Press Releases
Chairman Miller Statement on California Gov.’s Call for Special Session for Federal Education Reform Funding
08.20.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today released the following statement after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger requested a special session of the California legislature to ensure California will be eligible to receive ‘Race to the Top’ grants. The unprecedented $4.35 billion competitive grant program, included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will incentivize states to make progress in key areas of educatio… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on the Passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver
08.11.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today released the following statement on the death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Shriver founded the Special Olympics and was a lifelong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities.“My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Ted Kennedy, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, and the entire Kennedy family on this difficult day. Today, we mourn the loss of a leader who inspired and changed the lives of m… Continue Reading
Miller & Kennedy Statement on July Jobs Numbers
08.07.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), the chairmen of the House and Senate Labor Committees, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 247,000 jobs were lost in July and the unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percent. “When President Obama inherited this economic crisis seven months ago, our nation was shedding 700,000 jobs a month. Today's decline in unemployment - the lowest number of jobs … Continue Reading
Secretary Duncan Takes Critical Step to Keep Schoolchildren Safe
08.04.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Late last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to state school chiefs asking them to formally submit their policies on seclusion and restraint in schools, as part of larger efforts to prevent abusive uses of these practices in the nation’s classrooms. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office, conducted at the request of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, uncovered hundreds of allegati… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Praises Obama Administration and State of California for Ensuring Equal Access to GI Bill Benefits
08.04.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the Department of Veterans Affairs and the state of California announced an agreement about how tuition and fees at the state’s public colleges and universities are determined that will ensure that veterans who attend any college in California are able to receive the full amount of financial aid they are eligible for under the new GI Bill - and that veterans in other states receive. The agreement was reached after the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee passed a sim… Continue Reading
Chairmen Miller & Rangel Congratulate Waxman and Committee on Energy and Commerce for Passing Health Insurance Reform
07.31.09 U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), the chairmen of the House Committees on Education and Labor and Ways and Means, today congratulated U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on passing the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, H.R. 3200. “We congratulate Chairman Waxman and the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee for taking the next step in this historic process. Now all three committees in the House have… Continue Reading
House Democrats Expose Campaign of Misinformation on Health Insurance Reform
07.31.09 WASHINGTON, D.C - U.S. Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and George Miller (D-CA) highlighted the campaign of misinformation being waged by opponents of health insurance reform on a conference call with reporters today. Independent fact check organizations have shown that opponents of health insurance reform have resorted to making outrageous and misleading claims about the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200), while refusing to engage in a meaningful debate on the policy of reform.“… Continue Reading
Republicans Continue to Mislead Public on Historic Student Aid Bill
07.29.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today House Republicans once again proved that they’re more committed to finding cheap budgetary tricks that will help them score political points than having a meaningful, honest debate about legislation that will help students and parents pay for college. For the second time in two days, Republicans asked the Congressional Budget Office to manipulate an analysis of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221), a bill that will invest almost $90 billion in additi… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Agreement Reached by Chairman Waxman and Energy and Commerce Committee
07.29.09 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 the agreement reached between U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and members of the panel. The deal will allow Waxman’s Committee to pass the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200) by the August district work period. “Very important progress on health insurance reform has been mad… Continue Reading
New Report Shows Volunteering is Up, Even in Tough Economy
07.28.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today in response to a new report that shows that number of Americans volunteering is rising across the country - even though volunteering has typically decreased in previous economic downturns. According to the report, Volunteering in America, released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, one million more Americans volunteered in 2008 than in 2007… Continue Reading
Miller: Republicans Try to Cook the Books on Historic Student Aid Bill
07.28.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, in a desperate attempt to confuse the American people about a landmark bill to make college more affordable and reduce the deficit, Republican lawmakers deliberately asked the Congressional Budget Office to ignore current student loan market conditions and standard scoring methods. Republicans in the House and Senate released a manipulated analysis they requested from CBO that uses a methodology preferred by banks, and does not take into account the changed landscape of… Continue Reading
Chairs Miller and Woolsey Praise Expected Nomination of Dr. David Michaels as OSHA Head
07.28.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), the chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, today praised President Barack Obama’s announcement of his intention to nominate Dr. David Michaels as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.“President Obama is to be commended for his intent to nominate Dr. David Michaels to lead the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administ… Continue Reading
CBO Affirms H.R. 3200 Provides Targeted Assistance, Supports Employer-Sponsored Coverage and Refutes Lewin Estimates
07.27.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - An analysis released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), yesterday affirms that H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act, would offer targeted assistance to those in need today and lead to an increase in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. The analysis was developed in response to questions by House Republicans and offers further evidence that several of the leading claims being made by opponents of health reform are unfounded. In addition to con… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Race to the Top Guidelines
07.24.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement about the Race to the Top guidelines issued today by the Department of Education. The Race to the Top Fund is an unprecedented $4.35 billion competitive grant program, included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to incentivize states to make progress in key areas of education reform. “President Obama and Secretary Duncan have demonstrated that they are… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller: Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill Will Help Economy on its Road to Recovery
07.24.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the House passed the Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Bill for 2010. “With this bill, this Congress has taken another step to help our economy down the road to recovery and lay the foundation for a competitive future. It makes good on many of the promises President Obama has put forth to provide our students with a good education, to restore p… Continue Reading
Federal Minimum Wage Increases Friday to $7.25
07.23.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Friday, July 24, the national minimum wage will increase again by 70 cents - from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour - the final of three increases to take effect under legislation enacted by the Democratic Congress. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said today that the increase will help many Americans struggling to cope with the economic downturn. Miller was the lead sponsor of the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives … Continue Reading
House Democrats Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers from Wage Theft
07.23.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Leading House Democrats introduced legislation today to ensure that workers do not lose wages while the U.S. Department of Labor investigates wage theft by some employers who may drag out such investigations. The legislation is in response to a comprehensive Government Accountability Office investigation into the federal government agency responsible for taking and investigating complaints of minimum wage, overtime and child labor violations. The Wage Theft Prevention Act (H.R… Continue Reading
Legislation to Make Landmark Investments in College Affordability Clears House Committee
07.21.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Legislation that will make college dramatically more affordable for millions of Americans, at no new cost to taxpayers, was approved today by the House Education and Labor Committee by a bipartisan vote of 30 to 17. The full House of Representatives will vote on the bill next.The legislation, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, will generate almost $100 billion in savings over the next ten years that will be used to boost Pell Grant scholarships, keep intere… Continue Reading
Ed & Labor Approves Historic Health Reform Bill; Reforms One Step Closer for Americans
07.17.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Education and Labor Committee today passed historic legislation that will deliver the fundamental health reforms that Americans want by reducing and controlling costs, guaranteeing people’s choices of doctors and plans, and ensuring access to quality, affordable health care for all. The Committee passed the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, H.R. 3200, by a vote of 26-22. Five amendments offered by Republicans were adopted. The legislation is expected to be con… Continue Reading
CBO Scores Confirms Deficit Neutrality of Health Reform Bill
07.17.09 Washington, D.C. -- The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released estimates this evening confirming for the first time that H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, is deficit neutral over the 10-year budget window - and even produces a $6 billion surplus. CBO estimated more than $550 billion in gross Medicare and Medicaid savings. More importantly, the bill includes a comprehensive array of delivery reforms to set the stage for lowering the future growth in health care costs. Net… Continue Reading