Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN), Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL) introduced the Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013, prohibiting the Obama administration from waiving the work requirements that were a critical element of welfare ref... Read more »
Courtesy of the Committees on Ways and Means and Education and the Workforce BACKGROUND: Seventeen years ago, a Republican-led Congress worked with President Bill Clinton to fix a broken welfare system. President Clinton rallied the nation to “end welfare as we know it” and his call to action was well founded. Under the old system, 65 percent of families were dependent on welfare for an average of... Read more »
Teachers are one of the most influential factors on a student’s academic success. I’m sure I’m not the only one in this room that can remember the teachers who inspired and motivated me as a child. And now that I’m a father of two boys, I am again seeing firsthand the difference an engaging teacher can make on a child’s desire and ability to learn. Over the next few months, we will renew our effor... Read more »
To get the nation’s fiscal house in order, the American people shouldn’t have to choose between higher taxes and indiscriminate budget cuts. Yet that is precisely the false choice President Obama wants the country to make. House Republicans have twice advanced a responsible alternative, one that addresses Washington’s addiction to reckless spending. Instead of across-the-board cuts that will hurt ... Read more »
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), today held a hearing entitled “Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School Safety.” Members examined ways school leaders and local officials can help students feel more secure in the classroom. During his opening remarks, Chairman Kline said, “Two months have passed since the Sandy Hook Elementary S... Read more »
Two months have passed since the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Families across America continue to grieve with the Newtown community. The sorrow we felt on that day remains fresh in our minds and hearts. No one in this room needs me to recount what happened on December 14. Nor do you need a description of what happened in Paducah, Kentucky; Littleton, Colorado; or Blacksburg, Virginia. We ... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), today held a hearing on the urgent need to strengthen the federal workforce development system. Members discussed a number of legislative proposals intended to address flaws in federal job training policies, including the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act. “Today’s wo... Read more »
U .S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) responded today to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that identified weaknesses in how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) monitors its enforcement activities. The report was requested by committee leaders in 2011 ... Read more »
On Thursday, February 28 at 9:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), will hold a hearing entitled “Raising the Bar: How are Schools Measuring Teacher Performance?” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. In addition to parental involvement, a student's success is heavily dependent... Read more »
We begin the new Congress addressing a familiar challenge. Over the last two years, the committee has taken a close look at the realities of a broken workforce development system. Just yesterday, North Carolina’s Greensboro News & Record drew attention to the problem of potentially thousands of well-paying manufacturing, construction, engineering, and nursing jobs sitting vacant in my state becaus... Read more »
