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 »
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 »
Providing more information about educational quality to families and communities is essential to improving K-12 schools in America. We are here today to discuss the value of education research, explore the appropriate level of federal involvement, and examine ways to improve current law to provide more immediate and relevant data to parents and educators. Since the enactment of the Education Scien... Read more »
Today, we will examine the Obama administration’s regulatory and enforcement agenda under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This law affects the lives of an estimated 135 million workers and the business decisions of roughly six million private employers. Given the law’s broad reach, it is critical we have smart policies that enforce the law in a responsible manner – a task even more important in the ... Read more »
Before I explain the technical changes made in the substitute, I’d like to thank my colleagues for their participation at our recent legislative hearing. We assembled an excellent panel of witnesses whose experience and expertise were important contributions to the committee’s work. During that hearing, a number of concerns were raised by my Democratic colleagues, and I am pleased to say the subst... Read more »
After failing to muscle through Congress proposals that would weaken critical workforce protections, Big Labor has turned to an NLRB that is all too eager to advance their extreme agenda. At a time when employers are demanding certainty and millions of Americans are searching for work, the board is imposing sweeping changes on virtually every private workplace. Labor policies that have served our ... Read more »
Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. I’d like to thank our witnesses for joining us today. We appreciate the opportunity to hear your perspective on the Department of Education’s implementation of the Direct Loan program. Nineteen months ago, the Democrat-controlled Congress approved a federal takeover of the student loan industry to help pay for the president’s health care l... Read more »
It was stated time and again: “If you like your current [health care] plan, you will be able to keep it. Let me repeat that. If you like your plan, you will be able to keep it.” Those remarks were delivered by President Obama and similar sentiments were expressed during the many months of Congress’ effort to reform health care. The promise was made to a public concerned about the changes a governm... Read more »
Good morning, and welcome to the committee’s legislative hearing on H.R. 3094, the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act. I would like to thank our witnesses for joining us. We are here today for one simple reason: the National Labor Relations Board is wreaking havoc on the nation’s workforce and it must be stopped. In recent months, the NLRB has taken a number of steps that move federal labor poli... Read more »
The policies and programs of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration touch upon virtually every private workplace across the country. That is a tremendous responsibility, not only for those of us in Congress who write the law, but for the agency officials charged with enforcing it. In an economy as dynamic as ours, the issues that come before your agency are understandably complex. As gr... Read more »
