Labor

The FY 2011 budget requests $13.9 billion for the Department of Labor.

Training Workers for Better Jobs

• $3.92 billion is requested for Training and Employment Services, an increase of $96 million.

• $261 million to establish two new innovation funds: a Workforce Innovation Fund in the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs and a new Youth Innovation Fund in the Youth program. The Workforce Innovation Fund and the Youth Innovation Fund will foster competition in the creation and evaluation of innovative means of providing improved job training and placement services to a larger population of workers at a low marginal cost;
• $85 million for green jobs training;
• $40 million for transitional jobs programs.
  

Protecting Workers on the Job

• $25 million for a joint effort with the Treasury Department to eliminate incentives in the law for employers to misclassify their employees as independent contractors, and enhances both agencies’ ability to penalize employers who do misclassify.
• $67 million to ensure worker protection agencies have the resources to handle health and safety, wages, and working conditions of the nation’s workforce.
• $50 million to establish a State Paid Leave Fund to provide competitive grants to help states cover the start up costs for paid-leave programs.
  

Improving Access to Retirement Security

• The budget proposes a system to expand access to pensions to those who currently do not have access.
• Includes a proposal to modify the existing Saver’s Credit by providing a 50 percent match up to $1,000 in the form of a fully refundable credit.
  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the nation’s unemployment rate fell from 10.0 percent in December to 9.7 in January.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis told the House Education and Labor Committee today that the U.S. Department of Labor is both helping the economy recover and improving American workers’ lives by strengthening basic workplace protections, and training workers for new and better jobs.

On Wednesday, February 3, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will testify before the House Education and Labor Committee on her first year at the Department of Labor and the Obama administration’s priorities in the new year to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of American workers.

Congressional scholar, Norm Ornstein, wrote a column in Sunday's Washington Post declaring the 111th Congress "very productive Congress, despite what the approval ratings say."

He said: (links added)

There seems to be little to endear citizens to their legislature or to the president trying to influence it. It's too bad, because even with the wrench thrown in by Republican Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts, this Democratic Congress is on a path to become one of the most productive since the Great Society 89th Congress in 1965-66, and Obama already has the most legislative success of any modern president -- and that includes Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. The deep dysfunction of our politics may have produced public disdain, but it has also delivered record accomplishment.

The productivity began with the stimulus package, which was far more than an injection of $787 billion in government spending to jump-start the ailing economy. More than one-third of it -- $288 billion -- came in the form of tax cuts, making it one of the largest tax cuts in history, with sizable credits for energy conservation and renewable-energy production as well as home-buying and college tuition. The stimulus also promised $19 billion for the critical policy arena of health-information technology, and more than $1 billion to advance research on the effectiveness of health-care treatments.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has leveraged some of the stimulus money to encourage wide-ranging reform in school districts across the country.

The Education and Labor Committee was vital to the accomplishments of this Congress. In addition to the successes outlined above, the Committee has passed the 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.  Early in the 2009, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, two Committee priorities.

Unfortunately, the economic crisis is not yet over -- there is still more work to be done.  The Education and Labor Committee is proud of our accomplishments so far in the 111th Congress, and look forward to continuing the fight for America's middle class in 2010.

January 29, 2010 is the one-year anniversary of the day President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law.  This was the first bill President Obama signed into law.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act reverses a Supreme Court ruling that made it more difficult for Americans to pursue pay discrimination claims.  On May 29, 2007, in its 5-4 Ledbetter v. Goodyear decision, the Supreme Court severely restricted the rights of employees to challenge unlawful pay discrimination.  Under the Ledbetter ruling, if an employee did not file a claim within 180 days of her employer's decision to pay her less, she was barred forever from challenging the discriminatory paychecks that followed.  Under the law before the Supreme Court decision, every discriminatory paycheck was a new violation that restarted the clock for filing a claim.  The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restored that rule.

UPDATED: Watch Chairman Miller and Lilly Ledbetter have a conversation - One Year On.


Created with flickrSLiDR.

Read more about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Watch a compilation video of moments leading up to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act becoming law
Watch Lilly Ledbetter's testimony in a Committee hearing
Watch Chairman Miller's statement about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on the House floor
Watch a video of the press conference Chairman Miller held after passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

On Wednesday, February 3, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will testify before the House Education and Labor Committee on her first year at the Department of Labor and the Obama administration’s priorities in the new year to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of American workers.

WHAT:         
Hearing with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis on “Strengthening the Economy and Improving the Lives of American Workers”
 
WHO:            
U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
                       
WHEN:         
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his first State of the Union address tonight, President Barack Obama discussed his administration’s efforts to rescue the economy and laid out a strong framework for rebuilding America’s middle class. President Obama also called on Congress to pass key pieces of legislation under the House Education and Labor Committee’s jurisdiction, including the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and comprehensive health insurance reform. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on the President’s remarks:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the White House’s Task Force on Middle Class Families unveiled new proposals to help strengthen the middle class by helping families struggling to pay for college and save for retirement. Several of the proposals, including an initiative to further reduce student loan repayments and new protections to provide workers with greater transparency and disclosure on their 401(k) style retirement plans, build on bills championed by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. Miller issued the following statement today:

“These proposals are welcome news for the millions of families whose retirement and college savings were devastated by the financial crisis. The painful financial insecurity facing middle class families is not new – the previous administration seriously eroded progress workers and families had fought for decades to achieve – but it has become much, much worse in this economy. We cannot rebuild a strong economy without rebuilding a strong middle class, which is why for the last several years the Education and Labor Committee has been laser-focused on recovering and growing our middle class. These proposals to make repaying student loans more affordable, to encourage employers and employees to do their part to strengthen workers’ retirement savings, and to help protect those savings from Wall Street middle men are an important step toward this goal. I look forward to working with the Obama administration and Congress on these and other initiatives that will rightly put the interests of Main Street and hardworking Americans first.”

