Chairman Spratt, Ranking Member Ryan, and Members of the Budget Committee: Thank you for this opportunity to submit testimony regarding the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2010. I want to raise an issue that has surfaced in the President’s budget which I find deeply troubling. Specifically, I am very concerned by the proposal included in the President’s FY 2010 budget to eliminate the Federal Fa... Read more »
Thank you Mr. Chairman, and good morning. Let me begin by thanking you and your staff, along with Chairwoman McCarthy, for your work with Committee Republicans and our staff on this legislation. And I’d like to thank my Republican colleagues, Congressman Platts and Congressman Hoekstra, for their leadership on this issue. They have been champions of accountable national service for years, and thei... Read more »
This morning’s hearing continues our work – which we began in the 110th Congress – in addressing many of the issues confronting our nation’s health care system, including efforts to improve health care quality, access, and affordability. An important lesson we learned during the last Congress was that, though imperfect, the employer-based health care system has been successful in many ways. As we ... Read more »
Good morning and thank you, Chairwoman Woolsey. As you have noted, we are here today for the first Subcommittee hearing of the 111th Congress. I look forward to working with you, Madame Chair, as we consider many of the important issues confronting today’s workforce. I would like to begin by thanking our distinguished panel of witnesses for appearing today. We appreciate that they have taken time ... Read more »
Last month, we lost nearly 600,000 jobs. The number of unemployed workers grows with each day, and the need to help them find new jobs has never been greater. It has been more than a decade since federal job training initiatives have been updated. With a changing economy and growing unemployment rate, the time to renew this legislation is now. We must be committed to a dynamic, results-oriented jo... Read more »
It’s great to be here with such a dynamic panel of witnesses who make volunteerism “cool.” I am a longtime supporter of volunteerism. Whether it’s something we do as individuals and families in our own communities, or something we do as citizens coordinated at the national level, volunteerism is a hallmark of what makes America great. Volunteering our time and our talents is a way that all America... Read more »
Last fall, as our nation’s financial crisis was worsening, the Committee held several hearings devoted to the effects of this crisis on retirement savings. We heard some troubling testimony about the state of our nation’s economic affairs, its impact on workers and retirees, and a range of proposals for solutions. Some I think we would all agree upon. Others were and remain far more controversial.... Read more »
Thank you. We’re here today for the first hearing of the Education and Labor Committee in the 111th Congress. Last week, we learned that nearly 600,000 Americans lost their jobs in the month of January. About 3.6 million jobs have been lost since the recession began just over a year ago. Stock values are down, and with them, the value of millions of workers’ retirement savings. I could go on about... Read more »
Thank you Chairman Miller. I know that adoption of the oversight plan is considered a rather mundane task, but there are a few issues in particular that I’d like to discuss before we adopt the plan. The purpose of an oversight plan is to help guide our work over the next two years. Historically, the oversight plan has been mutually agreed upon by the majority and the minority. And this year, I app... Read more »
Thank you Chairman Miller. This legislation was thoroughly debated and vetted by this committee in the 110th Congress, so I’ll keep my remarks brief. Many youth and families have benefitted from the services and support offered by residential treatment facilities. Unfortunately, those success stories have been overshadowed by devastating stories of abuse, neglect, and even death. Working with the ... Read more »
