On October 13, 2015, we wrote to you regarding the Department of Labor’s (Department) draft memorandum to expand liability for workplace safety and health violations of franchisors under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Act). Among other requests, the Committee’s letter specifically requested the Department to provide information and a briefing related to the Solicitor of Labor’s (Solicito... Read more »
Dear Secretary Burwell: The Department of Health and Human Services is tasked with coordinating and administering the federal government’s efforts to prevent child abuse. We are deeply concerned the Department may not be properly enforcing the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA or the law) to ensure the basic requirements of the law are being followed. To help address these concerns,... Read more »
President Obama spent a lot of time shoring up his legacy during his State of the Union address, which helps explain why he reiterated numerous calls for more programs, more spending, and more government to address the challenges facing the American people. Near the top of the president’s outstanding wish list were his demands for universal pre-K and free community college. We all want every child... Read more »
In his State of the Union address, President Obama was quick to tout his economic record and suggest those who raise concerns with the status of the economy are “peddling fiction.” It’s true that we’ve made progress in recent years, but it’s also important to remember that we’re not out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot. In fact: More than 6 million individuals with part-time jobs want and need... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s final State of the Union address: Tonight we heard from a president who seems more concerned with building his legacy than building a better future for our country. No speech can convince the American people we are heading in the right direction. They are living ev... Read more »
After decades of a flawed, top-down approach to education, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) ends the era of federal overreach and restores control of education to its rightful stewards: parents, teachers, and state and local leaders. Signed into law last month, ESSA has been lauded as “the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter-century.” That’s because the law includ... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released unemployment data for December 2015: It is always good to hear that more Americans are back to work, but we cannot forget the very real challenges countless men and women continue to face. Millions of workers are unemployed or unable to find full-time jobs, a... Read more »
Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Phil Roe (R-TN) today released the following statements after the House passed the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act (H.R. 3762), a bill to dismantle ObamaCare, protect taxpayer dollars, and rein in the nation’s deficits and debt. “The American... Read more »
The House will vote today on a bill to dismantle ObamaCare, continuing an effort to roll back the flawed health care law that is wreaking havoc on working families, small business owners, and students. Rather than help Americans receive the care they want and need, ObamaCare has led to: Higher costs for consumers and small businesses. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the average pr... Read more »
The Gut-Wrenching Truth About Pensions By Thomas C. Nyhan, executive director and general counsel of the Central States Pension Fund The Star Tribune’s recent article about the Central States Pension Fund’s need to reduce pension benefits to save the fund (“New law threatens to slash pensions,” Dec. 14) curiously leaves out one very important detail about the causes for our severe underfunding. T... Read more »