The top 10 benefits Americans would enjoy under health insurance reform legislation include:

1. Protections Against Insurance Company Discrimination And Losing Coverage When You Get Sick.  People who have been denied coverage because of a pre‐existing condition will finally have access to affordable coverage. Insurers will no longer be able to drop your coverage when you get sick and are in the middle of treatment.
   
   
2. Insurance Security If You Lose Your Job. Never again will you lose access to insurance if you get laid off or switch jobs.
   
   
3. Relief For Small Businesses And Employers, Jobs For Americans. Small businesses and employers getting crushed by soaring health care costs will see lower costs, allowing them to create as many as 4 million more jobs over the next decade.
   
   
4. No Annual Or Lifetime Limits On Coverage. Never again will you be subject to annual or lifetime limits on what insurance companies will pay, protecting millions of Americans from the threat of medical bankruptcy.
   
   
5. Free Preventive Care. Insurers will be required to offer free preventive care, lowering your out‐of‐pocket expenses and helping ensure that diseases or conditions can be caught early on.
   
   
6. Independent Consumer Advocates And Sunshine On Rate Increases. For the first time, consumers will have independent advocates dedicated to upholding consumer protections, answering their questions, and helping with any problems related to their plans. Insurance companies will be required to disclose their rates to consumers – discouraging them from runaway rate increases.
   
   
7. Lower Drug Costs For Seniors, Lower Premiums For Early Retirees. Seniors who fall into the Medicare Part D donut hole will see lower prescription drug costs as immediate steps are taken to close the donut hole. Employers who cover their early retirees will receive temporary funds to help offset the cost of expensive claims for retirees’ health benefits – lowering premiums and protecting coverage for early retirees.
   
   
8. Better Access And Stronger Protections For Women. Prohibits insurers from charging women more than men for health insurance or discriminating on the basis of domestic violence as a pre‐existing condition. Required maternity services as part of the essential benefits package in the exchange.
   
   
9. Extended Coverage For Young Adults. Young adults will now be able to stay on their parents’ insurance much longer, through their 26th or 27th birthday.
   
   
10. At Least 30 Million More Americans Will Finally Have Health Insurance. Health reform will finally guarantee access to quality, affordable health insurance for 30‐35 million Americans who don’t have coverage today, also eliminating the annual hidden tax of $1,100 that American families pay to cover the cost of the uninsured. While the official health insurance exchanges are being created, a temporary insurance pool will be available for individuals with pre‐existing conditions or chronic illnesses.
    
    

Source: Majority Leader

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), and George Miller (D-CA), the chairmen of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement today on a new report released by the Center for American Progress showing that the health reform legislation pending in Congress will significantly lower health care costs for businesses, add as many as 4 million jobs over the next decade, and increase workers’ wages.

With the goal of a final bill that ensures affordability for the middle class, accountability for insurance companies, and accessibility for all Americans, Chairman George Miller has been working with House Leadership and the chairs of the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee to craft final health insurance reform legislation.

Never before have we as a nation been this close to ensuring that every American has access to quality and affordable health insurance coverage.  The House and the Senate have each produced legislation that will:

• Ensure that 30 to 35 million Americans will have health insurance coverage.
• Prevent insurance companies from discriminating or charging more because of a preexisting condition.
• Prevent insurance companies from dropping coverage during life-saving treatment.
• Ensure that laid-off workers won't lose insurance.
• Eliminate annual or lifetime caps on coverage.
  

Chairman Miller and House Leaders are committed to crafting the strongest final bill possible for American families.


Watch Chairman Miller discuss health reform on the Ed Show (MSNBC) on January 5:



Read more about the impact of health reform:

• News of the Day: If health care bill passes, some changes would start fast
• News of the Day: Sick, without a safety net
  

Read more about the House's Affordable Health Care for America Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), and George Miller (D-CA), the chairmen of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement today after the Senate approved legislation to reform the nation’s health insurance system.

The 111th Congress inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the legacy of eight years of failed Bush economic policies. Over the past year, House Democrats have led an unprecedented effort to prevent a devastating recession from turning into a depression and revive our economy.

The House Education and Labor Committee has been at the center of this effort by working to address the direct concerns of the working Americans feeling the deep pain of this crisis and help rebuild our nation’s middle class. While much more needs to be done, below is an overview of the top ten areas the Committee made progress on in 2009 to improve the lives of children, students, workers and families.

Rep. George Miller, chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, speaks passionately about the need to pass the Jobs for Main Street Act on the House floor on December 16, 2009.


Learn more about the Jobs for Main Street Act and how it will create additional jobs for construction workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, and extend critical assistance for the unemployed and people who have lost health insurance.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation today to create urgently needed new jobs for construction workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, and to extend critical assistance for the unemployed and those who have lost health insurance. The Jobs for Main Street Act is the most recent step in Congress’ year-long effort to rescue the economy and stem the crippling impacts of the worst recession in generations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on yesterday’s introduction of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and other members of Congress.

“Yesterday’s introduction of comprehensive reform by Rep. Gutierrez represents a positive step forward in the debate to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. I am especially pleased that the bill includes the Indentured Servitude Abolition Act, legislation I introduced that would end widely documented abuses of foreign guest workers and hold unscrupulous labor recruiters responsible for the promises they make. I commend Rep. Gutierrez and other members for introducing this bill on a topic of great importance to our nation.”

For more information on the Indentured Servitude Abolition Act, click here.

The Jobs for Main Street Act, passed by the House on December 16, 2009, will create or save jobs here at home with targeted investments ($75 billion) for highways and transit, school renovation, hiring teachers, police, and firefighters, small business, job training and affordable housing – key drivers of economic growth that have the most bang for the buck. These investments are fully paid for by redirecting TARP funds from Wall Street to Main Street. The bill text is now available on the Rules Committee web site»

In addition, the legislation also provides critical safety net funds to extend COBRA premium assistance for people who have lost their health insurance as a result of job loss, as well as unemployment benefits and provide other aid for Americans looking for work.  It also gives assistance to states to pay for Medicaid and for extending the child tax credit.

