The Club for Growth is right about a bunch of issues, but they’re wrong about the pending House bill to replace No Child Left Behind with something far better. H.R. 5 (the “Student Success Act”), slated for floor action a few days hence, would, if enacted, be the most conservative federal education move in a quarter century. It has the potential to undo nearly all of the mischievous, dysfunctiona... Read more »
“Bipartisan” has largely become a phase used to describe ancient history. Yet the Republicans and Democrats on the House Committee on Education & the Workforce just negotiated complex compromise legislation that affects the basic rights of retirees—and last week it became law as part of the Cromnibus. What they did was controversial: They amended the Employees Retirement Income Security Act. ERISA... Read more »
There are nearly 11 million workers and retirees across America, including more than 165,000 Minnesotans, who rely on the little known but economically vital multiemployer pension system. Nationwide, this system has an economic impact of approximately $38 billion — with more than $375 million in benefits being paid to Minnesota retirees each year. Today, many multiemployer pension plans find them... Read more »
Letters of support are pouring in for the bipartisan agreement to reform multiemployer pensions. Released by House Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA), the proposal includes reforms to provide trustees with new tools to save troubled plans, while protecting taxpayers. See what business and union leaders are saying in support of this bipart... Read more »
Child care and community leaders are voicing support for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to help low-income families access child care while a parent pursues an education or job-training. “This bill will provide important reforms that will directly address quality improvement, affordability, continuity of care, and cost stabilization measures that will ... Read more »
By Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) Many college graduates are delaying some of life’s most important decisions – including starting a family and buying a home – because they face a pile of debt with no job prospects. A record number of young adults live with their parents and roughly half of college graduates under the age of 26 rely on mom and dad for financial help. President Obama wants pe... Read more »
The open enrollment period for insurance plans mandated by the Affordable Care Act is just months away. For most Hoosiers, that means a bigger bite out of their monthly budgets next year. Health insurance premiums in Indiana will go up an average of 13% in 2015 according to a study conducted by the Health Research Institute. That means individual Hoosiers can expect to pay about $497 per month fo... Read more »
The president’s policies are hurting working families, and a leading culprit is the fatally flawed health care law. In September, Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Phil Roe (R-TN) will hold a field hearing in Indiana to examine ObamaCare's impact on schools and workplaces across the Hoosier state. Members at the hearing will have a lot to discuss. The Wall Street Journ... Read more »
On Wednesday House and Senate leaders announced a bipartisan deal to reform the nation’s workforce development system. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) will streamline a maze of duplicative programs and help hardworking Americans prepare for in-demand careers. Read highlights from press reports on the compromise: The compromise measure would eliminate 15 of 47 existing federal w... Read more »
The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing on Thursday to examine a recent National Labor Relations Board decision to define certain student athletes “employees.” As various news reports show, members discussed the challenges facing student athletes and expressed concerns that unionization would hurt students’ athletic and academic careers: The debate over whether college athle... Read more »
