News List

Last week, President Obama announced plans to streamline the federal government, starting with the consolidation of six federal agencies with overlapping authorities over business and trade. The president specifically asked for enhanced executive power to implement further “reforms that result in more efficiency, better service, and a leaner government.” Instead of announcing unilateral action to ... Read more »

U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after President Obama proposed consolidating a number of overlapping federal agencies: “A maze of bureaucracy often undermines important services workers, educators, and employers need. The Government Accountability Office has identified roughly 47 separate job training programs spread acr... Read more »

How can the President of the United States make recess appointments when the Senate is not in recess? That’s the question many are trying to answer after President Obama made three so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The appointments perpetuate fears about the NLRB’s job destroying agenda, and raise a number of constitutional questions that must be answered.... Read more »

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is sidestepping several important disclosure requirements with the new health care law and is preventing Congress and the American public from being able to assess the true costs associated with the so-called “essential health benefits,” according to a letter sent today to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius from several House chairmen and Senate ranki... Read more »

House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans recently released two pieces of draft legislation designed to rewrite elementary and secondary education law, currently known as No Child Left Behind. The Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act are commonsense proposals that will help raise the bar on student learning and put more decisions back in the h... Read more »

House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans today expressed strong opposition to the administration’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. In a letter to President Obama, committee Republicans describe the board’s recent job destroying actions and challenge the constitutionally suspect manner in which the president made the three recess appointments: In June, 2011... Read more »

Late last year, the U.S. Secretary of Education took unprecedented action and announced a plan that would allow the administration to unilaterally dictate federal education policy without Congressional input. Secretary Arne Duncan’s plan to grant waivers for certain requirements under No Child Left Behind in exchange for states adopting the administration’s preferred education agenda has been call... Read more »

Dear President Obama: We write to express our strong opposition to so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). While the U.S. Constitution empowers the president to fill vacancies to federal positions when the Senate is in recess, exercising that authority when the Senate is meeting in pro forma session to install nominees who have received no public scrutiny is an ... Read more »

The teacher quality policies included in No Child Left Behind were intended to encourage better educators in schools. But in the 10 years since the law’s enactment, we’ve realized the requirements place too much emphasis on a teacher’s credentials and tenure, and pay little attention to student learning. Under current law, an educator is considered “highly qualified” if he or she has earned a bach... Read more »

This week, President Obama’s controversial recess appointments took their seats at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). A great deal of legal uncertainty is attached to these appointments and any future action the new board may take. While some question the constitutional implications of these recess appointments, many worry how the new board will affect the workplace. If history serves as a... Read more »