Fact sheet on the Jobs for Main Street Act »
Bill text »

The House of Representatives is scheduled to consider the Jobs for Main Street Act today, December 16.  The measure will create additional jobs for construction workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, and to extend critical assistance for the unemployed and people who have lost health insurance, the most recent step in Congress’ year-long efforts to rescue the economy and stem the crippling impacts of the worst recession in generations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  House Democrats unveiled legislation Tuesday to create additional jobs for construction workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, and to extend critical assistance for the unemployed and people who have lost health insurance, the most recent step in Congress’ year-long efforts to rescue the economy and stem the crippling impacts of the worst recession in generations.

Chairman Miller: It yields to the concerns that we have echoed in our Caucus every week as Members come back from their local communities.  Yes, we have a few positive indicators — hopefully they will continue — on unemployment, but we hear in the private analyst community and among many people concerned about unemployment in this country — economists and others — that that could be overwhelmed if we do not do something to support local government.  That we could have a wave of unemployment created by the cuts that they may face because of the fact that they are close to $300 billion underwater in their budgets.  

And this bill makes an effort — I think a good effort — in making sure that we can assure the health and safety of our communities and the education of our children.  We’re watching as every year now as we get the reports from across the country — from thousands and thousands of schools districts and hundreds of thousands of schools — the gains that young people in America are making in terms of the proficiency in reading and mathematics and elsewhere.  We cannot afford to lose that because of unemployment in the school districts.  We cannot afford to lose that because of the downturn in the economy.  Most business leaders will tell you that it’s in this kind of atmosphere where you want to make your investment for the future. We need to continue the investments that we have been making in the education of America’s young children by making sure that we do not lose hundreds of thousands of teachers across the American landscape and then children are put in an environment where they cannot continue to make those kinds of gains.

So this legislation on public service jobs addresses the need — as you heard from our leaders — of the health and safety of our community, the education of young people, and also to provide opportunities in this coming summer for young people who have graduated in many cases from school, are looking for jobs and haven’t been able to find them, but to give them that opportunity to receive training and job opportunities.  I think the mix of this legislation, with the emphasis on infrastructure, jobs, and public service jobs is what we need in our states, in our localities, in our economy, at this time.  And looking forward to a good vote in our Caucus on behalf of Jobs for Main Street bill.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes critical investments in education, worker training, job creation, and other priorities that will help the U.S. economy move toward recovery. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued a statement on an American Rights at Work report that documented cases of interference with U.S. workers’ organizing rights by T-Mobile USA, a subsidiary of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom. The report found that even though T-Mobile’s parent company has a history of cooperation with workers in Germany, the company’s dealings with U.S. workers has been starkly different since entering the U.S. market in 2001.

On December 3rd, ABC World News with Charles Gibson investigated whether or not the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was creating jobs. It found that the ARRA was doing exactly as it was suppose to do, create jobs. They interview a skeptic turned believer whose life has changed because of stimulus investments.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), the chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, today applauded last evening’s U.S. Senate confirmation of Dr. David Michaels as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 11,000 jobs were lost in November and the unemployment rate fell to 10 percent, the best monthly jobs report since December 2007.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the followed statement today on President Obama’s White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth.

Washington, DC—Today the House of Representatives passed legislation originally authored by Congressman Tim Bishop (NY-1) to ensure that flight crews are treated fairly and are able to qualify for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits. The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature.

 

Last night, the CBO released a report on the Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output as of September 2009.

Bloomberg reported on the findings:

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the $787 billion stimulus package approved in February lowered the nation’s unemployment rate by between 0.3 and 0.9 percentage points.

That’s a boost for the administration, which faced renewed questions last month over how many jobs the stimulus has produced after the Government Accountability Office said it found “significant” problems with the White House’s tally. The administration has estimated the stimulus created or saved 640,329 jobs through October.

The report by the CBO, released yesterday, “leaves no doubt that the economy would be in much worse shape if the recovery act had not been implemented,” said House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, a California Democrat. “As the Obama administration and Congress continue to explore additional strategies to create jobs and build a foundation for long-term economic growth, it is critical to acknowledge the progress that has already been made.”

...

The CBO said the White House’s 640,329 jobs figure underestimated the number created or saved because it only includes reports from entities receiving federal grants, contracts or loans through the stimulus package. That doesn’t include jobs created indirectly through tax cuts or the effect of expanded unemployment benefits that were part of the legislation. Those benefits “probably had substantial effects on purchases of goods and services and thus on employment,” the CBO said.

Additionally, the report also reinforces that the estimates only capture jobs created by direct spending – they do not measure the “spillover effect” of jobs created or saved indirectly due to higher incomes or increased demand for goods and services.

This will not be the final report because "the recipients’ reports reflect only about one quarter of the total dollar amount of spending increases or tax reductions that resulted through September 2009 from ARRA’s policies.” [emphasis added]

Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office released its report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s impact on the economy and employment and found that in the third quarter of 2009, because of recovery dollars, 600,000 to 1.6 million more U.S. workers had jobs; Gross Domestic Product was 1.2 percent to 3.2 percent higher; and the unemployment rate was 0.3 to 0.9 percentage points lower than it would have been if no action had been taken. The report also reinforces that the estimates only capture jobs created by direct spending – they do not measure the “spillover effect” of jobs created or saved indirectly due to higher incomes or increased demand for goods and services.

