOCUS ON MINE SAFETY CASES
03.17.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Jay Rockefeller, Congressman George Miller, Senator Joe Manchin, and Congressman Nick Rahall today announced that they are pushing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to maintain a strong focus on mine safety as the agency considers spending cuts. In a letter to DOL's Acting Secretary, the Members pushed back on DOL's sequestration plans that would disproportionately cut the Solicitor of Labor's efforts to reduce the backlog of appeals at the Federal Mine Safety and He… Continue Reading
House GOP Unanimously Votes Against Increasing Minimum Wage
03.15.13 WASHINGTON - Today, House Republicans voted unanimously against raising the nation’s minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2015. The vote came as part of a final amendment to a bill that would harm access to job training and education programs for low-income Americans. The minimum wage amendment failed on a 184 to 233 vote, with all 227 Republican members voting ‘no’. “Even while corporate profits soar and the stock market reaches new highs, the working poor continue to fall further and furthe… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on New CFPB Rule to Supervise Nonbank Student Loan Servicers
03.15.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced today proposed regulations to oversee nonbank student loan servicers. Under the new proposed rule, CFPB will be able to view the complete cycle of private student loan debt, from origination through servicing to debt collection and credit reporting. At a time when total student loan debt… Continue Reading
Miller: GOP WIA Bill Puts Ideology over Practical Solutions and Evidence-Based Reforms
03.15.13 WASHINGTON-The following are the prepared remarks of Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, on this morning's debate on the House Republican's bill to gut the nation's workforce investment and training system, H.R. 803. Click here for more on the bill. *** Mr. Speaker, the House meets today to consider Republican legislation that reauthorizes the Workforce Investment Act. Rewriting the Workforce Investment Act is an imp… Continue Reading
Students Need More, Not Less, Affordability in Federal Loan Programs, Witnesses Tell House Education Panel
03.13.13 WASHINGTON - While college tuition continues to increase at rates well above inflation, students and families need continued access to affordable federal student loans, witnesses told the House Education and Workforce Committee today. "A college degree plays a critical role in most American Dreams," said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.). "Unfortunately, we know all too well that the rising cost of higher education is pushing those American Dreams a little further out of reach for too many fam… Continue Reading
Committee Dems Walk Out of Workforce Training Bill Debate & Vote
03.06.13 Committee Dems Walk Out of Workforce Training Bill Debate & Vote WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Democrats walked out of a committee debate and vote on the majority's bill to rewrite the Workforce Investment Act today. The GOP bill is expected to go to the House floor next week. Reps. John Tierney (D-MA), Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) and George Miller (D-Calif.) released the following statement. "We didn't come to this decision lightly. Unfortunately, we viewed boycotting… Continue Reading
Joined By Business Leaders and Workers, Sen. Harkin, Rep. Miller Unveil Bill to Raise the Minimum Wage to $10.10
03.05.13 WASHINGTON, D.C.-Joined by business leaders and workers, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) today announced the introduction of legislation, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, to raise the federal minimum wage. Harkin and Miller's proposal would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from its current $7.25-in three steps of 95 cents-then provide for automatic annual increases linked to changes in the cost of living. Harkin and Miller's bill would also gradually raise the… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on California School Districts' Intent to Apply for Flexibility from No Child Left Behind
02.28.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the California Office to Reform Education (CORE) announced today their intent to apply for flexibility from No Child Left Behind. "I applaud CORE's leadership in providing a path forward and a vision for the future of education in California. The districts that make up CORE serve about 1.2 million students -- more than 26 states that… Continue Reading
Effective Evaluation Systems Improve Teacher Development and Student Achievement, Witnesses Tell Education Subcommittee
02.28.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Teacher evaluation systems should provide regular, productive feedback in order to help teachers improve and ensure struggling students are taught by highly effective teachers, education experts and educators themselves told a House education subcommittee today. "Teacher evaluations have multiple effects on our education system, and there are a variety of opinions on the topic. If there is one certainty however, it is that a one-dimensional approach to evaluation is not effe… Continue Reading