Today we will begin consideration of the Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act. These pieces of legislation will rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which has been overdue for reauthorization since 2007. Statistics paint a clear picture of the problems facing schools in America. Fewer than four in 10 fourth- and eighth-grade students are prof... Read more »
Today’s hearing is a timely and important event. I think it is critical for members of Congress to get outside the Beltway and hear from the men and women whose lives are affected by the policies advanced in the nation’s capitol. The recent recession ended almost three years ago, yet we continue to struggle with a difficult and sluggish economy. Our state needs jobs. We’ve been fortunate to experi... Read more »
Over four years ago, our nation fell into the worst recession since the Great Depression. Businesses closed, jobs were lost, savings disappeared, and countless lives were transformed by the pain of a deep economic downturn. While we’ve made some modest progress in recent months, we still have a long way to go before we reach the height of prosperity our families, employers, and workers once enjoye... Read more »
Last January, we began a discussion on the importance of rewriting elementary and secondary education law. We acknowledged No Child Left Behind’s shortcomings, and convened a series of hearings in which dozens of witnesses described the challenges facing our nation’s education system. We discussed the overly prescriptive accountability system that has labeled half our schools as failures, explored... Read more »
In January, President Obama shocked many across the country when he made three so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – despite the Senate not being in recess. This unprecedented action touches upon a number of constitutional powers. The first is the president’s authority to fill vacancies through recess appointments, a power which no one questions. The other co... Read more »
We are confronted today with two difficult realities. The first is the financial challenges facing the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. For more than 35 years, PBGC has provided an important safety net to millions of workers in the event a defined benefit pension plan becomes insolvent or terminated. The sheer size of the corporation’s responsibilities are quite remarkable, and they continue ... Read more »
One year ago, the committee met to examine the state of the workforce. It was our first hearing of the 112th Congress, and reflected our commitment to make job creation and American competitiveness top priorities. Much has happened since we met in January of 2011. Unemployment was 9.1 percent; today it stands at 8.5 percent. Nearly 14 million workers were unemployed; now one million fewer workers ... Read more »
The legislation we are considering today is straightforward: It reaffirms workforce protections that have been in place for decades. Across the country, the American people are asking: “How can we get this economy moving again? What will it take to finally put people back to work?” And Washington is responding with a number of answers. Some think we should support more spending, more taxes, and mo... Read more »
Over the past decade, the cost of attending college has increased dramatically. According to the College Board, in-state tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities have increased approximately 72 percent since 2001. In my home state of North Carolina, the sticker price for four-year public colleges has jumped 25 percent in the past two years alone. This troubling trend of highe... Read more »
For more than 90 years, a workers’ compensation program has provided assistance to federal employees who become injured or ill through a work-related activity. The program reflects our commitment to the men and women who serve our country in the federal government. Established by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act, the program is administered by the Department of Labor. In recent years, it ha... Read more »
