The drop in the unemployment rate in August to a 4½-year low was hardly cause for celebration. The rate fell because more people stopped looking for work. More than 300,000 people stopped working or looking for a job. Their exodus shrank the so-called labor force participation rate — the percentage of adult Americans with a job or seeking one — to 63.2 percent. It's the lowest participation rate ... Read more »
By Avik Roy A few weeks ago, I discussed the fact that labor unions have been increasingly vocal about their objections to certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare will “shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class,” wrote three labor leaders in July. Now, according to a repo... Read more »
This week the House of Representatives is expected to consider H.R. 367, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. Sponsored by Rep. Todd Young (R-IN), the legislation would require federal agencies to submit major regulations (those with an annual economic effect of more than $100 million) to Congress for approval. H.R. 367 will help control regulatory costs and promote ... Read more »
In a landslide vote, the Democrat-led Senate finally amended and approved House-passed legislation to get politicians out of the business of setting student loan interest rates. As Chairman Kline said after yesterday’s remarkable vote, “We finally have a Senate agreement worthy of public support [that] reflects the policies and priorities of the House-passed Smarter Solutions for Students Act. Thi... Read more »
Congressional Republicans and business groups on Tuesday demanded information about who made the decision to delay the healthcare law’s employer mandate. White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett announced early this month that businesses would have an additional year to comply with the mandate, which requires organizations with more than 50 full-time workers to either provide insurance to worke... Read more »
Support continues to grow for the Student Success Act (H.R. 5), legislation the House is currently considering to rewrite the nation’s K-12 education law. As detailed in letters sent to the committee, the Student Success Act will help raise student achievement by restoring local control, supporting more effective teachers, reducing the federal footprint, and empowering parents: “The Student Succes... Read more »
Studies show parental involvement is a significant factor in determining a child’s success in the classroom. But instead of recognizing this important role, existing federal policies have made schools more accountable to Washington bureaucrats than parents and local communities. In addition, layers of federal regulations have limited education options, preventing families from finding alternatives... Read more »
The chairmen of a pair of House subcommittees want to question the Obama administration's regulations chief over the decision to delay a key component of the Affordable Care Act. For Howard Shelanski, the June 23 grilling would be a baptism under fire, since he reported for duty less than a week ago. Shelanski began work as director of the little known but influential White House Office of Inform... Read more »
No one understands the needs of students better than the parents, teachers, and school administrators who spend time with them every day. Yet current law assumes Washington knows best, mandating one-size-fits-all accountability requirements that restrict states’ ability to effectively evaluate and improve student achievement. It’s time to end this top-down approach and give state and local leaders... Read more »
The Senate is set to consider on Wednesday the Keep Student Loans Affordable Act, in what could be the chamber’s only reaction to the recent doubling of a low student-loan interest rate. We are all for taming college costs. But lawmakers should reject this pathetic non-solution and put their effort instead into finalizing a compromise plan that is well within their reach. The Senate vote is on wh... Read more »
