U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement on the two year anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mining disaster: “Two years ago, the people of Montcoal, West Virginia suffered a horrific loss as the worst mining disaster in four decades took the lives of 29 men. It was an unthinkable tragedy that should never have happened. Massey E... Read more »
Today, members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced a comprehensive proposal to reform the nation’s network of job training programs. The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4297) consolidates more than 20 programs into one flexible Workforce Investment Fund, helping to provide a more streamlined system for workers and job seekers to find the employment s... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: The federal government administers roughly 47 job training programs across nine agencies. Many of these programs overlap, and few have been evaluated for efficacy. This unwieldy system makes it more difficult for workers to access important job skills and assistance, and fails employers who seek a highly trained workforce. During his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama r... Read more »
Yesterday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on the president’s budget and policy proposals for Fiscal Year 2013. Since assuming his position in the president’s cabinet in January 2009, Secretary Duncan has proven to be an active and visible member of the administration. However, a look at some of the numbers defining his tenure in ... Read more »
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), today held a hearing to discuss the administration’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget and policy priorities for the Department of Education. The Honorable Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, testified during the hearing. In his budget proposal, the president has requested $69.8 billion in discretionary spending for the ... Read more »
Welcome back, Secretary Duncan, to the Education and the Workforce Committee. We realize your time is valuable and we appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today about the president’s budget proposal. When we met this time last year, we discussed the importance of using taxpayer dollars wisely, particularly in these times of economic instability. We identified areas of education spending th... Read more »
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), today held a hearing entitled, “Learning from the Upper Big Branch Tragedy.” The hearing examined the findings of numerous investigations and reviews related to the 2010 mining disaster in Montcoal, West Virginia that took the lives of 29 miners. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joe Main t... Read more »
Inefficiencies in the implementation and management of the federal Direct Loan program may be creating headaches for students and putting borrowers’ credit at risk, according to a letter sent today by several House and Senate Republicans to Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. The letter was signed by House Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN), ... Read more »
On April 5, 2010, the people of Montcoal, West Virginia suffered a tragic loss. Around three o’clock in the afternoon, workers completing their shift at the Upper Big Branch mine felt a strong blast of wind hit their backs. It was a chilling warning that a violent explosion was tearing through the mine, one that would kill 29 miners and severely injure two more. As a nation, we continue to mourn t... Read more »
On Wednesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan will testify before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on the president’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget request for the Department of Education. If the secretary’s recent appearance in front of the House Appropriations Committee is any indication, we can expect to hear a lot of rhetoric on the administration’s preferred education policie... Read more »
