Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
Bipartisan, Bicameral Group Announces Deal to Improve American Workforce Development System
05.21.14 (Washington, D.C.) - Today, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers announced that they have reached a deal to improve the nation's workforce development system through new legislation, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill, which will now be considered by both the House and Senate, modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st century jobs, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American business… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Service Member Loan Abuses by Sallie Mae
05.13.14 WASHINGTON-U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement after today's announcement of the federal government's settlement with Sallie Mae to resolve allegations that the loan servicer violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. "The Department of Justice and other federal regulators today stood up to defend the rights of our nation's service members and the benefits they have earned. Our nation's st… Continue Reading
College Athletes Unionizing for Basic Health and Safety Protections, Witnesses Tell Committee
05.08.14 WASHINGTON-College athletes lack many basic health and safety protections, which has spurred them to band together to seek union representation and generate policy changes, members learned at a Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing today. The hearing explored the issues faced by today's college athletes, who are key figures in the multi-million-dollar collegiate sports business and find that the 40 to 50 hours a week that they must dedicate to numerous sports-related practices and te… Continue Reading
Tierney, Miller Introduce Student Loan Refinancing Bill to Help Make Paying for College More Affordable
05.06.14 WASHINGTON-Millions of student loan borrowers would save thousands of dollars under the new legislation being introduced today by Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The Bank on Students Emergency Refinancing Act would allow borrowers to refinance federal and private student loans to the lower rates that are currently available to new borrowers. Nearly 40 million Americans are working to repay $1.2 tr… Continue Reading
New Report Shows Graduates Could Save $4,000 By Refinancing Student Loans
05.06.14 WASHINGTON-Details on the amount of money that student loan borrowers would save under the new legislation introduced yesterday by Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, are being released today in a report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The Bank on Students Emergency Refinancing Act would allow borrowers to refinance federal and private student loans to the lower rates that are currently… Continue Reading
Senators Warren, Harkin, Durbin & Congressman Miller Join Colleagues to Call on Education Department to Prohibit Harmful Banking Practices Targetting College Campuses
04.22.14 Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.), and their colleagues in the House and Senate today sent a bicameral letter to Secretary Arne Duncan of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in support of changes to Title IV's cash management rules, which are currently under revision. The letter urges ED to protect students from unfair banking practices, including campus-sponsored debit cards with terms… Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Introduce the Strengthening Education through Research Act
04.02.14 WASHINGTON-Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) and Ranking Member Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) today introduced the Strengthening Education through Research Act (H.R. 4366), legislation that will reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act and make it easier for states and school districts to access timely information on successful education practices. "I firmly believe that in order to successfully prepare our students for the workforce… Continue Reading
Higher Education Policy Must Support Today’s Students, Including Those Transferring Schools, Witnesses Tell Committee
04.02.14 WASHINGTON-To meet future workforce demands, colleges and universities, states, and the federal government need policies that eliminate barriers to college completion for today's students, members learned at a House education committee hearing today. "Today's college students rely on diverse ways of learning, and institutions are exploring new models of education, but students face substantial barriers to completing their degrees and graduating as they move through the higher education system,"… Continue Reading
Miller, House Democrats Reintroduce Legislation to Save College Students’ Time and Money When They Transfer Between Schools
04.01.14 WASHINGTON-Helping college students smoothly transfer between schools will save money for both students and taxpayers, while increasing the likelihood that transferring students will graduate on time. To help students who move between public institutions of higher education complete their studies without wasting time and money retaking courses, senior House Democrats reintroduced legislation today that allows students to keep more of their credits and protects their academic standing at the new … Continue Reading
Congress Must Act on Comprehensive Immigration Reform and DREAM Act So All Students Have Opportunity to Succeed
03.18.14 LAS VEGAS, NV- By passing comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act, Congress can help ensure that all American high school students-including undocumented immigrants-have the opportunity to pursue college and a career, members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce learned at a field hearing on career and technical education programs today. "Today's career and technical education programs, or CTE, are successfully preparing millions of students for lifelong success, bri… Continue Reading
Inspector General Report on Campus Debit Card Use Confirms Need to Better Protect Students
