Following today’s bipartisan vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, the House Education Committee’s top Republican, issued the following statement: “The American spirit is one of giving back – to our neighbors, our communities, and our nation. All across this country, citizens are devot... Read more »
Neighbors helping neighbors. This happens countless times every day across America: A college student teaching English to immigrants. A Boy Scout troop collecting canned food for the hungry. Families taking in neighbors who have lost their homes to a tornado, fire or flood. Mr. Chair, the bill before us today, aptly named the GIVE Act, encourages the selfless actions I just described by updating d... Read more »
The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee today approved the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act (H.R. 1388), bipartisan legislation to improve accountability in national service programs including AmeriCorps. “The GIVE Act includes important reforms to national service programs that allow neighbors to come together in service of individuals, communities, and our nati... Read more »
Thank you Mr. Chairman, and good morning. Let me begin by thanking you and your staff, along with Chairwoman McCarthy, for your work with Committee Republicans and our staff on this legislation. And I’d like to thank my Republican colleagues, Congressman Platts and Congressman Hoekstra, for their leadership on this issue. They have been champions of accountable national service for years, and thei... Read more »
Labor Committee Republicans today repeated their calls for a more flexible, family-friendly workplace, particularly by eliminating barriers in federal labor law that prohibit workers and employers from agreeing to more flexible work arrangements. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), the top Republican on the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, argued that workplace flexibility, particularly voluntary policies a... Read more »
Good morning and thank you, Chairwoman Woolsey. As you have noted, we are here today for the first Subcommittee hearing of the 111th Congress. I look forward to working with you, Madame Chair, as we consider many of the important issues confronting today’s workforce. I would like to begin by thanking our distinguished panel of witnesses for appearing today. We appreciate that they have taken time ... Read more »
With American taxpayers on the hook to spend nearly $100 billion in “economic recovery” dollars on federal education programs—on top of the roughly $60 billion already spent each year—congressional Republicans are calling on the Obama Administration to cooperate with vigorous congressional oversight to protect both students and taxpayers. The Education and Labor Committee’s top Republican, Rep. Ho... Read more »
Last month, we lost nearly 600,000 jobs. The number of unemployed workers grows with each day, and the need to help them find new jobs has never been greater. It has been more than a decade since federal job training initiatives have been updated. With a changing economy and growing unemployment rate, the time to renew this legislation is now. We must be committed to a dynamic, results-oriented jo... Read more »
It’s great to be here with such a dynamic panel of witnesses who make volunteerism “cool.” I am a longtime supporter of volunteerism. Whether it’s something we do as individuals and families in our own communities, or something we do as citizens coordinated at the national level, volunteerism is a hallmark of what makes America great. Volunteering our time and our talents is a way that all America... Read more »
Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement this evening on President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress: “President Obama deserves great credit for his ambitious plan to get our economy back on track, our fiscal house back in order, and our educational system back atop the rest of the world. Th... Read more »