Chairman George Miller, a key architect of the education investments in ARRA, said, “This report leaves no doubt that the economy would be in much worse shape if the Recovery Act had not been implemented: up to 1.6 million fewer Americans would have jobs, unemployment would be higher, and GDP would be lower. As the Obama administration and Congress continue to explore additional strategies to create jobs and build a foundation for long-term economic growth, it is critical to acknowledge the progress that has already been made as a result of these policies – and that our economy was rescued from the brink of what could have been an even more devastating catastrophe. This snapshot offers encouraging signs – but is also a reminder that we still have a long road ahead to continue growing jobs, reviving our economy, and helping every worker and family feeling the very deep pain of this crisis.”

The Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, December 2 to examine how the 2005 bankruptcy of the automotive parts manufacturer Delphi has impacted workers and retirees.

WHAT:          
Hearing on “Examining the Delphi Bankruptcy’s Impact on Workers and Retirees”

WHO:            
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
U.S. Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY)
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
U.S. Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH)
Charles Cunningham, former Delphi worker
Bruce Gump, former Delphi worker
Norman Stein, professor, University of Alabama School of Law; and senior consultant, Pension Rights Center

WHEN:         
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
10:30 a.m, EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
                        
WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. Access the webcast when the hearing begins at 10:00 am EDT » 

The National Journal commissioned 3 new media experts to review 16 Senate and 20 House committee Web sites and offer their criticisms and suggestions. They results are in and the House Education and Labor website was number ONE overall.

The National Journal said:

Visit the House Education and Labor Committee and you get a sleek Web site with a legislative calendar, embedded videos, a blog, recent markups and RSS feeds.
...
The panelists graded committee Web sites for design and content on an ascending scale of 1-10. Sites were ranked based on the average combined scores, out of a possible 20 points.

House committee sites fared better in our review, scoring an average of 12.7 total points, compared to 11.8 total points for Senate sites. The top-rated sites featured legislative calendars, effective use of YouTube and social media, FAQ pages, up-to-date committee news and crisp, clean homepage designs.

The Education and Labor website scored 19 out of 20 and was accompanied with this: "Modern layout, colors and style; RSS feeds; social media engagement; multimedia/multiplatform info; social bookmarking; staff directory; and it goes on and on. Really nice site that sets a good standard."

See the entire story for the complete listing of all Congressional committees.

Rep. Rob Andrews, chair of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, last night discussed the Government Accountability Office finding that 40 executives at ten high-profile corporations that terminated their workers’ pensions collected at least $350 million in compensation in the years leading to pension termination. The investigation was requested by Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Forty executives at ten high-profile corporations that terminated their workers’ pensions collected at least $350 million in compensation in the years leading to pension termination, the Government Accountability Office reported today. The investigation was requested by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ensuring workers have access to paid sick leave can help slow the spread of highly contagious illnesses like the H1N1 flu virus, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. By giving workers access to paid sick leave, employees will not be forced to choose between losing pay and infecting co-workers and the public.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report today that found that incentives for employers and workers to underreport illness not only adversely impacts the accuracy of data that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses to target unsafe workplaces, but also has put pressure on health professionals to change diagnoses or provide insufficient treatments.

The Committee has a full schedule this week, including:

November 17: Hearing on how employer paid sick leave policies can help slow the spread of contagious diseases, like the H1N1 flu virus.

November 19: Hearing to review current federal literacy initiatives and explore ways to improve the reading comprehension skills of all children from birth through high school.

Note: The previously-scheduled Committee vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has been postponed.

WASHNGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, announced emergency temporary legislation today that will guarantee five paid sick days for a worker sent home or directed to stay home by their employer for a contagious illness, such as the H1N1 flu virus. The House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on the legislation the week of November 16.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Education issued a report showing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments in education helped save or create 325,000 jobs.

“It is clear the historic investments in education are already starting to pay off – education budget cuts are being delayed, jobs are being created, and children aren’t losing a year of learning as the economy recovers.  In my home state of California, where a budget crisis has meant major cuts across the board, these funds have helped save or create 80,000 education-related jobs. There remains an enormous amount of work ahead, but this report shows we’re on the right track to helping in the short term, while building a highly skilled, competitive workforce for generations to come.”

To read more about the Recovery Act, click here.

To view the report, click here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, today released a statement on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s announcement of a record $87 million proposed fine against BP Products North America for its failure to correct serious health and safety standards at the company’s Texas City, Texas refinery – the location of a 2005 explosion that killed 15 and injured 180 and has killed four more since.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a key architect of Recovery Act investments intended to help save teaching jobs, today issued the following statement after the White House released reports showing the Recovery Act is on track to creating and saving 3.5 million jobs by next fall.

“Today’s report answers every critic out there asking ‘where are the jobs?’ While this data only gives a partial picture of the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been directly created or saved, it does show Recovery dollars are getting workers back on the job and our economy growing again. Although we still have a long way to go, which includes additional measures to spur job growth and provide displaced workers with benefits, education and job training, today’s report and yesterday’s GDP numbers are proof that we are moving in the right direction.”

The data released today accounts for only 18 percent of Recovery Act funds, and only reflects direct jobs created by those investments. It does not account for indirect jobs created by these funds, or jobs that could be created in the near future by these investments. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee released the following statement today after the announcement that GDP rose 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2009.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the first time in U.S. history, all Americans would have access to quality, affordable health care under updated health insurance reform legislation unveiled by House Democrats today. The House is expected to debate and vote on the legislation next week.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Stronger federal oversight of state-run health and safety programs is needed to ensure that states provide workers with basic on-the-job protections, witnesses told the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee. Serious questions were raised after a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration review of Nevada OSHA found significant gaps in the agency’s protections.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, applauded yesterday’s unanimous U.S. Senate confirmation of Joe Main as the next Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In light of a new government report released today highlighting dangerous gaps in health and safety protections for workers in Nevada, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today announced that the committee will hold a hearing on Thursday, October 29 to examine the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s critical review of Nevada’s workplace health and safety program. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, today applauded the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s issuance of an advance notice of rulemaking to prevent combustible dust explosions like the one that occurred at the Imperial Sugar refinery in February 2008 that killed 14 workers and injured dozens.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a chief architect of the education investments included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, issued the following statement after the White House released preliminary estimates yesterday showing that recovery funding has already created or saved at least 250,000 education jobs across the country.

