House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released unemployment data for May 2016: This jobs report is deeply troubling and the latest sign that our country is heading in the wrong direction. Millions of Americans are being left behind in an anemic economy that has failed to deliver the opportunities working ... Read more »
A new editorial by the Wall Street Journal lauds House and Senate Republicans for moving to block a new rule that will make it harder for low- and middle-income families to save for retirement. Read more about Rep. Phil Roe’s (R-TN) resolution to protect access to affordable retirement advice. A relentless grievance on the right is that House and Senate Republicans do zilch to rein in the Obama ad... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) released the following statements after the Department of Education released its proposed regulation implementing “accountability” provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act. This proposed regulation is the first step of the regulatory... Read more »
There are many issues under our jurisdiction that touch workplaces across the country. One of the more important issues is employee health and safety. This is a challenging issue that directly impacts the lives of America’s workers and their families, and one that demands thoughtful and meaningful solutions. As I said at a hearing last month, we all agree that hardworking men and women should be a... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), held a hearing today to examine regulatory changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) recordkeeping standards, and whether or not these changes will advance worker safety. “Reducing occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities is a priority that crosses party lines, and stretches from the ... Read more »
Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, issued the following statement after the Senate approved H. J. Res. 88, a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act blocking the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule. Introduced by Rep. Roe, the resolution will help low- and middle-income families plan for retirement by stopping ... Read more »
The Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act (H.R. 5003) takes a number of positive steps to help ensure all children have access to healthy meals. Introduced by Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN), the bill contains commonsense reforms that will provide schools with greater flexibility and better target child nutrition assistance, while... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), today held a hearing to examine the misuse of AmeriCorps funds and ongoing oversight deficiencies at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Most recently, an investigation by the CNCS Office of Inspector General revealed that federal grant money was used by AmeriCorps members to p... Read more »
The Department of Labor has released a controversial new rule doubling the salary threshold under which employees qualify for overtime—a drastic change that President Obama is touting as a “win for working families.” When the White House claims a new regulatory scheme will be a “win” for workers—watch out. We’ve seen this sales pitch before, and it usually means they are about to hurt the very peo... Read more »
The Corporation for National and Community Service, or CNCS, is in charge of overseeing the community service activities of more than eight different federal programs and initiatives. For the current fiscal year, CNCS received more than $1 billion to carry out these programs, one of which is the AmeriCorps program. As the head of the corporation, Ms. Spencer, you have a responsibility to ensure th... Read more »