Press Releases
Chairman Miller Praises Obama’s Commitment to New Era of Service
02.26.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised President Obama for his significant commitment to investing in national and community service opportunities for Americans in his budget overview. At a committee hearing yesterday, Miller announced that a comprehensive bill to strengthen and grow national service is the next legislative priority for his committee. “In his first joint address to Congress, President Obama made ser… Continue Reading
GAO: Nation’s Whistleblower Laws Inadequately Enforced, Needs Additional Resources
02.26.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Whistleblowers who call out illegal activities are not adequately protected from retaliation from their employer, according to a report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office today. GAO found these problems stem largely from a lack of resources and proper tracking of complaints, as well as a complicated patchwork of regulations that aim to protect whistleblowers. The investigation was requested by U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and U.S. Sen… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Lauds President Obama’s Higher Education Budget
02.26.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement praising President Obama’s higher education budget proposals. “President Obama made it very clear that we should review every program to make sure that its operating in the best interests of taxpayers and that we should eliminate excess waste wherever we find it. The President’s proposal to save taxpayers almost $50 billion within the higher education program… Continue Reading
Congress Must Strengthen and Improve Job Training, Witnesses Tell House Labor Committee
02.26.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Now more than ever, the nation’s job training programs must be improved to give workers the skills and training they will need as the economy starts to recover, witnesses told the House Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness Subcommittee today. Today’s hearing was the second in a series of hearings the Education and Labor Committee is holding as it works toward reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act.“Last week, the President signed the American Recovery an… Continue Reading
Service Can Help America Emerge from Economic Crisis, Witnesses Tell Congress
02.25.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - With public needs intensifying in the economic crisis, strengthening national service opportunities must be one of the next steps Congress takes to revive the economy, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. Today’s hearing came a day after President Obama made national and community service a key part of his agenda during his first joint address to Congress by urging Congress to act quickly to bolster service and volunteer programs. “President Obama is … Continue Reading
Nation’s Retirement Security in Peril, Witnesses tell House Panel
02.24.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The economic collapse has uncovered problems in our nation’s retirement systems that must be addressed to ensure that Americans can enjoy a safe and secure retirement, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today.“The current economic crisis has exposed deep flaws in our nation’s retirement system,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the committee. “For too many Americans, 401(k) plans have become little more than a high stakes crap shoot. If you … Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Applauds Confirmation of Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
02.24.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, applauded today’s Senate confirmation of Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor.“I congratulate Hilda Solis for her Senate confirmation as our nation’s next Secretary of Labor. With this confirmation, the Department of Labor will finally have a leader who is an advocate for all hard working Americans and someone who understands their everyday struggles. I look forward to working with Secretary Soli… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller to Participate in President’s Summit on Fiscal Responsibility
02.23.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, has been invited to speak at a panel on health care at President Obama’s White House summit on fiscal responsibility. The panel also includes Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, among others. “Passing the President’s economic recovery plan was only the first step in our efforts to restore our nat… Continue Reading
House Overwhelmingly Approves Legislation to Stop Child Abuse in Residential Treatment Programs
02.23.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House of Representatives today approved legislation to protect teenagers attending residential programs from physical, mental, and sexual abuse and increase transparency to help parents make safe choices for their children. The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 (H.R. 911) won strong bipartisan support, with a vote of 295 to 102. Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office during the 110th Congress at the request of U.S. Rep… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller: Obama Recovery Plan A Good Deal for College Students and Families
02.18.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Millions of college students and families will receive significant help paying for college next year under the economic recovery plan President Obama signed into law yesterday. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will immediately increase the Pell Grant scholarship by an additional $500 next year. The legislation will also provide students and families with a new, partially refundable college tuition tax credit of $2,500, among other things. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-C… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Obama Signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
02.16.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today as President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “Today, just four weeks after taking office, President Obama has taken a critical first step to lift our economy out of this crisis by saving and creating millions of jobs and laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth - in part by making historic investments in th… Continue Reading
Colombia Must Address Anti-Labor Violence and Improve Labor Laws, Witnesses Tell House Panel
02.12.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Colombian government has not done enough to stem the rising violence against labor union leaders or address the backlog of labor union leader killings, witnesses told the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee today. A leading Colombian labor think tank also announced that murders against labor union members jumped by 25 percent in 2008. “Sadly, Colombia has been the most dangerous place in the world to belong to a labor union for decades,” said Rep. George Miller (D-CA)… Continue Reading
House Approves Obama’s Economic Recovery Plan
02.12.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved President Barack Obama's economic plan to save and create millions of jobs and get the economy moving forward again, paving the way for the President to sign the bill by President's Day weekend. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a champion of investments in the plan that will save education jobs and provide urgent relief to school districts, called the plan a victory for … Continue Reading
House Education Committee Approves Legislation to Stop Child Abuse in Teen Residential Programs
02.11.09 WASHINGTON, DC - Today the House Education and Labor Committee approved legislation to protect teenagers attending residential treatment programs, including therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, wilderness programs and behavior modification facilities, from physical, mental, and sexual abuse and increase transparency to help parents make safe choices for their children. Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office during the 110th Congress uncovered thousands of cases and… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Senate Approval of Economic Recovery Plan
02.10.09 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the Senate passed its version of the economic recovery plan. According to new estimates compiled by the Economic Policy Institute, the $14 billion in school modernization passed as part of the House’s economic recovery plan would create at least 315,000 more jobs than the Senate-passed bill.“While I am glad the Senate has now joined the House in passing… Continue Reading
Miller, McCarthy Reintroduce Legislation to Stop Child Abuse in Teen Residential Programs
02.09.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) today reintroduced legislation to protect teenagers attending residential treatment programs from physical, mental and sexual abuse and to prevent deceptive marketing practices by operators of private residential programs for teens. The lawmakers also announced that the House Education and Labor Committee will mark up the legislation on Wednesday. Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office durin… Continue Reading
January Jobs Report Demands Immediate Action, Chairman Miller Says
02.06.09 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 598,000 jobs were lost in January and the unemployment rate jumped to 7.6 percent. Approximately 3.6 million jobs have been lost since the recession began in December 2007.“As President Obama has urged us, now is the time to put tired politics aside and put the future of our country first. Today’s report that ano… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Announces Plans to Examine How Arts and Music Benefits the Economy and Education
02.05.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - With the arts and music among the many industries being hit hard in economic downturn, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today announced plans to hold a series of hearings this Spring to examine how the arts benefit the nation’s economy and schools - and what can be done to improve support for the arts and music fields. “Like so many other sectors of our economy, the arts and music are suffering greatly - hurting millions of … Continue Reading
Lawmakers Ask GAO to Investigate Spread of Contaminated Peanuts in U.S. Schools
02.04.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following new reports that peanuts associated with the widespread salmonella outbreak made it into the nation’s school cafeterias, Democratic lawmakers today called for the U.S. Government Accountability Office to expand an ongoing investigation into the safety of foods used in the federal school lunch program to include contaminated peanuts. This would be the first independent government investigation into the effects of the outbreak on schoolchildren. The letter, sent by U.S… Continue Reading
Reps. Miller and Barrow Reintroduce Bill to Protect Workers from Dust Explosions at Industrial Work Sites
02.04.09 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. John Barrow (D-GA), and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, today reintroduced legislation to prevent workplace explosions. This weekend is the anniversary of the Imperial Sugar refinery disaster in Port Wentworth, Ga., which killed 14 workers and injured dozens. And yesterday, six workers were injured when a coal dust collector at a power plant in suburba… Continue Reading