03.11.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA) today said that a Department of Education Inspector General (IG) report they requested in 2012 recommends that the Department of Education should take action to better ensure that student interests are protected when colleges and universities use third-party servicers - such as Higher One and Sallie Mae - to deliver Title IV student financial aid dollars to students. “The Inspector General has expande… Continue Reading
Miller Fought to Protect Taxpayers, Workers' Lives from House Republican Efforts to Impose Unnecessary, Onerous New Requirements
02.27.14 WASHINGTON-Today House Republicans jammed misguided legislation through the House that would unnecessarily hamstring the federal government's efforts to protect taxpayers and preserve American lives. In response to the 60 onerous new requirements included in the All Economic Regulations Are Transparent Act (Alert) Act (H.R. 2804), Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) offered two amendments aimed at safeguarding taxpayers and students, protecting public and workplace safety and health, and otherwise inc… Continue Reading
Miller and Hinojosa Encouraged by Department of Education’s Efforts to Rein in Distance Education Fraud, Recognize More Work is Needed
02.25.14 WASHINGTON-Congressmen Miller and Hinojosa released the following statement in response to a report from the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General highlighting the need for additional safeguards to protect taxpayer money used by students to pay for distance education. "Today's report underscores the ongoing challenges we face in the unique environment of distance education, which is rapidly evolving and expanding. The Education Department has already taken a number of positive … Continue Reading
GAO Report Highlights Troubling Practices at Schools Offering Campus Debit and Prepaid Cards; Harkin and Miller Urge Action to Protect Students
02.13.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) called for action to better protect students and increase transparency around debit and prepaid card agreements between schools and financial firms. The lawmakers' action follows the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report today that confirms a number of alarming practices that occur when colleges partner with financial institutions to market debit cards to students. Harkin chairs the Sen… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Release Findings of eForum on Contingent Faculty
01.24.14 WASHINGTON-The Democratic staff of the House Education and the Workforce Committee today released the findings of an eForum on the state of contingent faculty in higher education, which details working conditions, the role those conditions play in affecting adjunct instructors' career prospects and ability to earn a living, and how the instructors' working conditions may impact their teaching. "What's been happening to the higher education workforce during the last couple decades should give al… Continue Reading
Miller Urges Banks to Comply with CFPB Request, Disclose Secret Campus Banking Contracts
12.17.13 WASHINGTON--Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) today released the following statement in response to a call from the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to American financial institutions, which asked for public disclosure of all contracts with colleges and universities that allow the banks to aggressively promote debit cards to students: "I join the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's call to banks to disclose their campus banking contracts. Investigations by the media and federal agenc… Continue Reading
Pell Grants Remain Vital to Ensuring College Access, Require ‘Balanced Approach’ to Address Budgetary Shortfalls, House Panel on Higher Education Learns
12.03.13 WASHINGTON-Pell Grants remain vital to a robust American economy by expanding college access and affordability, and strengthening the program requires a thoughtful approach that does not balance budgetary shortfalls on the backs of needy students, members of a House subcommittee on higher education learned today. "Serving approximately nine million hard working students, the federal Pell Grant program is the single largest source of federal grant aid, which supports college students," said Rep.… Continue Reading
Miller Announces eForum on Adjunct Faculty in Higher Education
11.19.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today announced an eForum to investigate how an increased reliance on contingent faculty by colleges and universities nationwide has impacted the lives of faculty as well as students' higher education. "This eForum is an opportunity for adjuncts and other contingent faculty to inform the Congress about what's happening on the ground with higher education. I think there is a huge … Continue Reading
Career Technical Education Programs Prepare Millions for Modern Workforce, Must Continue to Evolve to Meet High-Skill Demands of Today’s Economy
11.19.13 WASHINGTON - Federal investments in career and technical education programs must ensure that all students are prepared for high-skill, high-wage jobs that meet the demands of today's economy, witnesses told the House Education and the Workforce Committee today at a hearing about the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. "Today's career technical education programs, or CTE, are successfully preparing millions of Americans to succeed in both college and career… Continue Reading
Democratic Lawmakers Ask Big Bank CEOs to Explain Student Debit Card Deals with Colleges
09.27.13 Washington, DC - Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate today expressed deep concern over financial arrangements between colleges and banks that could steer financially-strapped students into fee-laden debit cards that increase the costs of college. In letters sent to some of the nation's largest banks, the legislators ask bank executives to explain the scope of any such arrangements, how much money the deals pay to colleges, and how much in fees are charged to students. Policymakers que… Continue Reading