Press Releases
Miller Statement on President Obama’s Action to End Deceptive Recruiting of Veterans by Schools
04.27.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on President Obama's executive order aimed at stopping deceptive recruiting practices of schools that target members of the military, veterans and their families. The executive order is intended to crack down on misleading online recruitment from colleges and require schools to provide information about dropout rates and financial aid possibilities. "I … Continue Reading
Sec. Sebelius: Prevention Fund Provides “Critical” Support for Women’s Health and Childhood Immunizations
04.26.12 WASHINGTON - Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius testified today before the Education and the Workforce Committee that the House Republican proposal to eliminate the Prevention Fund to stop the doubling of student loan interest rates would harm public health. House Democrats have instead proposed to eliminate billions in unwarranted tax subsidies to big oil. “The Prevention Fund is a long overdue investment and [part] of the most significant effort to keep our country he… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Workers Memorial Day
04.26.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on 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 seriously injured or died while on the job. “On Workers Memorial Day, our nation reflects on the high price of life and limb paid by too many workers while on the job. While we remember workers who have sacrificed so much, our work must not stop there. We must at the same tim… Continue Reading
Miller: GOP Needs to Correct Vote against Students & Join Effort to Stop Doubling of Student Loan Rates
04.25.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on new legislation that will keep college students’ loan rates from doubling on July 1st. “Today, we are introducing a bill that would save millions of students and their families from higher student loan debt. As you know, President Obama is calling on Congress to prevent a doubling of interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans that will ki… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Republican Student Loan Legislation
04.25.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on Republican legislation to address the fast approaching student loan interest rate hike. “I commend House Republicans for reversing themselves on the pending student loan interest rate hike. But I am deeply disappointed that Republicans propose extracting the price from women and children. To take health care away from middle class and low-income … Continue Reading
House Democrats Announce New Bill to Keep Student Loan Interest Rates Low and Reduce the Deficit
04.25.12 WASHINGTON - House Democrats announced that they will introduce new legislation today that will both keep college students’ loan rates from doubling on July 1st and reduce the deficit. The House Democratic bill “Stop the Rate Hike Act of 2012” will keep interest rates on need-based student loans at 3.4 percent next year, saving borrowers an average of $1,000 in loan repayment costs. The bill is fully paid for by ending unwarranted tax subsidies to big oil and gas companies. Additional saving… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on 10th Anniversary of National Healthy Schools Day
04.24.12 Washington, DC - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today released the following statement on the 10th anniversary of National Healthy Schools Day. National Healthy Schools Day is an important day to promote and celebrate healthy school environments that are conducive to learning and protect student and staff health. "When our children leave home each morning, they should arrive at a safe and healthy school. They should not be ex… Continue Reading
House and Senate Democrats to Introduce Legislation to Keep Student Loan Interest Rates Low
04.24.12 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democrats announced today that they will introduce legislation to keep college students’ loan rates from doubling on July 1st. The “Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012” keeps interest rates on need-based student loans at 3.4 percent next year for the more than 7 million borrowers. This will save the average borrower $1,000 in loan repayment costs. The bill will be fully paid for by closing a tax loophole that some of the wealthiest Americans us… Continue Reading
GAO: Workers in Other Countries Better Protected from High Retirement Fund Fees
04.23.12 WASHINGTON - The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, found that other countries with defined contribution (DC) retirement systems better protect workers’ savings from high or excessive fees and require more disclosure on the fees accountholders do pay when compared with the United States. More than 51 million American workers actively participate in a 401(k) defined contribution plan, totaling about $3 trillion of assets. "U.S. participants typically do… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Fast Approaching Increase of Student Loan Interest Rates
04.20.12 Washington, DC - Rep. George Miller, the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today released the following statement regarding the approaching increase of student loan interest rates this summer: "This week, instead of taking action to stop a $6 billion interest rate hike on low-income and middle-income families, House Republicans passed a tax cut for the rich-and-famous that adds $46 billion to the deficit. At a time of historically low interest rates and with … Continue Reading
New GAO Report: Burdensome OSHA Regulatory Process Costs Lives
04.19.12 WASHINGTON-Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Representative George Miller (D-CA), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) reacted to a new Government Accountability Office report on workplace safety, released at a HELP Committee hearing. The GAO compiled the report on burdensome rulemaking process the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) must use to regulate workplace safety, an… Continue Reading
U.S. Members of Congress Continue to Monitor Implementation of Colombia Labor Action Plan
04.19.12 WASHINGTON - Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who participate in the Congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia issued the following statement today. The Monitoring Group was formed after Congress approved the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement to monitor implementation of the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights and ensure that it produces meaningful results in protecting the fundamental internationally-recognized rights of workers, including providing … Continue Reading
Enforcing Nondiscrimination Protections Vital to Families’ Economic Security
04.18.12 WASHINGTON - Democrats on the Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee, led by acting Ranking Member Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), today stood up for the mission of an important federal agency that protects the rights and opportunities of American workers who work for government contractors. Members of the HELP Subcommittee heard testimony about how the enforcement of existing guidelines and others proposed by the Office of Federal Contra… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Equal Pay Day
04.17.12 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 on Equal Pay Day. Equal Pay Day marks how much longer a woman must work into 2012 to earn as much as a man earned in 2011 alone. According to Census data, in 2011 women earned just 77 percent of what was earned by their male counterparts. "Equal pay for equal work is about basic fairness. Paying women less than men for doing the same work is … Continue Reading
Modern, Accountable Federal Workforce Investment and Training Program a Key to Economic Growth
04.17.12 WASHINGTON - Witnesses told a House committee today that the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) system needs to be modernized to better assist out-of-work Americans, including the long-term unemployed, acquire the skills that growing industries need. "These investments need to be smart investments," said Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat of the Education and the Workforce Committee. "They need to be made efficiently and effectively, ensuring job training and employment services get to … Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Death of Mark Ayers
04.10.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today on the death of Mark Ayers, the president of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. "I was deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Mark Ayers over the weekend. A champion of the American workforce, Mark spent his career fighting for good jobs that support families, for upgrading the nation's infrastructure, and f… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge
04.09.12 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services announced today that $133 million from the Race to the Top fund will be available for continued investments in state-level, comprehensive early education reform. Administered jointly by the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Race to the T… Continue Reading
Miller and Woolsey Statement on Two-Year Anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine Tragedy
04.05.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey, the senior Democrat on the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, issued the following statement today on the two-year anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion that killed 29 miners. Miller and Woolsey are coauthors of the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act (H.R. 1579). As chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Miller called the only cong… Continue Reading
Students face billions in added repayment costs if interest rates double
04.02.12 WASHINGTON - Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee today released new data showing the additional costs that students will incur if interest rates on need-based student loans increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent this summer. More than 7 million students will incur an additional $6.3 billion in repayment costs for the 2012 - 2013 academic school year if student loan interest rates double on July 1. Despite calls from President Obama, Congressional Democrats and student… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on 2-year Anniversary of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act
03.30.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee and the author of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), which was enacted into law two years ago today, released the following statement commemorating the anniversary of the law. “Two years ago today, as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, President Obama enacted a law that put a college education within reach for students who rely on gr… Continue Reading