Today’s debate on the Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act affords us a valuable opportunity to discuss challenges facing our higher education system. There’s no denying the cost of college is skyrocketing. Last year, tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased 8.3 percent, even as inflation rose only by approximately three percent. In recent months, stu... Read more »
The amendment in the nature of a substitute for the Student Success Act makes a number of technical clarifications, but it also includes an important change that I’d like to highlight for the committee. In reviewing feedback from members and education stakeholders, we have noticed a shared desire to provide important academic services and choice opportunities for students. We agree parents should ... Read more »
Today we will begin consideration of the Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act. These pieces of legislation will rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which has been overdue for reauthorization since 2007. Statistics paint a clear picture of the problems facing schools in America. Fewer than four in 10 fourth- and eighth-grade students are prof... Read more »
Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to consider the Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act (H.R. 2117). Sponsored by Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the bipartisan legislation will repeal two unnecessary federal regulations that impose additional costs on institutions of higher education. House Committee on E... Read more »
On Tuesday, February 28 at 10:00 a.m., the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), will begin a markup of the Student Success Act (H.R. 3989) and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act (H.R. 3990). The markup will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. When No Child Left Behind was signed into law ten years ago, ... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Over the last decade, college costs have skyrocketed. Last year, tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased 8.3 percent, even as inflation only rose by approximately three percent. The average four-year public college student now graduates with roughly $22,000 in debt. Despite the Obama Administration’s failed attempts to rein in college costs through a ... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), today held a field hearing entitled, “Health Care Challenges Facing Pennsylvania’s Workers and Job Creators.” Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) joined Chairman Roe at the field hearing, which took place in Pennsylvania’s Third Congressional District. During the hearing, state and business leaders testified that incr... Read more »
Today’s hearing is a timely and important event. I think it is critical for members of Congress to get outside the Beltway and hear from the men and women whose lives are affected by the policies advanced in the nation’s capitol. The recent recession ended almost three years ago, yet we continue to struggle with a difficult and sluggish economy. Our state needs jobs. We’ve been fortunate to experi... Read more »
Over four years ago, our nation fell into the worst recession since the Great Depression. Businesses closed, jobs were lost, savings disappeared, and countless lives were transformed by the pain of a deep economic downturn. While we’ve made some modest progress in recent months, we still have a long way to go before we reach the height of prosperity our families, employers, and workers once enjoye... Read more »
By Reps. Phil Roe(R-TN) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) A recent survey by Gallup, Inc., asked a number of small business owners why they were not looking to hire new workers. While the vast majority expressed worries about the state of the economy and a lack of sales, our leading job creators highlighted two additional fears that should concern us all. Forty-six percent of small business owners said they ... Read more »
