Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic lawmakers announced today they will introduce critical legislation to address the high school dropout crisis, which poses a growing threat to the nation’s economic stability and global competitiveness. Nearly one-third of all high school students do not to graduate every year, costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost revenue. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Forty executives at ten high-profile corporations that terminated their workers’ pensions collected at least $350 million in compensation in the years leading to pension termination, the Government Accountability Office reported today. The investigation was requested by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) today joined U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in urging college campuses to take prudent action to ensure that their students continue to have access to stable, low-cost federal college loans, regardless of what happens in the economy. Their letter to college presidents echoes a letter Duncan sent to institutions last month.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ensuring workers have access to paid sick leave can help slow the spread of highly contagious illnesses like the H1N1 flu virus, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. By giving workers access to paid sick leave, employees will not be forced to choose between losing pay and infecting co-workers and the public.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its report on the food security. The report, Household Food Security in the U.S, showed that in 2008, 17 million households in the United States were at times unable to provide food for their families. The number of children who at times went without food in 2008 rose from approximately 700,000 to 1.1 million.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report today that found that incentives for employers and workers to underreport illness not only adversely impacts the accuracy of data that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses to target unsafe workplaces, but also has put pressure on health professionals to change diagnoses or provide insufficient treatments.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In light of several recent deadly outbreaks of E. coli that led to a recall of ground beef from major supermarkets, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the risk of contaminated beef from the commercial market entering the school meal programs.  This would be part of an investigation GAO launched at Miller’s request last year into the safety of meat served in school cafeterias.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the first time in America’s history, all Americans will have access to quality, affordable health care under updated health insurance reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today. The legislation will cover 96 percent of Americans by 2015, while reducing the deficit by tens of billions of dollars over the next decade. The House approved the measure by a vote of 220 to 215.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), blends and revises the three versions of reform legislation passed by the House committees of jurisdiction in July. It embodies President Obama’s key goals for health reform. It will slow the growth in out-of-control health costs, and introduce competition into the health care marketplace to keep coverage affordable and insurers honest. Additionally, it will protect people’s choices of doctors and health plans, and assure all have Americans access to quality, stable, affordable health care.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a key architect of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, during consideration of the legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives today.


Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this historic legislation to fix our broken health insurance system and finally bring affordable health coverage to every American.

We are truly on the verge of making history.

Never before has the House or Senate approved a bill to guarantee every American access to affordable health care. Never.

Not that we haven’t tried.   

The fight to reform this nation’s health care system has spanned nearly 100 years, across generations and many great leaders, from Teddy Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy to President Clinton to my own personal hero, Ted Kennedy.

But time and again these efforts were stymied by special interests.

The need for reform is dire.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fifty-two million people would continue to go uninsured if the House Republican health care legislation was enacted, the Congressional Budget Office said tonight.  Overall, CBO estimates that the bill would only reduce the number of uninsured by 3 million and would cover 83 percent of Americans by 2019 – about the same as what would happen under the status quo. In contrast, the House Democratic health insurance reform bill would cover 96 percent of Americans by 2019 and provide an additional 36 million people with access to quality, affordable health care.