Press Releases
Chairman Miller Statement on T-Mobile USA/Deutsche Telekom Treatment of U.S. Workers
12.09.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued a statement on an American Rights at Work report that documented cases of interference with U.S. workers’ organizing rights by T-Mobile USA, a subsidiary of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom. The report found that even though T-Mobile’s parent company has a history of cooperation with workers in Germany, the company’s dealings with U.S. workers has been stark… Continue Reading
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Children from Abuse in Schools
12.09.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today introduced legislation that would, for the first time, protect all children in schools from harmful uses of restraint and seclusion. The legislation embodies principles outlined in a letter U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent to Miller today. U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) is also expected to introduce companion legislation today in the Senate. The lawmakers unveiled the bill at a press conference this … Continue Reading
Miller: Education Key to Strategy for Economic Recovery
12.09.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised new recommendations released by the Business Roundtable to create a well-educated and trained workforce as part of efforts to strengthen the nation’s economic recovery and competitiveness. Among other things, the recommendations encourage companies to partner with colleges, school districts and community colleges to better align student learning with employers’ needs. “The B… Continue Reading
Chairs Miller & Woolsey Applaud Senate Confirmation of David Michaels as New OSHA Chief
12.04.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), the chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, today applauded last evening’s U.S. Senate confirmation of Dr. David Michaels as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. “The Senate’s confirmation of David Michaels should be a signal to our nation’s workers that they will have a strong ally to ensure their workplace health and safety,”… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Encouraging November Jobs Report
12.04.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 11,000 jobs were lost in November and the unemployment rate fell to 10 percent, the best monthly jobs report since December 2007.“Today’s news that our nation’s unemployment rate fell in November is a sign that the Obama administration and Democratic Congress’ efforts are helping to move our econo… Continue Reading
Miller and Harkin: Sallie Mae Plan Saves at Least $8 Billion Less for Students than President’s Proposal
12.03.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairmen of the House and Senate Education Committees, today said that a modified student loan proposal Sallie Mae is pushing would slash more than $8 billion off of student aid to give lenders a bonus. “You can dress this up 100 different ways and put a Santa Hat on it, but this is still the same budget gimmick lenders have been pushing for months to line their own pockets with billions of dollars that should… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on White House Jobs and Economic Growth Summit
12.03.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the followed statement today on President Obama’s White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth.“President Obama’s ‘Jobs and Economic Growth Summit’ was an important step in advancing additional strategies to help Americans get back to work. I agree with the president that while the Recovery Act is helping to dig our country out of an unprecedented financial and economic crisis - as the… Continue Reading
House Passes Bill to Help Airline Crews Care for Family Members
12.02.09 Washington, DC—Today the House of Representatives passed legislation originally authored by Congressman Tim Bishop (NY-1) to ensure that flight crews are treated fairly and are able to qualify for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits. The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature. Airline pilots and flight attendants currently face unexpected hurdles to qualify for FMLA. These hurdles are unique to airline employees since their non-flying hours are not counted toward their total ho… Continue Reading
House Democrats Introduce Legislation to End the High School Dropout Crisis
11.19.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Democratic lawmakers announced today they will introduce critical legislation to address the high school dropout crisis, which poses a growing threat to the nation’s economic stability and global competitiveness. Nearly one-third of all high school students do not to graduate every year, costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost revenue. Nationwide, about 7,000 high school students drop out every day. Only about 70 percent of students now graduate from high school… Continue Reading
Executives Received Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Before Dropping Workers’ Pensions, GAO Finds
11.19.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Forty executives at ten high-profile corporations that terminated their workers’ pensions collected at least $350 million in compensation in the years leading to pension termination, the Government Accountability Office reported today. The investigation was requested by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.The companies surveyed by the GAO - which the Congressional watchdog agency did not identify - included major airlines, electr… Continue Reading
Miller, Hinojosa Join Secretary Duncan in Urging Colleges to Ensure Reliable Federal Student Loan Access
11.18.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) today joined U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in urging college campuses to take prudent action to ensure that their students continue to have access to stable, low-cost federal college loans, regardless of what happens in the economy. Their letter to college presidents echoes a letter Duncan sent to institutions last month. Specifically, the lawmakers urged the presidents to prepare to make the Direct Loan prog… Continue Reading
Paid Sick Leave Helps Slow Spread of H1N1 Flu Virus, Witnesses tell House Panel
11.17.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ensuring workers have access to paid sick leave can help slow the spread of highly contagious illnesses like the H1N1 flu virus, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. By giving workers access to paid sick leave, employees will not be forced to choose between losing pay and infecting co-workers and the public. “When you’re struggling to make ends meet you’re going to do everything possible to not miss a day’s pay,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), c… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on USDA Food Insecurity Report
11.17.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its report on the food security. The report, Household Food Security in the U.S, showed that in 2008, 17 million households in the United States were at times unable to provide food for their families. The number of children who at times went without food in 2008 rose from approximately 700,000 to 1.1 milli… Continue Reading
GAO Finds Incentives to Underreport Workplace Injuries and Illnesses Pervasive
11.16.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report today that found that incentives for employers and workers to underreport illness not only adversely impacts the accuracy of data that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses to target unsafe workplaces, but also has put pressure on health professionals to change diagnoses or provide insufficient treatments. The report was requested by U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Patty Murray (D-WA),… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Asks GAO to Expand Investigation into Contaminated Beef in School Meals
11.09.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - In light of several recent deadly outbreaks of E. coli that led to a recall of ground beef from major supermarkets, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the risk of contaminated beef from the commercial market entering the school meal programs. This would be part of an investigation GAO launched at Miller’s request last year into the safety of meat se… Continue Reading
House Makes History on Health Reform
11.07.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - For the first time in America’s history, all Americans will have access to quality, affordable health care under updated health insurance reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today. The legislation will cover 96 percent of Americans by 2015, while reducing the deficit by tens of billions of dollars over the next decade. The House approved the measure by a vote of 220 to 215.The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), blends and revises the… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Historic Health Reform Legislation
11.07.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a key architect of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, during consideration of the legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives today. ***Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this historic legislation to fix our broken health insurance system and finally bring affordable health coverage to every American. We are truly on the verge of making his… Continue Reading
CBO Confirms Republican Health Care Bill Would Maintain the Status Quo
11.04.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Fifty-two million people would continue to go uninsured if the House Republican health care legislation was enacted, the Congressional Budget Office said tonight. Overall, CBO estimates that the bill would only reduce the number of uninsured by 3 million and would cover 83 percent of Americans by 2019 - about the same as what would happen under the status quo. In contrast, the House Democratic health insurance reform bill would cover 96 percent of Americans by 2019 and provid… Continue Reading
Miller: Direct Certification is an Important Tool to Ensure More Eligible Students Receive School Meals
11.03.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - More school districts are implementing ways to directly enroll more eligible students for free and reduced priced school meals, according to a new report out today. The report, Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP): State Implementation Progress, released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), examined the effectiveness of states and school districts in helping to eliminate barriers to direct enrollment in the NSLP. The Child Nutrition and WI… Continue Reading
MIT Analysis Confirms That H.R. 3962 Will Deliver Substantial Savings
11.03.09 WASHINGTON, DC — According to a new analysis by MIT Professor and CBO health advisor Dr. Jonathan Gruber, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) will lower premiums and improve coverage for individuals and families purchasing in the non-group market. The MIT study estimates that an individual and a family of four would save from $470 and from $1,260, respectively, in health insurance premiums, even without subsidies. The savings would be even greater for low- and middle- income… Continue Reading