Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
Miller Requests Cooperation from Private Student Loan Lenders in Addressing Challenges Faced by Borrowers
11.29.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today wrote letters to private student loan lenders including Sallie Mae, Inc., Wells Fargo, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and Citi Bank, seeking information on their lending practices and their "cooperation in addressing increasing difficulties confronting private student loan customers who struggle to find work and repay their student loans." A recently is… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Annual College Board Trends Survey
10.24.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement after the College Board released its annual "Trends in Higher Education Series" highlighting trends in both student aid (for the 2011-2012 school year) and college pricing (for the 2012-2013 school year). During the 2012- 2013 academic year, students at public four-year colleges and universities saw an increase of 4.8 percent in tuition a… Continue Reading
Private Student Loan Borrowers Face Roadblocks to Repayment, New CFPB Report Finds
10.16.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that private student loan borrowers face many roadblocks, runarounds and dead-ends to repayment. Since March 2012, the CFPB has received approximately 2,900 complaints on private student loans. The report found that some borrowers may be struggling to pay back th… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Department of Labor Grants to Community Colleges to Expand Education and Job Training
09.20.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Labor awarded nearly $500 million to community colleges across the country. As part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative, these grants support job training and workforce development opportunities in fields such as manufacturing, science, transportation and te… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Government Investigation of Fraud in Distance Learning Education
09.20.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California and the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education announced that 21 individuals have recently been indicted for participating in federal student aid fraud schemes at 15 schools throughout California. "I thank the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General a… Continue Reading
Reps. Tierney and Miller Introduce Bill to Protect Student, Taxpayer Investment in Higher Education
09.13.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Representatives John Tierney (D-Mass.) and George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, will introduce legislation today that would ensure the tuition dollars students and taxpayers invest in higher education at for-profit institutions are spent on educating students, not marketing or advertising. The College Student Rebate Act would safeguard student and taxpayer investment in for-profit institutions of higher education by … Continue Reading
Miller Statement on New Private Student Lending Report
07.20.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D - Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after a new joint report from the U.S. Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that students were another group of consumers who were adversely affected by the boom and bust of the subprime lending financial crisis. The report found that risky lending practices and loose underwriting has resulted in… Continue Reading
Miller, Hinojosa Introduce Legislation to Help College Students Seeking to Transfer Between Schools
07.18.12 WASHINGTON - Last night, U.S. Reps. George Miller (D - Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rubén Hinojosa (D -Texas), the senior Democrat on the Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee, introduced legislation aimed at removing the "friction of transfer" within a state's public system of higher education, including for community college students seeking to move on to four-year institutions. The legislation, the Transferring Cred… Continue Reading
Miller asks GAO to Investigate the Weaknesses in Child Abuse Reporting Laws and Policies in Wake of Penn State and Other Abuse Scandals at Schools
07.18.12 WASHINGTON - While continuing to press for committee action in wake of sex abuse scandals at The Pennsylvania State University and other educational institutions, Rep. George Miller (D - Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether existing laws and policies adequately prevent abuse of children in schools or on school campuses. “The child sexual abuse scandal at The Pennsylv… Continue Reading
Miller Requests Chairman Kline to Investigate Child Abuse Reporting Laws After Release of Penn State Sexual Abuse Investigative Report
07.12.12 WASHINGTON - In light of the Special Investigative Counsel report released today on the child sexual abuse scandal at The Pennsylvania State University, Rep. George Miller (D - Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, sent a third letter to Chairman John Kline (R - Minn.), requesting the committee begin a significant investigation into whether federal laws adequately protect children from physical and sexual abuse. "Our Committee has a duty to act. We sh… Continue Reading
House Approves Legislation to Keep Student Loan Interest Rates Lower and Create Construction Jobs