“While this was just the first step in our greater efforts to spur job growth and get our economy on the road to recovery, this early data shows exciting signs that our education investments are working to save and create jobs and ensure that the quality of education our students receive isn’t compromised in this economy. Whether it’s 30 teaching jobs saved in Macon, Georgia, 60 layoffs prevented in Akron, Ohio, or 1,100 jobs saved in Las Vegas, it is clear President Obama’s recovery plan is helping our economy avert disaster and keeping educators in our schools when our children need them the most.”

To view the preliminary estimates released yesterday, click here.

###

The Wall Street Journal's Blog highlights our hearing from on economic opportunities for young Americans last week.

The unemployment rate for 16 to 19-year-olds hit 25.9% in September, the highest rate recorded since at least 1948 (the earliest data the Labor Department supplies).

Lately, their plight hasn’t been falling on deaf ears. The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing earlier this week to address low unemployment among young people.

“Indeed, because of the horrible economy, younger workers are now competing with more experienced workers for positions traditionally [in] the domain of the young and less experienced,” Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat and the committee chairman, said according to prepared remarks. “Until the economy as a whole turns around, younger workers will continue to be hit the hardest.”

While there are big concerns about unemployment and underemployment for young Americans, there is a silver lining.

At least things don’t appear to be getting worse for the 20-somethings lately. The unemployment rate for 20 to 24-year-olds dropped to a still-high 14.9% in September. It’s the second month the group’s unemployment rate decreased.

We encourage you to read the entire blog post, as well as view the testimony from the hearing, visit the hearing page and view the pictures.

WASHINGTON – While the current economic crisis has driven youth unemployment to historic highs, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today that falling youth employment is part of a much longer trend that needs to be addressed.

“The recession has only made a bad situation worse for younger workers. Even in periods of economic stability, fewer young people do not make the transition to the workforce.  They face challenges completing high school and obtaining the skills they need to succeed,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the committee. “For these young people, alternative education and job training models provide a critical link to the workplace.”

Today, the House Education and Labor will eold a hearing to examine the impact on declining rate of youth employment and strategies to ensure that there are economic opportunities available for young Americans.

While the recession has disproportionately impacted young adults, the employment rate among 16 to 24 year-olds has steadily declined by nearly 20 percent over the past decade to its lowest level since World War II. The consequences of reduced work opportunities among young Americans results in fewer long-term employment prospects, less earnings and a decrease in productivity.

The hearing page has a complete list of all witnesses, testimony, statements, videos, photos and an archived webcast.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today congratulated Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) for becoming chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sen. Harkin replaces Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) who passed away in August.

“I congratulate Senator Harkin for becoming the next chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Tom is a longtime friend and I can attest to his strong commitment to improve our nation’s schools, workplaces, and the quality of life for all working families. Although Senator Harkin has some very large shoes to fill, I believe that he is the right person to help continue Senator Kennedy’s agenda.  I look forward to working with Chairman Harkin to grow a vibrant economy by rebuilding and strengthening our nation’s middle class.”

(This is blog post is by Rep. George Miller, CA-07, Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee)

My Labor Hero is recently departed Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Throughout his career, he fought for the most basic of American values – the protection the most vulnerable in our society and a fair deal for all our working men and women.  With Senator Kennedy’s death, we have a moment to reflect on these values and why he felt strongly about ensuring that every American worker is treated with dignity and respect.

Over the past 35 years, I have had the opportunity to work with him; to have him as a mentor and count him as friend. Our work together has been immensely valuable to me. I cannot express how important Senator Kennedy’s commitment, his courage, and leadership was in fighting for the most important causes of our time.

In the Senate, he led the fight to raise the minimum wage, extend unemployment insurance, protect workers’ pensions, pass the Family Medical Leave Act, improve workers safety, ensure equal pay for equal work, and making access to affordable health care a basic right for all Americans.

The fight is not yet complete on some of these priorities. But, Senator Kennedy will continue to be an inspiration for all of us who must now pick up his cause and continue to endeavor to improve the lives of all working Americans.

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Rush Holt, NJ - 12th)

On Labor Day, we pay tribute to the men and women who have formed the backbone of our nation’s economy. We honor those who have fought to strengthen and expand the rights of all employees to ensure they receive fair compensation and are assured of strong workplace safety laws.  They are as recognizable as Samuel Gompers, the first and longest-serving president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), and as anonymous as the millions who every day go to work to provide for their families and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.

On this Labor Day, my Labor Hero is Mary Norton, who represented Central New Jersey in Congress from 1925 to 1950 and served as Chair of the House Committee on Labor from 1937 to 1946. As the first woman to represent an eastern state in the House of Representatives, Ms. Norton helped enact the groundbreaking Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 – which established the 40-hour work week, outlawed child labor, and established the first federal minimum wage – and fought for equal pay for women.  Last year I had the honor of joining Chairman Miller and others in unveiling the portrait of Ms. Norton in Committee. Her tireless advocacy serves as inspiration for me as we continue the struggle for fair wages and equal pay for equal work.

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Raul Grijalva, AZ - 7th)

When I think of my heroes who have fought for labor rights, there is no question: Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez are a source of personal inspiration for me and organizing power for the movement to this very day.

Dolores and Cesar inspired me to get involved in organizing at the community level. They showed that with solidarity, organization, and vision, even the most oppressed and marginalized sectors of society can change their circumstances for the better. They did this with a philosophy of non-violence, of commitment to struggle, of truly Christian concern for others.

