Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
Scott, Baldwin Introduce Bill to Make Higher Education More Accessible and Affordable
07.08.15 WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to announce America's College Promise Act of 2015 (ACP). The legislation would make two years of community college free and provide an affordable pathway to a four-year college degree for low-income students. Under the America's Colle… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the 43rd Anniversary of Title IX
06.23.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), issued the following statement on 43rd anniversary of the enactment of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972: "Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, landmark legislation that was enacted to remove barriers to educational opportunities on the basis of one's sex. "The law states: 'No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from particip… Continue Reading
Scott, Kline Issue Joint Statement on Education Department’s Corinthian Colleges Announcement
06.08.15 Scott, Kline Issue Joint Statement on Education Department's Corinthian Colleges Announcement WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) issued the following joint statement in response to today's announcement from the Education Department regarding Corinthian Colleges: "A lot of men and women have been hurt by this unfortunate situation, including low-income and minority students. Helping those eligible stude… Continue Reading
Scott Joins Edwards, Democrats to Introduce Pell Grants for Prisoners Bill
05.21.15 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) joined Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (MD-4), along with Reps. Danny K. Davis (IL-7), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), and Cedric Richmond (LA-2), to introduce the Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Act today, legislation that would reinstate Pell Grant eligibility for federal and state prisoners. "Studies have shown that reinstating Pell Grant eligibility for state and … Continue Reading
Statement on Department of Education’s Proposed Cash Management Regulations
05.15.15 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement on the Department of Education's proposed cash management rules: "The Department of Education has released proposed regulations to protect students from excessive fees on co-branded debit and prepaid cards offered by institutions of higher education that have agreements with banks. About 40 percent of college students attend these institutions, and inve… Continue Reading
Statement on 2015-2016 Student Loan Interest Rates
05.14.15 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), issued the following statement on the student loan rates for the 2015-2016 academic year: "For the 2015-2016 academic year, the interest rates on federal loans based on the 10-year Treasury Note will fall from 4.66 percent to 4.29 percent. Though this is good news for next year's borrowers-who will be able to take advantage of historically low interest rates-it still leaves current … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the Closing of Corinthian Colleges, Inc.
04.28.15 WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today on the closing of Corinthian Colleges, Inc.: "After being hit with a $30 million fine from the U.S. Department of Education, the doors of Corinthian Colleges, Inc. have been shut once and for all. The fine was based on Department of Education findings that one of Corinthian's subsidiaries - Heald College - had both misrepresented placement rates to accre… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on New Report Confirming Parent PLUS Loan Program Impact On Historically Black Colleges and Universities
04.16.15 Washington - Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement on a new report from the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic detailing the impact of the Parent PLUS Loan Program on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): "A new report validated concerns I and many other Members had over the changes to the Parent PLUS Loan Program. The changes disproportionately affected Histor… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the House Republican Budget
03.26.15 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement today after the House voted 219-208 on the Republican Fiscal Year 2016 Budget: "The Majority's budget would devastate our economy by trying to balancing the budget on the backs of students, workers, seniors, the disabled, and most vulnerable communities across the nation. It assumes that sequestration cuts will be enacted, and then adds an additional $759 billi… Continue Reading
Strong Federal Investment in Workforce and Education Critical to Economic Growth, Committee Learns
02.03.15 WASHINGTON-Congress must do more to help every Americans enjoy current and future economic growth and keep our workforce globally competitive, witnesses testified before the House Education and the Workforce Committee today. By investing more in our workforce and providing greater resources for our most disadvantaged students, the federal government can stem the growing income inequality and widening education gap harming families nationwide, and ensure the U.S.'s economic growth, members learne… Continue Reading
GAO Report Raises Questions about College Accreditation Process, Miller Says
12.21.14 WASHINGTON-College and university accreditation aims to ensure that schools are providing their students with a quality education, but a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) casts doubt about whether accreditors are adequately holding schools accountable for student success. GAO's analysis raises important questions about the current federal framework for accreditation, including whether accrediting agencies are effectively assessing academic quality and how the Department … Continue Reading
Miller, Harkin Press Education Department on Behalf of Struggling Borrowers
11.18.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, today questioned the Department of Education (ED) about its new policies for calculating how many student borrowers at a given school have defaulted on their loans. The recent changes will allow poorly performing institutions to continue operating, putting more student borrowers a… Continue Reading
Miller Applauds Senate HELP Committee Passage of Education Research Bill
09.17.14 WASHINGTON-With a unanimous vote, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee today approved legislation to support federal education research and improve states' and school districts' access to information on successful education practices. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and co-sponsor of the original House version of the Strengthening Education through Research Act (SETRA), released the following statement… Continue Reading
Bipartisan House Action Improves Student Aid Transparency and Promotes Innovation in Higher Education
07.24.14 WASHINGTON, D.C. —Three modest, bipartisan pieces higher education legislation aimed at improving transparency around financial aid and promoting innovative approaches for students passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week, prompting Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the Senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee to call for more comprehensive action to keep college accessible and affordable for students. “We have made a promise to America’s students to make a coll… Continue Reading
Miller: Democrats’ Top Priority is to Jumpstart the Middle Class
07.16.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Democrats today announced their new “Middle Class Jumpstart” economic agenda, a legislative action plan to ensure prosperity and opportunity for all Americans. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, who helped to formulate the policies in the plan, released the following statement. “The deck is stacked against American middle class families, but, tragically, Washington Republicans continue to stack that deck in f… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Legislation Improves Transparency on College Costs, Democrats Push for Proposals to Rein in Student Loan Debt
07.10.14 WASHINGTON-The House Committee on Education and the Workforce today approved a package of bipartisan bills aimed at helping students and their families make well-informed decisions about enrolling in and paying for college. "These pieces of legislation will help to give students more and better information when considering and financing college," said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior emocrat on the committee. For the first time, borrowers, whether they are sophomores or seniors, will have … Continue Reading
Overhaul of America’s Job Training Programs Headed to President’s Desk Following Strong Bipartisan Support from Congress
07.09.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.-Legislation to update the Workforce Investment Act, overdue for reauthorization for more than a decade, is headed to the President's desk following overwhelming bipartisan support from both houses of Congress. The Senate and House authors of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) applauded the passage of the bill, which seeks to update and improve the nation's workforce development system. The legislation was approved today by a vote of 415 to 6 by the House of Repr… Continue Reading
Miller Encouraged By Accreditation Path for City College of San Francisco
06.12.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) released the following statement today after the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) proposed options that give the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) two years to come into compliance with ACCJC's accrediting standards, rather than forcing the college to close its doors: "I am encouraged by the fact that ACCJC has identified a path within accreditation for City College to rebuild. A rigorous accreditation process is essen… Continue Reading
Miller: President Obama’s New Plan Will Help Millions Manage their Student Debt
06.09.14 WASHINGTON—Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in support of President Barack Obama’s plan to help millions of people who have borrowed to pay for their college education better manage their debt: “A higher education remains the surest path to the middle class and economic prosperity in this country,” said Rep. Miller. “Unfortunately, too many families have been engulfed by debt as they work to affor… Continue Reading
Bicameral Group of Democratic Lawmakers Introduces Legislation to Prohibit Risky Banking Practices on College Campuses
05.22.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.—Lawmakers in both the Senate and House today introduced legislation to protect students from unfair banking practices involving campus-sponsored financial products and to preserve the integrity of federal student aid programs. These bills remove conflicts of interest and end kickbacks between financial institutions and schools, ensure that students are in control of their own financial aid and banking products, and provide much-needed transparency over campus-sponsored financia… Continue Reading