President Obama has announced he will create through executive fiat another federal job training program. That’s right – another program on top of the more than 50 federal employment and training programs that already exists. It might have been nice to wait for Vice President Biden to complete his redundant review of the workforce development system before adding more confusion to an already bloat... Read more »
In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a “year of action” that left many Americans unimpressed. As one political journalist wrote, the president’s agenda includes “small-bore executive orders, studies, summits.” President Obama’s lackluster to-do list was especially evident when he announced Vice President Joe Biden would address job training reform by merely conducting a re... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), today held a hearing entitled, “Keeping College Within Reach: Sharing Best Practices for Serving Low-Income and First Generation Students.” During the hearing, members learned about institutional efforts to better serve disadvantaged students, while also exploring opportunities to strengthen related ... Read more »
On Tuesday, November 19th at 10:00 a.m., the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN) will hold a hearing entitled, “Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: Improving the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Educati... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), today convened a hearing entitled, “Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Jobs: A Discussion on Career and Technical Education and Training Programs.” During the hearing, members listened as expert witnesses described the benefits of career and technical education (CTE) initiatives, wh... Read more »
Chairman John Kline (R-MN), Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN), Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Phil Roe (R-TN) have sent letters to several agencies within the committee's jur... Read more »
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 »
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 »
The Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), today held a hearing to examine reforms to improve the National Labor Relations Act. During the hearing, members discussed legislative proposals to protect workers’ access to secret ballot union elections and prevent the proliferation of micro-unions. “We all want to turn the page on an economy where 12 m... Read more »
The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 (H.R. 1406), legislation that will help more Americans balance the needs of family and work. Sponsored by Representative Martha Roby (R-AL), this commonsense proposal would allow private-sector employers to offer employees the opportunity to accrue paid time off or ‘comp time’ for working overtime hours. ... Read more »
