In today’s Higher Education and Workforce Investment hearing on accountability, Committee Republicans emphasized that greater accountability is crucial to serving all students. “Today’s postsecondary education system looks a bit like a tangled ball of yarn. From rising tuition and student debt to lagging innovation and low graduation rates, every problem is interconnected,” Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-P... Read more »
Thank you for yielding. The high and rising cost of health care is a significant worry for families, workers, and employers across the country. Concerns about high premiums, high deductibles, and drug prices are known and well-documented, but the issue of surprise billing has rapidly risen to the forefront of peoples’ worries when it comes to health care. Surprise billing, sometimes called balance... Read more »
Over the past several years, surprise billing has rapidly risen to the top of the list of Americans’ health care concerns, surpassing worries about high premiums, high deductibles, and costly prescription drugs. “Surprise billing, sometimes called balance billing, happens when a patient visits an out-of-network care facility, or even when they are at an in-network facility but are seen by a doctor... Read more »
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Republican Leader of the Committee on Education and Labor, released the following statement upon the announcement of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed rule to address joint employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): “Since 2015, the confusion and uncertainty created by the Obama administration’s extreme joint employer standard has threatened American jo... Read more »
As we wrap up Women's History Month, we want to highlight the achievements that women in the workforce are making across the country. To watch, click here. Read more »
Thank you for yielding. All over the country, we’re beginning to see the perception around skills-based education evolve. For far too long, there was a stigma surrounding skills-based education. There was a misconception that a baccalaureate degree was the only viable pathway to a good job and a successful life. But as the national skills gap of more than seven million unfilled jobs has widened, p... Read more »
The Paycheck Fairness Act is a bill for trial lawyers, not a bill for working women. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Read what others are saying about the bill: HR Policy Association: As written, the bill would penalize legitimate, nondiscriminatory pay decisions; impose an unworkable burden of proof on employers that even The Washington Post has said “potentially invites too much int... Read more »
Apprenticeships and earn-and-learn programs are energizing the workforce. In a hearing this morning, members of the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee heard from witnesses about how apprenticeships are equipping Americans with skills they need to land the 7 million jobs available across the country. “We’ve seen a surge of interest in apprenticeships in recent years but this wor... Read more »
Click here to watch the video online. Remarks as delivered: Thank you, Madam Chairman. I have worked for most of my life. I entered the workforce as a young woman not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I knew the burden of poverty well. If I didn’t work to support myself, if I didn’t contribute to my family income, we would go hungry. While I have been enormously blessed to have gone from... Read more »
Thank you for yielding. While we agree that federal labor law is in need of reform, the title of today’s hearing is premised on a fallacy: that workers’ right to organize and join a union is, in some way, in jeopardy. Federal law protects workers’ right to unionize, point blank. Becoming a union member is an important personal decision and Republicans and Democrats alike respect the right of emplo... Read more »
