Press Releases
New GAO Report Finds Students with Disabilities Face Challenges to Participate in School Sports
06.24.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report yesterday that found schools provide students with and without disabilities similar opportunities to participate in physical education (PE), but face serious challenges when serving students with disabilities in general PE classes and extracurricular athletics. The report was conducted at the behest of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY),… Continue Reading
Miller Applauds Nearly $416 Million in Grants to Turn Around Persistently Low Achieving California Schools
06.24.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller applauded today the release of newly announced federal grants to improve struggling schools in the Bay Area and across California. Miller (D-Martinez), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, said that the new grants for low-performing schools will boost school quality improvement efforts in his congressional district. “Turning around our lowest-performing schools is crucial for our economy, our communities and our students,” Miller said. “Im… Continue Reading
Questions Raised on Worker Health and Safety Protections on Offshore Oil Rigs
06.23.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. -House Education and Labor Committee members today raised serious questions regarding important worker safety protections on offshore oil rigs like the Deepwater Horizon.While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration oversees workplace health and safety within three miles of the U.S. coastline, the United States Coast Guard has the authority to issue worker safety regulations for mobile offshore drilling units the Deepwater Horizon beyond the three mile zone. In additio… Continue Reading
MSHA Knowingly Overlooked Mines With Serious Safety Records, Labor Inspector General Reports to Chairman Miller
06.23.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General today reported that the agency found serious problems how the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration identifies the nation’s most dangerous mines for tighter scrutiny.U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) asked the Inspector General in April to investigate MSHA’s procedures after MSHA disclosed that a computer error excluded the Upper Big Branch Mine from b… Continue Reading
Lawmakers Call for Government Review of For-Profit Colleges
06.21.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - In light of recent press reports raising concerns about the for-profit education sector Democratic lawmakers called for a review today of for-profit or “proprietary” institutions of higher education. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Assistant Majority Leader and U.S. Reps. Timothy Bishop (D-NY… Continue Reading
Inspector General Review of Credit Hours and Program Length Raise Important Questions about Assessing Program Quality and Disbursing Federal Student Aid
06.17.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Accrediting agencies responsible for assessing how institutions of higher education determine program length and assign credit hours to coursework should establish definitions of credit hours and minimum standards for program length to ensure federal student financial aid is disbursed appropriately, the Department of Education’s Inspector General told the House Education and Labor Committee today. Credit hours are used to determine the amount of federal aid for which a student… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Asks Senate to Put 401(k) Fee Disclosure Back into H.R. 4213, Empower Americans to Protect Their Retirement Savings
06.16.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today called on the U.S. Senate to add back 401(k) fee provisions stripped out of jobs legislation last week. To illustrate the issue, Miller had a pie delivered to each Senator sitting on the Finance Committee with nearly a third of the pie taken out representing the fees Wall Street takes from accountholders. According to a Department of Labor calculation, a one-percentage point difference i… Continue Reading
Chairs Miller and Woolsey Statement on Republicans Blocking Work-Life Balance Award Act
06.15.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, issued the following joint statement after House Republicans blocked legislation that would have recognized employers that help their employees achieve a healthy work-life balance. The bill was considered under the suspension of the rules, which requires at least a two-thirds vote for passage. However, the legislation fail… Continue Reading
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Child Nutrition
06.10.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The meals children eat during and after school and in child care would be dramatically improved under bipartisan legislation introduced today by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, U.S. Rep. Todd Russell Platts (R-PA), ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, and other lawmakers.At a press conference… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Demands BP to Request Assessment of Health Risks to Gulf Clean-up Workers
06.10.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today demanded that BP immediately request an evaluation of clean-up workers’ exposure to hazardous chemicals and working conditions from federal occupational health and safety scientists.“Eleven men lost their lives as a result of this disaster. Everything possible must be done to ensure that no one else does. Protecting every worker responding to the oil spill must become a paramount prior… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller: Senate Elimination of 401(k) Fee Disclosure ‘Unacceptable’
