EdLabor Journal

On Wednesday, July 8, the House Subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities will hold a joint hearing to examine strategies for improving school safety, including ways to prevent violence, bullying and harassment. Recent studies show students are more likely to succeed academically and graduate when learning environments are free from harassment and violence.

WHAT:         
Subcommittee Hearing on “Strengthening School Safety through Prevention of Bullying”
 
WHO:            
Witnesses TBA

WHEN:          
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
 

While highlighting some of the other benefits that started yesterday, both the Washington Post and the Daily Texan pay specific attention to the public service loan forgiveness program under the College Cost and Reduction and Access Act.

The Washington Post explains how this benefit works:

Under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, the Obama administration announced yesterday [although this provision was enacted 2 years ago by Congress], people with student loans can have their debts erased after 10 years of public service. Let's say Dr. Feelgood graduates from medical school with a mountain of student loan debt. Her heart, and a little angel on one shoulder, tell her to work in a clinic serving a low-income community on tribal lands, but that little devil on her other shoulder says to become a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. And the little devil is holding her empty pocketbook as evidence to back his case.

If the doctor follows her heart and makes 120 payments -- one a month for 10 years -- on her student loan, Uncle Sam will tell her to forget the rest of the money she owes.

and the Daily Texan speaks to a student who will benefit from the new provision because she is entering public service.

Elisheba Evans, a former UT English student who transferred to the University of North Texas, is paying off her UT-Austin student loans.

She said the program’s forgiveness clause will benefit her in her career choice as a science teacher.

“It’s good that there is a system in place to reward people going into [public service] because you aren’t making that much at all,” Evans said.

Learn more about public service loan forgiveness (pdf) and read other blog posts on the benefits from the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

A new study released today by the Economic Policy Institute that concludes that claims of massive jobs losses if a ‘play-or-pay” proposal was enacted as part of health care reform are vastly overstated. In fact, health care reform in general, based on the Obama principles, would produce significant job gains, the EPI wrote.

‘Play or pay’ policy as a part of health care reform would require that employers either provide health insurance to their workers or pay a penalty as a percentage of their payroll in order to assist low- or moderate-income families to obtain quality and affordable health care.

Under the House Tri-Committee discussion draft proposal, employers who choose not to provide basic health insurance to workers would have to pay an 8 percent penalty based on their overall payroll. Those workers would then be able to choose a plan that best meets their needs from a menu of insurance options in the national health care exchange, which would include both private plans and a public health insurance option.

The EPI also found that past studies that claim significant job losses as a result of ‘play-or-pay’ were based on proposals not on the table today in either the House or the Senate.

View the EPI analysis of ‘play-or-pay’.
 

Today new benefits go into effect that will make monthly student loan payments more manageable and affordable for millions of students and borrowers struggling to stay afloat in this tough economic climate.

These benefits were enacted as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, a law I sponsored in 2007 that made historic investments to help more Americans earn a college degree. With the economy against this year’s college graduates, this relief couldn’t come at a better time.

Jonathan Glater has an article in today's New York Times about the good news for college students and graduates starting on July 1st. The new benefits include lower interest rates on federally student loans and an option to lower monthly payments based upon one's income (see video below).

“These benefits are guaranteed, no matter what happens in our economy, and are kicking in at exactly the right time for millions of Americans,” said Representative George Miller, Democrat of California and chairman of the House education committee.

See Chairman Miller's complete statement here.


Source: IBRinfo.org

Today's Bangor Daily News has an excellent editorial about the Obama administrations efforts to simply the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. Some changes will be immediate, while others will be phased in over the next several years. Rather than wait weeks, students will now be able to see estimates of Pell Grant and other student loan eligibility immediately. The number of questions will be reduced by about 20% to 150 and starting in January, for students who choose, they will be able to import relevant tax information from the IRS.

“Confusing paperwork shouldn’t stand between qualified students and a college degree,” said Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor. A law passed last year helped, creating a two-page form for some low-income families.

We encourage you to read the entire editorial and to learn from the Department of Education.

Marketplace radio has a story about H.R. 2989, the 401(k) Fair Disclosure and Pension Security Act of 2009. It lays out the reasons for more transparency in 401(k) fees.

As 401ks continue to weaken in a rough economy, lawmakers are paying closer attention to what they can control: the buried fees. Over a lifetime, 401k fees can add up to a six-figures number.

No doubt 401ks have taken a beating in the economic downturn. Retirement plans have lost an estimated $2 trillion -- and that's brought more attention to the buried fees charged by 401k plans. Today, a House committee takes up legislation that would address those fees.

Here's Marketplace's Dan Grech.

On Wednesday, June 24, the House Education and Labor Committee will vote on legislation to ensure that American workers have clear information about fees that could be cutting deeply into their 401(k)-style retirement savings.

The 401(k) Fair Disclosure and Pension Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2989) is new legislation that combines provisions from the recently approved fee disclosure and investment advice bills (H.R. 1984 and H.R. 1988). The bill also includes modest adjustments to pension funding rules in order to ensure plans can weather the economic crisis without being forced to choose between cutting jobs or freezing plans.

WHAT:          
Mark-up of H.R. 2989 “The 401(k) Fair Disclosure and Pension Security Act of 2009”
 
WHO:            
The House Education and Labor Committee

WHEN:          
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
10:30 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

On Friday, NPR's All Things Considered ran a story about the chairmen of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy unveiling of their discussion draft for health care reform.

House leaders unveiled Friday their version of a health care overhaul. House Democrats are showing unusual unity on the complicated issue: a single measure will proceed through three different committees on its way to a House floor vote slated for late July.

Listen here or download the MP3 (1.65MB).

Below are the prepared remarks of Chairman George Miller at a press conference with the chairs of the other committees with health policy jurisdiction at the U.S. House of Representatives to unveil the Tri-Committee Discussion Draft for Health Care Reform.

Today marks a historic moment in America’s urgent quest to fix our broken health insurance system.

For the past six months, our three committees -- the committees that have jurisdiction over health care in the House -- have worked together in an unprecedented manner to develop and present a health care reform discussion draft to Congress and the American people that embodies President Obama’s call for fundamental change in our health care system.

President Obama asked us to draft a reform bill that will control costs, guarantee choice, and ensure quality and affordable health coverage for all Americans.

I believe that our draft lives up to those essential principles. Our discussion draft reflects months of hard work and the views of many of our colleagues.