I am pleased today to offer the amendment in the nature of a substitute for H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act. As Chair of the House School Choice Caucus, one of my top priorities is ensuring more families have access to high-quality education options. Supporting the growth of successful charter schools is an important part of this effort. I had the good fort... Read more »
Student demographics are changing rapidly and remarkably. The days when the majority of college students were between the ages of 18 and 22, attending college full-time right after graduating from high school, are over. Today more than half of postsecondary students are so-called “non-traditional” students. These contemporary students often have families, work full- or part-time, and are financial... Read more »
The purpose of today’s hearing is to examine the president’s fiscal year 2015 budget request for the Department of Labor. However, as is often the case, budget hearings are about more than dollars and cents. As the old saying goes, budgets are about priorities. Naturally, budget hearings provide Congress an opportunity to examine and discuss the policies an administration intends to pursue in the ... Read more »
As you may know, the full committee recently held a hearing to review the federal investment in early childhood care and development. During the hearing, we explored opportunities to streamline and improve existing programs to better serve children and their families. Today we will continue that discussion as we examine one of the largest and most critical programs in the nation’s network of early... Read more »
This committee has convened numerous hearings in Washington to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the nation’s classrooms and workplaces. Whenever possible, we like to bring the voices of everyday Americans to the Capitol to learn their ideas on how to move our country forward. But it’s even better when we have the opportunity to get out of Washington and into local communities, which... Read more »
Here in Arizona, we not only enjoy fantastic winter weather, but also great traditions of educational opportunities and a pro-growth business environment. In fact, today we will hear from some of our great educational institutions on the innovative ways they are working to deliver education to our students, as well as, how they connect with local businesses to fill the pipeline for tomorrow’s work... Read more »
Our economy faces many challenges. Millions remain out of work, and the labor participation rate has declined to thirty-year lows. Here in the Silver State, families struggle with 8.8 percent unemployment - one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Unemployment among young people ages 16 to 19 is even higher, at 29 percent. We need to do more to help these families rebuild and recover ... Read more »
I recently visited Southwest Career and Technical Academy here in Nevada's Third District and met with students, teachers, and administrators to learn about the school and the courses they offer. I also got the chance to hear firsthand from students about their experiences with career and technical education and how they think it will help them in the future. The overall impression I got from them... Read more »
I’d like to welcome our guests and thank our witnesses for being with us as we discuss H.R. 3633, the Protecting Health Care Providers from Increased Administrative Burdens Act. The bill is the result of the committee’s continued oversight of the Department of Labor, which shed light on an unprecedented effort by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to assert jurisdiction over health... Read more »
The charter school model began in 1991 when my home state of Minnesota passed legislation to create the nation’s first charter schools. In the years that have followed, more than 6,000 charter schools have opened in 42 states and the District of Columbia, serving approximately 2.5 million children each year. As you know, charter schools are public schools that operate under a contract, or charter,... Read more »