Dolores, in particular, stayed engaged, and is engaged to this day, while having raised twelve children, and pursues a schedule that even they would find exhausting. And yet she only seems to get stronger as the years go by.

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement in honor of Labor Day.
                                                                                                                                                        “Labor Day is a time to reflect on the achievements of the American worker and our nation’s commitment to helping all families pursue the American Dream.  However, Labor Day 2009 comes at a difficult time for most Americans. Since the recession began nearly two years ago, seven million people have lost their jobs and millions more are working fewer hours, at lower wages with disappearing benefits.  Even those with a good job are worried that they may be next on the chopping block.

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Mazie Hirono, HI - 2nd)

Patsy Takemoto Mink is not just my Labor Hero; she is a personal hero of mine. Patsy was an inspiration to me as she was to many working people throughout the country. She came by her commitment to labor honestly. Patsy’s four grandparents emigrated from Japan in the late 1800’s to work as contract laborers in Maui’s sugar plantations. Patsy saw firsthand why workers need protection, and why they need to band together to get it.

It was that firsthand knowledge that made Patsy work so hard—tirelessly and from the heart—to make sure that those who work hard for a day’s pay are treated fairly. She wouldn’t sit still and watch people be mistreated. Congressman George Miller, the Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, put it best when he said of Patsy, “whether on the environment, or education or labor issues, Patsy was a moral filter for the Congress.”

Another reason Patsy inspires me so greatly is because she wasn’t just passionate (although she certainly was), but she was really smart. She put all of the pieces together to make sure that workers were protected. She fought against hiring and pay discrimination, and she also worked to make sure that when people were out of work they were still protected. She fought for a welfare system that truly helped people receive the training and child care services they need to move back into the workplace.

Patsy was the whole package, and it is my honor to represent the district she used to serve in Congress.

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Phil Hare, IL - 17th)

In his 1977 farewell speech to the Minnesota AFL-CIO, just months before his passing, Hubert Humphrey reflected on the optimism and determination required to achieve social change: “Too many people in politics today are afraid…Well, I knew they wouldn’t go for civil rights in 1948, I knew they wouldn’t go for Medicare in 1949, I knew they wouldn’t go for the Peace Corps in 1958…but ultimately, they did. If you are going to be in politics, you have to be a soldier in the battlefield.”

Humphrey’s commitment to public service, civil rights, and the American labor movement inspired Congressman Phil Hare to join the fight for better pay, benefits, and conditions for America’s workers.

Congressman Hare’s appreciation and admiration of Hubert Humphrey stem from his lifetime of achievements that have benefited ordinary Americans.  From his early days as mayor of Minneapolis to his service as U.S. Senator and Vice President, Humphrey fought to end racism, which became the cornerstone of his legacy. His impassioned speech at the 1948 Democratic Convention made his convictions about racial equality in America known, and brought the issue to the forefront of the Presidential election despite criticism from Southern Democrats who were displeased with his Civil Rights platform.

Humphrey’s instrumental work on the Humphrey-Hawkins Act helped to better define America’s economic goals and stressed the importance of full employment, citing the value of a hard day’s work to society and the economy. Included in the Humphrey-Hawkins Act was a provision prohibiting discrimination against workers based on gender, race, religion, age, or national origin. Hare is now fighting to extend the same protections to those discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation

Congressman Hare’s own roots as a factory worker for 13 years in Illinois give him a special appreciation for the efforts Humphrey made on behalf of the American worker.  Humphrey’s integrity, passion and conviction to protect the rights of all Americans have made a lasting impression on Congressman Phil Hare who wishes to recognize Hubert Humphrey as his Labor Hero on this Labor Day. 

Rather than highlight a story in the media, today the Committee would like to acknowledge individuals who best exemplify the qualities celebrated on Labor Day. All throughout the day, Members of the Committee will be posting stories about their Labor Heroes. These Labor Heroes come from all walks of life and have positively impacted their families, neighbors, and friends.

We encourage you to share your Labor Hero in the comments here or on Twitter with the hashtag #LaborHero.

Who is your Labor Hero and why?

Chairman Miller's statement on Senator Kennedy's passing.


Created with flickrSLiDR.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), the chairmen of the House and Senate Labor Committees, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 247,000 jobs were lost in July and the unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percent.

The big economic news for today is that the jobless rate has dipped to 9.4% in July, down 0.1% from June.

Employers throttled back on layoffs in July, cutting just 247,000 jobs, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate dipped to 9.4 percent, its first decline in 15 months.

Although the unemployment number is still too high, it is headed in the right direction. This improvement is validation that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working.

Specifically, the Committee is pleased to see the efforts in key areas are working.

• Modernizing our schools and universities – creating green jobs
• Investing in early education
• Helping states prevent teacher layoffs and other critical public sector jobs
• Training workers for 21st century jobs
• Creating service and volunteer opportunities to rebuild America

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the House passed the Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Bill for 2010.

“With this bill, this Congress has taken another step to help our economy down the road to recovery and lay the foundation for a competitive future. It makes good on many of the promises President Obama has put forth to provide our students with a good education, to restore protections for workers, to get more jobless Americans back to work in industries that are growing, and to give every American who wants to serve in their communities the opportunity to do so. 

I am proud to announce that millions of Americans will receive a much-needed pay raise today.

Almost four and a half million workers in 31 states will see a bigger paycheck when the federal minimum wage increases from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour. This is the final of three increases to be implemented under a law enacted by the Democratic Congress in 2007.

This law provided the first minimum wage increase in a decade for our lowest-paid workers and their families. The buying power of the minimum wage had fallen to a 51-year low, and families were struggling with rising housing costs, unpredictable energy bills, and skyrocketing health care premiums.  

We have seen where the low road of low wages and rising inequality leads – to an unbalanced, unhealthy, and unsustainable economy.

