Later today, President Obama will visit a Boeing plant in Everett, Washington to tout his administration’s manufacturing policies. At a similar event held earlier this week in Wisconsin, the president discussed the opportunities that “exist right now to bring jobs and manufacturing back to the United States of America.” Unfortunately, some of those opportunities are being undermined by the actions... Read more »
Dear Secretary Solis: We write to request additional information on an issue of significant concern to many farmers and ranchers throughout the United States. On September 2, 2011, the Department of Labor published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise labor regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) for minors hired as farm workers. According to the department, this... Read more »
Today, the House Education and the Workforce Committee is holding an open discussion on the Student Success Act (H.R. 3989) and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act (H.R. 3990). These thoughtful proposals will reduce federal intervention in schools, provide state and local leaders much needed flexibility, and help get better teachers in classrooms. Sadly, critics are determined to... Read more »
Today, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce is holding an open discussion on the Student Success Act (H.R. 3989) and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act (H.R. 3990). These thoughtful proposals will reduce federal intervention in schools, provide state and local leaders much needed flexibility, and help get better teachers in classrooms. Sadly, critics are deter... Read more »
After a shrouded review process and months of closed-door debate, the administration last week announced 10 states will receive waivers from certain requirements under No Child Left Behind. With this action, the administration has officially shunned working with Congress to improve federal education law in favor of a scheme that merely exchanges a few of No Child Left Behind’s most onerous mandate... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans recently introduced two pieces of legislation designed to reform K-12 education law, currently known as No Child Left Behind. The Student Success Act (H.R. 3989) and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act (H.R. 3990) encourage a smaller federal role in the nation’s classrooms, put decisions back in the hands of state and local ... Read more »
Dear Secretary Solis: We respectfully request a 90-day extension of the comment period of the Wage and Hour Division's (WHD) December 27, 2011, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the proposed rule) entitled: Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service. We request the extension in light of our concerns with the proposed rule and to provide adequate time to review related informatio... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: The Department of Education operates approximately 80 programs tied to K-12 classrooms, each with its own set of burdensome rules and reporting requirements. According to Virginia's Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Edgar Hatrick, navigating this complicated system often results in "resources being diverted from the mission of teaching and learning." Additionally, federal ... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind, has been due for reauthorization since 2007. Despite its best intentions, there is widespread agreement that the current law is no longer effectively serving students. Under No Child Left Behind’s accountability system, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, all schools that fail to meet target proficien... Read more »
Reform-minded governors in states like New Jersey, South Dakota, and Virginia are using this year’s “state of the state” speeches to call for much-needed K-12 education reform that supports effective state and local initiatives. House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans have long recognized the progress state and local officials have had implementing innovative reforms that hold scho... Read more »