06.29.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation to keep interest rates on need-based student loans at 3.4 percent next year and also keep thousands of American construction workers on the job building bridges and repairing roads. The legislation passed by a vote of 373 to 52. "This action comes just in the nick … Continue Reading
Miller Statement on the 40th Anniversary of the Pell Grant Program
06.22.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D - Calif.), the senior democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement on the 40th anniversary of the Pell Grant program. “40 years ago, Congress took steps to make the dream of a college degree a reality for millions of low- and middle-income students and their families with the passage of the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, known today as the Pell Grant program. Since its inception in 1972, the Pell Gr… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on the 40th Anniversary of Title IX
06.22.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D - Calif.), the senior democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement on the 40th anniversary of Title IX. According to the National Women's Law Center, before the passage of Title IX, it was common for schools to discourage young women from studying math or science, and to encourage them to focus on domestic skills, like cooking, sewing and child rearing. There were few opportunities for girls to play sports… Continue Reading
New Data from the Department of Education Empowers Families to Make Informed Decisions about Higher Education
06.11.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education released new information on college costs. Displayed on the Department of Education's College Affordability and Transparency Center website, the college cost data highlights institutions with the highest and lowest tuition and fees and net prices. It also lists schools where costs are rising the fastest - provi… Continue Reading
Ed & Workforce Republicans Approve Legislation that Harms Job Training and Job Creation Efforts
06.07.12 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans pushed Workforce Investment Act legislation (H.R. 4297) through the committee that walks away from Congress’ duty to help create and sustain a highly-skilled workforce, especially for the most disadvantaged workers. “We should be building a workforce system to expand opportunity for all Americans, builds on what works, gives businesses the workers they need to compete globally and grows the middle class,” said Rep. Geor… Continue Reading
Miller, Durbin Urge Examination of Student Debit Card Practices
06.07.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Assistant Senate Majority Leader, today sent letters to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray and Department of Education Inspector General Kathleen Tighe, expressing concern over the adverse financial impact debit card agreements between banks and institutions of higher educati… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Republican Efforts to Block Democratic Student Loan Bills
05.08.12 Washington, D.C. - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today after House and Senate Republicans voted to block Democratic efforts to prevent student loan rates from doubling on July 1. "Today, Senate Republicans blocked debate on a Democratic student loan bill. An hour later, House Republicans yet again rejected efforts to allow a vote on a Democratic student loan bill in the House. Our young peopl… Continue Reading
Speaker Boehner’s Comments on Student Loans Issue Not Based in Fact, House Democratic Members Write
04.30.12 Calls to work together to keep student loan interest rates low ignored for months by House Republicans WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders on education and public health issues wrote Speaker John Boehner today, challenging statements he made over the weekend on the pending doubling of interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans. Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Speaker Boehner said that “Democrats and Republicans for months have been working together to try to figure out a w… Continue Reading
GOP House Approves ‘Cynical’ Bill to Keep Student Loan Rates Low by Slashing Funding to Support Women’s and Children’s Health
04.27.12 WASHINGTON - Rather than working in a bipartisan manner to prevent the doubling of student loan rates for more than 7 million college students in a fiscally responsible way, House Republicans instead pushed through partisan legislation that would harm public health. House Democrats have instead proposed to keep student loan interest rates low by eliminating billions of dollars in unwarranted tax subsidies to big oil. “Today’s vote shows that the Republicans are on very thin ice on this issue… Continue Reading
Speaker Boehner Calls Efforts to Protect Funding for Cancer Screenings for Women and Childhood Immunizations a ‘Political Stunt’ and ‘Playing Games’
04.27.12 WASHINGTON - Speaker John Boehner made a rare floor appearance today to urge his colleagues to vote against a Democratic effort to protect preventive medical care like breast and cervical cancer screenings as part of the debate to keep student loan interest rates low. Speaker Boehner’s floor speech came during the Democratic ‘motion to recommit’, which is a last-ditch parliamentary maneuver to amend the bill by a minority party. House Democrats have proposed to keep student loan interest rate… Continue Reading