Today’s pay raise comes as even more Americans are struggling to make ends meet and provide for their families.

• Three-quarters of those who will benefit from this wage increase are 20 years old or older.
• More than half are families with yearly incomes of less than $35,000.
• Over sixty percent of them are women, and over 400,000 of them are single parents with kids under 18. And over two million children will benefit from this boost in their parents’ wages.
  

The average minimum wage worker brings home the lion-share of their family’s earnings. In fact, about half of all minimum wage workers work full time and another third work between 20 and 34 hours per week. In the wealthiest country in the world, it is an outrage that anyone who works full-time still winds up in poverty.

Unlike tax cuts for the wealthy, a higher minimum wage increases consumer spending on local businesses, which is good for everyone. In fact, a recent study by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago found that every dollar increase in the minimum wage leads to an $800 increase in spending per quarter by families with minimum wage workers.

The Economic Policy Institute estimated that this increased purchasing power will boost consumer spending by more than $5.5 billion over the next 12 months. This increase will provide millions of families with about $120 in extra monthly income to help pay their grocery bills or fill up their cars.  

Especially in this economy, Congress will continue to look at solutions that will help all Americans build a better life for themselves and their families.

Organizations Supporting H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act

• AARP
• AFL-CIO
• American Academy of Nursing
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  
• American College of Physicians
• American College of Surgeons
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
  
• American Medical Association
• American Nurses Association
  
• American Osteopathic Association
• American Psychiatric Association
• American Public Health Association
• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
• Communications Workers of America
• Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
  
• Consumers Union
• Doctors for America
• Families USA
• Healthcare for America Now
• International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
• International Association of Fire Fighters
  
• Main Street Alliance
• National Association of Community Health Centers
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• National Coalition on Health Care
• National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
  
• National Medical Association
• National Women’s Law Center
• SEIU
• United American Nurses
• United Auto Workers
• United Steelworkers
• YMCA
  

Please note: This bill has been superseded by the Affordable Health Care for America Act [H.R. 3962], which blends and updates the three versions of previous bills passed by the House committees of jurisdiction in July.

The Chairmen of the three Committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced comprehensive health care reform legislation on July 14 that will reduce out-of-control costs, encourage competition among insurance plans to improve choices for patients, and expand access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. (CBO confirms the bill is deficit-neutral over the 10-year budget window, and even produces a $6 billion surplus.)

The America’s Affordable Health Choices Act is consistent with President Obama’s overall goals of building on what works within the current health care system by strengthening employer-provided care, while fixing what is broken. The bill will ensure that 97 percent of Americans will be covered by a health care plan that is both affordable and offers quality, standard benefits by 2019.

The House Committees on Education and Labor, Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce have been working together in an unprecedented way as one committee to develop the proposal for health care reform. (The Education and Labor Committee passed H.R. 3200 on July 17, 2009; the Ways and Means Committee passed H.R. 3200 on July 17, 2009; the Energy and Commerce Committee pass H.R. 3200 on July 31, 2009.)

The key principles of legislation include, among other things:

• Increasing choice and competition.
• Giving Americans peace of mind. 
• Improving quality of care for every American.
• Ensuring shared responsibility.
• Protecting consumers and reducing waste, fraud and abuse.

America's Affordable Health Choices Act: Complete Bill Text (HR 3200) »
America's Affordable Health Choices Act: Summary »
America's Affordable Health Choices Act: Section by Section »
America's Affordable Health Choices Act: As Reported »

What's In the Health Care Reform Bill for You? »

Cómo Te Benefica La Reforma Del Seguro Médico »

Myth vs. Facts »
The Health Insurance Exchange »
Public Health Insurance Option »
Shared Responsibility »
Guaranteed Benefits »

Making Coverage Affordable »
Consumer Protections and Insurance Market Reforms »
Employers and Health Reform »

Provisions that Benefit Small Businesses »

Strengthening the Nation's Health Workforce »
Delivery System Reform »

Protecting Program Integrity by Preventing Waste, Fraud and Abuse »
Strengthening Medicare »
Improving the Medicare Part D Drug Program »
Maintaining and Improving Medicaid »
Preventing Disease and Improving the Public's Health »

Controlling Health Care Costs »
Paying for Health Care Reform »
Health Care by the Numbers »


Education and Labor Chairman George Miller's Statement »
White House Statement on the House Discussion Draft for Health Care Reform »

Today at 2:45pm Eastern time, House Democrats will discuss the health care reform legislation introduced by the Tri-Committees (the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees).  The three panels with jurisdiction over health policy in the House have been working together as one committee to develop a single bill that fulfills President Obama’s goals of reducing health care costs, protecting and increasing consumers’ choices, and guaranteeing access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

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’.
 

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. George Miller (D-CA) released the following statement calling on  the House to approve the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, one of President Obama’s top domestic priorities.

“Passage will represent a monumental step forward in our effort to build a vibrant and green economy based on clean energy, less foreign oil, and a reduction in greenhouse gases,” said Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the Education and Labor Committee and one of the co-authors of the energy bill. “Californians have led the nation in breaking our dependence on fossil fuels and have always known that the future belongs to clean energy technology jobs.  It is long past time for us to stop sending our national treasure to pay for foreign oil. This bill gives us the opportunity to follow California’s lead and move America in a new energy direction.

A majority of American workers rely on 401(k)-style plans to finance their retirements. According to an AARP survey, the vast majority of account holders report that they do not know how much Wall Street middle men are taking from their retirement accounts.

These hidden fees can greatly reduce workers’ retirement account balances. In fact, just a 1-percentage-point in excessive fees can reduce a worker’s 401(k) account balance by as much as 20 percent or more over a career. Especially during these difficult economic times, workers need simple and complete information in order to make better educated decisions about their retirement plans. 