06.08.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, today said that the U.S. Senate’s proposed elimination of important reforms to expose hidden 401(k) fees was “unacceptable” and vowed to fight to include the reforms. “It is unacceptable for the Senate to eliminate this key consumer protection for the 50 million Americans who have 401(k) plans. We are going to continue to fight to put back these key reforms in this bill,” said Miller. “Once … Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on May Jobs Numbers
06.04.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the employment situation data for May 2010. “It is good news that our nation's economy is improving and headed in the right direction. Unemployment is down and the economy is creating jobs. In the first five months of 2010, the economy created nearly half a million new jobs, not including temporary census jobs. It i… Continue Reading
House Approves Landmark Effort to Expose Hidden 401(k) Fees
05.28.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation today that includes a provision to expose hidden 401(k) fees that may be eating into Americans’ retirement savings. The provision was part of the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213).“It is beyond time that Americans have basic, clear and timely information on the costs and choices contained in their 401(k) plans,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee.… Continue Reading
Report Warns of Severe Job Cuts in Local Communities
05.27.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Facing tight budgets as the result of recession, local communities are set to lay off another 222,500 workers beginning this summer, threatening to overwhelm the recovery, according to an analysis released today by the Economic Policy Institute. “This massive job loss will harm far more than the public servants who face unemployment. For one, our communities will be deprived of the vital services they deliver. Schools would see larger classes sizes, our homes would be less… Continue Reading
Nonpartisan CBO Analysis Proves Recovery Act Saved Economy from the Brink, Rep. Miller Says
05.26.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - An analysis released yesterday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office shows that the Recovery Act saved the economy from the brink by adding millions of jobs and increasing economic activity, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) said today. “Before this Congress and President Obama took decisive action, our nation was losing more than 750,000 jobs a month. It is clear that without the Recovery Act, our nation would be still dealing with an economic catastrophe caused by the… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Emergency Education Investments
05.26.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee and author of the Local Jobs for America Act, today issued the following statement applauding U.S. Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, for including key investments in education in the FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill. Specifically, the legislation, which the House Appropriations Committee will vote on tomorrow, includes $23 billion to save education jobs in … Continue Reading
White House Releases State-by-State Estimates of Jobs Funded Through the Education Jobs Bill
05.26.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the White House released state-by-state estimates of the number of jobs that will be saved or created through the $23 billion Education Jobs Fund, that is included as emergency spending in the FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill. The $23 billion emergency investment will help fund an estimated 300,000 education jobs across the country, including teachers, librarians, principals, guidance counselors, school cafeteria workers, and janitors, among others. U.S. Rep. Geor… Continue Reading
Chair Miller Opening Remarks on Testimony from Families of the Upper Big Branch Mine Tragedy
05.25.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Below is the opening statement from U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), for yesterday’s field hearing in Beckley, West Virginia on “The Upper Big Branch Mine Tragedy: Testimony of Family Members.” On April 5, an explosion in Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia killed 29 miners. It was the worst mine disaster in this country in nearly four decades. Read opening statements and listen to audio ***Good morning. I would like to welcome everyone to today’s h… Continue Reading
Chair Miller Applauds Inclusion of 401(k) Fee Disclosure in H.R. 4213
05.21.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, today applauded the inclusion of 401(k) fee disclosure as part of the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213), which is expected to be considered by the House next week. “Guaranteeing the disclosure of hidden 401(k) fees will give Americans a fighting chance to strengthen their retirement and increase our nation’s future economic security,” said Miller. “We need to ensure that 40… Continue Reading
Concussions Suffered in High School Sports Create Serious Health and Academic Problems for Students, Witnesses Tell House Panel
05.20.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Student athletes’ academic performance in school suffers as a result of concussions, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, conducted at the behest of U.S. Rep. George Miller, chair of the Committee, and other bipartisan lawmakers, found that concussions in high school athletes are widely unreported and underappreciated. Dr. Linda Kohn, Director of Health Care Issues at GAO testified that the available da… Continue Reading