Press Releases
Economy Headed in Right Direction, Senate Should Quickly Approve Jobs Bill, Chairman Miller Says
02.05.10 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 the nation’s unemployment rate fell from 10.0 percent in December to 9.7 in January. “Today’s news that the rate of job loss continues to improve shows that the Obama administration’s efforts are moving our economy in the right direction. In the last months of the Bush administration we were losi… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent Abuse in Schools Clears House Committee
02.04.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Education and Labor Committee today passed bipartisan legislation to make classrooms safer for students and school staff by preventing the misuse of restraint and seclusion. The Committee passed the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247) by a vote of 34 to 10. A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released last spring exposed hundreds of cases of schoolchildren being abused as a result of inappropriate uses of restraint and s… Continue Reading
Dept. of Labor Promoting Economic Recovery, Stronger Worker Protections, Sec. Solis tells Congress
02.03.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis told the House Education and Labor Committee today that the U.S. Department of Labor is both helping the economy recover and improving American workers’ lives by strengthening basic workplace protections, and training workers for new and better jobs.“In an especially difficult economy, a responsive Department of Labor is essential to assisting and standing up for workers,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and L… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Meets with First Lady to Discuss Ending Childhood Obesity
02.02.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee today met with First Lady Michelle Obama, Cabinet members and congressional leaders to discuss ending childhood obesity. Miller will help lead efforts in the House to rewrite the nation’s child nutrition laws this year. He issued the following statement:“Nothing is more important than our children’s health, but for too many families, healthy meals fall to the wayside as they struggle to make en… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on President’s Budget
02.01.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement today on President Obama’s budget for Fiscal Year 2011:“Last week President Obama presented his vision for how we can continue to rebuild our economy and our middle class. His budget delivers on that vision, making smart investments in working families while working to reduce the deficit responsibly.GOOD JOBS FOR WORKERS“Right now, we are focused on the twi… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller: President Obama Presents Vision of Stronger America
01.27.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - In his first State of the Union address tonight, President Barack Obama discussed his administration’s efforts to rescue the economy and laid out a strong framework for rebuilding America’s middle class. President Obama also called on Congress to pass key pieces of legislation under the House Education and Labor Committee’s jurisdiction, including the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and comprehensive… Continue Reading
Miller: New Administration Proposals Are Welcome Help for Middle Class
01.25.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the White House’s Task Force on Middle Class Families unveiled new proposals to help strengthen the middle class by helping families struggling to pay for college and save for retirement. Several of the proposals, including an initiative to further reduce student loan repayments and new protections to provide workers with greater transparency and disclosure on their 401(k) style retirement plans, build on bills championed by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman o… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Race to the Top Expansion
01.19.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced plans to strengthen efforts to improve the nation’s schools by expanding the Race to the Top grant program. Their proposal includes a funding request of $1.35 billion for the program in the FY 2011 budget and allowing districts to apply for funds, along with states. Today marks the… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Applauds Vilsack for Releasing Funds to Improve Quality and Safety of School Meals
01.14.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the release of $25 million in grants for school food service equipment to help support high quality and safe school meal programs. Congress invested in these grants as part of a one year extension of the child nutrition programs enacted last October to address immediate challenges schools and food se… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on AFT Plan to Improve Teacher Evaluations
01.12.10 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced a new plan for teacher evaluations and development. “No other factor matters as much to students’ success in school than the effectiveness of their teachers. If we are serious about regaining our global competitiveness, we need a seismic shift in the way we think about… Continue Reading
New Report Shows Health Reform Will Create Up to 4 Million American Jobs
01.08.10 WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), and George Miller (D-CA), the chairmen of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement today on a new report released by the Center for American Progress showing that the health reform legislation pending in Congress will significantly lower health care costs for businesses, add as many as 4 million jobs over the next decade, and increase… Continue Reading
Waxman, Rangel, Miller Statement on Senate Health Reform Vote
12.24.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), and George Miller (D-CA), the chairmen of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement today after the Senate approved legislation to reform the nation’s health insurance system.“We commend our colleagues in the Senate for this crucial vote, which brings health reform closer to reality than at any time in the past 70 years. While there… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Introduction of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation
12.16.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on yesterday’s introduction of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and other members of Congress. “Yesterday’s introduction of comprehensive reform by Rep. Gutierrez represents a positive step forward in the debate to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. I am especially … Continue Reading
House Approves Bill to Create Jobs
12.16.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation today to create urgently needed new jobs for construction workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, and to extend critical assistance for the unemployed and those who have lost health insurance. The Jobs for Main Street Act is the most recent step in Congress' year-long effort to rescue the economy and stem the crippling impacts of the worst recession in generations. "Our nation's economy has made signi… Continue Reading
Democratic Leaders Unveil ‘Jobs for Main Street’ Act
12.15.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Democrats unveiled legislation Tuesday to create additional jobs for construction workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, and to extend critical assistance for the unemployed and people who have lost health insurance, the most recent step in Congress’ year-long efforts to rescue the economy and stem the crippling impacts of the worst recession in generations. “Nothing is more important than the need to put Americans back to work. This legislation wi… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller: Appropriations Bill Makes Needed Investments in Students, Workers and Economy
12.10.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes critical investments in education, worker training, job creation, and other priorities that will help the U.S. economy move toward recovery. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement:“This legislation wisely targets our resources in the workers and families who need the most help weathering this economy. “It makes key inves… Continue Reading
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