House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans understand an effective K-12 education system cannot be created solely by Washington bureaucrats. It must include insight from state and local education officials and other experts who better understand the needs of students. Over the last year, committee Republicans have listened to parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, and other e... Read more »
In the first session of the 112th Congress, House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans held 11 hearings to discuss a better way forward for the K-12 education system. Dozens of state and local education officials offered their thoughts on the challenges facing states and school districts across the country. Time and time again, these experts shared their frustration with current law’s... Read more »
Dear Commissioner Shulman: As you know the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released an advance notice of proposed regulations titled "Determination of Government Plan Status." We understand these regulations would define the term "governmental plan" and will determine what a governmental plan is under section 414(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. It has been brought to our attention that these regu... Read more »
During the State of the Union address, President Obama proposed what could be a very promising breakthrough in the effort to improve federal workforce development programs. Today, more than 47 job trainings programs are scattered across the federal government, a bureaucratic mess that fails to adequately serve workers and wastes taxpayer dollars. To fix the problem, President Obama called on Congr... Read more »
“I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: that government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more.” - President Barack Obama, January 24, 2012 Quoting Abraham Lincoln in last week’s State of the Union address, President Obama outlined a vision for an improved education system in which more control is granted to states and schools. He pledged to g... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans recently released two pieces of draft legislation designed to reform K-12 education law, currently known as No Child Left Behind. The Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act will support rural schools, strengthen Impact Aid, and improve data reporting and transparency to help close student achievement gap... Read more »
Dear Secretary Solis: We respectfully request additional information to clarify issues raised in connection with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' (OFCCP) December 9, 2011, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding individuals with disabilities. We also request a 90-day extension of the public comment period for the review of the additional information. Thorough review of t... Read more »
Dear Assistant Secretary Borzi: On November 18, 2011, we wrote to you concerning the U.S Department of Labor's (DOL) regulatory efforts to significantly expand the definition of "fiduciary" under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). On December 13, 2011, Brian V. Kennedy, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, responded to our in... Read more »
During the State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to prevent an increase in student loan interest rates from hitting students, stating, “At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July.” While we all agree on the importance of keeping college affordable and providi... Read more »
Last night, President Obama laid out his vision for the country in his State of the Union address. While many of the plans and promises sounded oddly familiar, House Republicans have been working for months to turn the president’s rhetoric into action on behalf of students, workers, and employers. Strengthening Job Training Assistance President’s Rhetoric: “And I want to cut through the maze of co... Read more »
