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@EdWorkforceCmte Markup: Protecting Students and Empowering Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 9, 2025
Today, the Education and Workforce Committee passed four bills to protect students, empower workers, and reduce red tape. The Committee also adversely reported a resolution of inquiry—an attempt by Democrats to derail efforts to address decades of education failures.

Following the markup, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg
(R-MI) said: “Republicans are committed to protecting children from the radical gender ideology taking root in our classrooms. For too long, schools have subjected students to a left-wing agenda that subverts parents’ role in their child’s wellbeing and distracts from what teachers are meant to do: teach. These bills are important steps in protecting parental rights and students. Additionally, the Committee blocked Democrats’ resolution of inquiry that would derail efforts to reduce the role of Washington bureaucrats. Federal involvement in education has resulted in lower scores and higher costs, which is why Republicans are working to return education to the states so students, not systems, are empowered.

“We also advanced legislation to help bring the nation’s wage-and-hour rules into the 21st century. Instead of giving the federal government as much control over America’s workforce as possible, Republicans are giving the workforce more flexibility, choice, and mobility. The bills passed today help create a more skilled workforce, empower employee growth, create a pro-family work environment, and provide innovative solutions to the high cost of child care. As our workforce evolves, workers’ needs will evolve too—and our Committee is ready and willing to meet those needs so we can help Americans thrive.”

Legislation reported favorably: 

H.R. 2617, the Say No to Indoctrination Act:
  • Clarifies there are only two sexes: male and female.
  • Affirms sex is a biological classification and not subject to gender identity ideologies.
  • Codifies the undisputable fact that a boy is a boy and a girl is a girl. 
  • Reiterates that gender ideology is disconnected from biological reality.

H.R. 2616, the PROTECT Kids Act:

  • Emphasizes the fundamental role of parents in making sensitive decisions regarding their child's identity and accommodations in schools. 
  • Prevents teachers from being pressured by administrators to keep secrets from their students’ parents. 

H.R. 2262, the Flexibility for Workers Education Act:

  • Removes an obstacle in U.S. law that prevents businesses from offering voluntary education, training, and upskilling.
  • Allows workers to pursue new opportunities that their employers are willing to offer at no cost to the worker.
    • Ensures employees are not performing work for their employer during those hours, so that the employee is free to engage in whatever professional development curriculum they have chosen.

H.R. 2270, the Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions Act:

  • Creates a pro-family work environment.
  • Encourages employers to offer child care as an employee benefit without having the costs included in the baseline used to determine overtime pay. 
  • Allows more hourly workers to take advantage of child and dependent care benefits from their employer.

Legislation reported adversely:

H.Res. 237, Of Inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of Education to transmit, respectively, certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the reduction in force and other downsizing measures at the Department of Education

  • Derails efforts to address decades of education failures.
  • Supports maintaining the status quo, where less than one-third of our country’s eighth graders can read and do math at grade level.
  • Ignores that the Trump administration has been forthcoming with information, and Democrats have skipped all the ordinary oversight steps.


Full video of the markup can be found here.


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