We are well acquainted with the challenges surrounding the employer mandate, which forces businesses to provide government-approved health insurance or pay higher taxes. It seems with each passing day there are new reports of employers facing tough choices thanks to this particular provision in the health care law. The mandate applies to businesses with 50 or more full-time workers and defines suc... Read more »
Three weeks ago the American people were joining friends and family to celebrate the July Fourth holiday with hotdogs and fireworks. Little did they know the Obama administration was about to set off some fireworks of its own. Through a blog post on the Treasury Department’s website, the administration announced it would delay for one year enforcement of a vital piece of the recent health care law... Read more »
The Student Success Act will take a critical step toward real reform of our education system. This legislation will restore local control; empower parents; eliminate unnecessary Washington red tape and intrusion in schools; and support innovation and excellence in the classroom. As Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, I have heard countless stories of the amazing progress b... Read more »
As the attention of the American people turned to celebrating the July Fourth holiday, the Obama administration quietly announced through a blog post on the Treasury Department’s website it would delay enforcement of a vital part of the president’s health care law – the employer mandate. The reason for the delay? According to administration officials, the federal bureaucracy needs more time to get... Read more »
Today’s hearing is part of an effort that began last Congress to improve the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act. In 2011 the House passed with strong bipartisan support a package of reforms that would have strengthened the FECA program. Among other provisions, the bill would have improved administrative efficiency, modernized various benefits, and strengthened the overall integrity of the law. Wh... Read more »
When we consider how higher education is changing, most of us probably think about rising tuition. And that’s a fair connection; after all, in-state tuition and fees at public four-year universities have shot up 81 percent in the last decade, and similar trends can be seen at private institutions and two-year degree programs. But tuition increases aren’t the only changes affecting our nation’s hig... Read more »
In 2010, the Democratic Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which reauthorized the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and required the United States Department of Agriculture to issue several regulations for schools and districts participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. While well-intended, these new regulations have essentially put the federal government i... Read more »
A story in the Wall Street Journal summed up the economic challenges many continue to face. In an article entitled “Some Unemployed Keep Losing Ground,” reporter Ben Cassleman writes: “The recession ended four years ago. But for many job seekers, it hasn’t felt like much of a recovery.” Despite recent progress in the job market, Cassleman notes, “The trouble is that the pace is still far too slow ... Read more »
The Student Success Act takes a very important step forward in the education reform debate. As Chairman Kline said earlier, No Child Left Behind isn’t working, and the Obama administration’s waivers are only making things more complicated for parents and school leaders. We can do better. In addition to a number of technical adjustments, the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute also makes a coup... Read more »
The legislation before us today will take concrete steps to revamp the nation’s K-12 education law and help our children achieve excellence – the excellence needed to boost our economy and make our country more competitive. We are all too aware of the problems facing schools and students across America. Despite the best of intentions, No Child Left Behind hasn’t delivered the results we’d hoped. I... Read more »
