On Wednesday, June 26 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), will hold a legislative hearing on the Secret Ballot Protection Act (H.R. 2346) and the Representation Fairness Restoration Act (H.R. 2347). The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Introduced by Rep. Roe, the Secret Ballot Protect... Read more »
For the third time in as many weeks, Republicans used their weekly address to push Senate Democrats and President Obama to act on federal student loan rates, which are set to double July 1 unless Congress and the president can agree on a proposal that prevents the rate hike. "As you may know, millions of student-loan borrowers could soon see their interest rates double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 per... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Over the last four decades, the federal government’s role in K-12 education has increased dramatically. Despite tripling federal funding since 1965, student achievement has remained flat. Meanwhile, the Department of Education currently operates more than 80 programs tied to K-12 classrooms. Many of these programs are duplicative or ineffective, and each comes bundled with its own se... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Studies have consistently shown teacher quality to be among the most influential factors in student academic achievement. Unfortunately, federal teacher policies, most notably the “Highly Qualified Teacher” mandates, value a teacher’s credentials over his or her ability to boost student learning. Under current law, an educator is considered “highly qualified” if he or she has earned ... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Any effort to provide students with a quality education must include parents. Parental involvement can help drive innovation, competition, and school improvement. However, current federal policies often ignore the important role parents play, and can stand in the way of state and local efforts to engage parents in their child’s education. For example, under current law, states and sc... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Enacted under President George W. Bush's administration with the promise to focus on individual student achievement and overall school performance, No Child Left Behind was heralded as groundbreaking. But after a decade of the law, we can now clearly identify its weaknesses. The "Adequate Yearly Progress" measurement restricts states' and school districts' ability to effectively gaug... Read more »
During today’s weekly Republican address, House Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) urged President Obama to demonstrate leadership in the student loan interest rate debate, and encouraged the Senate to take action on the long-term, market-based solution students and families need. “Our students deserve better,” Chairman Kline said. “We’re in this predicament because politicians... Read more »
Tomorrow House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) will deliver the weekly Republican address. During the address, Chairman Kline will urge President Obama to demonstrate leadership in the student loan interest rate debate, and encourage the Senate to take action on the long-term, market-based solution students and families need. “Unless the Senate acts, millions of ne... Read more »
Obama Appointments Unconstitutional On January 4, 2012, President Obama made three so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) while the Senate was not in recess. These appointments were unprecedented—no other president has made recess appointments while the Senate was in session. A year later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia unanimously held ... Read more »
“Speculation.” That’s how Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius described concerns about ObamaCare’s impact on workers and employers. According to the secretary, the law is still being implemented and there is nothing to fear until next year. Unfortunately, the secretary’s flawed theory stands in sharp contrast to the harsh reality reported across the country. A new survey is the l... Read more »