Workers also deserve investment advice regarding their employer-sponsored retirement plan that is independent and free from any conflicts of interest.  Protections against providing conflicted investment advice were watered down by the Pension Protection Act and a midnight proposal rushed through by the Bush administration’s Department of Labor. These actions opened the door for financial services companies to provide advice to employees where they had a direct or indirect financial interest.

The 401(k) Fair Disclosure and Pension Security Act (H.R. 2989), passed by the Committee on June 24, 2009, would, among other things, address hidden fees and restore workers' protections against conflicted investment advice.  H.R. 2989 would:

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.

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.

Updated: for the most up-to-date information on health care reform, please visit our page about HR 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.

-----------------
On June 19, the chairmen of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled their discussion draft for health care reform.  The draft would reduce out-of-control costs, improve choices and competition for consumers and expand access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. It would also guarantee that almost every American is covered by a health care plan that is both affordable and offers quality, standard benefits by 2019. More from the press conference »

Consistent with President Obama’s goals, the draft builds on what works in the current health care system by strengthening employer-provided care, while fixing what is broken with it. The draft would cover more Americans than any other proposal released to date.

Today at 1:00 pm EDT, the chairmen of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees will unveil their discussion draft for health care reform. The three panels with jurisdiction over health policy in the House, have been working together as one committee to develop a single bill that fulfills President Obama’s goals of reducing health care costs, protecting and increasing consumers’ choices, and guaranteeing access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

The House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, June 23 on the draft proposal for health care reform developed by the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees.  The draft proposal is designed to achieve President Obama’s goals of controlling health care costs, preserving health care choices, and ensuring quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

WHAT:          
Hearing on “The House Tri-Committee Draft Proposal for Health Care Reform”
 
WHO:            
Panel I:
Dr. Christina Romer, Chair, Council of Economic Advisers, Washington, DC

Panel II:
John Arensmeyer, Chief Executive Officer, Small Business Majority, Sausalito, CA
Dr. Jacob Hacker, Professor and Co-Director of the Berkeley Center on Health, Economic, and Family Security, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Ron Pollack, Founding Executive Director, FamiliesUSA, Washington, DC
Gerald Shea, Assistant to the President, AFL-CIO, Washington, DC
Fran Visco, President, National Breast Cancer Coalition, Washington, DC
Additional Witnesses TBA

Panel III:
Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy, George Washington University, Washington, DC
Karen Pollitz, Research Professor and Project Director of the Health Policy Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
William Vaughn, Senior Health Policy Analyst, Consumers Union, Washington, DC
Celia Wcislo, Assistant Division Director, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, Boston, MA
ReShonda Young, Small Business Owner, Alpha Express, Inc. on behalf of the Main Street Alliance, Waterloo, IA
Additional Witnesses TBA
                       
WHEN:          
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
12:00 p.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.
 

The Conflicted Investment Advice Prohibition Act of 2009 (H.R. 1988) would restore federal safeguards that ensured that investment advice provided to workers on their employer-sponsored retirement plan be independent and free from any conflicts of interest. Unfortunately, these protections were watered down with the approval of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and former Bush administration Department of Labor midnight proposed regulations. These actions opened the door for financial services companies to provide advice to employees where they had a direct or indirect financial interest. The Conflicted Investment Advice Prohibition Act will restore workers’ protections by laying out clear rules to ensure that workers who receive investment advice at work be based on interests of the account holder’s needs, not Wall Street’s pockets.

The Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee will be voting on H.R. 1988 tomorrow.

On Wednesday, June 17, the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee will vote on two bills to improve workers’ retirement security: The 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act (H.R. 1984), legislation to ensure that American workers have clear and complete information about fees that could be cutting deeply into their 401(k)-style retirement savings; and the Conflicted Investment Advice Prohibition Act of 2009 (H.R. 1988), which would ensure that if workers receive investment advice at work, it be free from conflicts of interest.

WHAT:          
Mark-up of H.R. 1984, “The 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act” and H.R. 1988, “The Conflicted Investment Advice Prohibition Act of 2009”
 
WHO:            
The House Education and Labor Committee

WHEN:          
Wednesday, June 17, 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.
 

The House Workforce Protections Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday, June 11 to examine proposals for expanding workers’ access to paid family and sick leave. While more than 80 percent of Americans support having paid sick days, the U.S. is the only country among the 22 nations ranked high in economic and human development that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave to workers.

The FIRST Act, H.R. 2339, provides grants to the states to implement and improve their paid family leave programs.  Healthy Families Act, H.R. 2460, mandates that businesses with 15 or more employees provide up to 7 days of paid sick days to their employees. 

In the second installment of our Meet the Freshmen series, Rep. Paul Tonko of New York shares with us why he wanted to be on the committee, what he hopes to achieve and what he has learned so far.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama released his complete budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2010.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Protecting health care workers, first responders, and other employees on the frontlines of a pandemic outbreak is key to strengthening the nation’s ability to fight viral outbreaks and keep the public safe, experts told the House Education and Labor Committee today.

The witnesses were testifying before the committee at a hearing examining how the current H1N1 flu outbreak has challenged schools, childcare centers, colleges, and workplaces.

On Thursday, May 7, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to examine how federal agencies can help child care, schools, colleges and workplaces prepare for the H1N1 flu virus and future pandemics. The hearing will also provide an update on how schools and workplaces are being affected by and responding to the current outbreak.

On Thursday, May 7, the Committee will hold a hearing to examine how federal agencies can help child care, schools, colleges and workplaces prepare for the H1N1 flu virus and future pandemics. The hearing will also provide an update on how schools and workplaces are being affected by and responding to the current outbreak.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “Ensuring Preparedness Against the Flu Virus at School and Work"

WHO:            
Jordan Barab, Acting Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, Washington, DC
Ann Brockhaus, Occupational Safety and Health Consultant, ORC Worldwide, Washington, DC
Jack O'Connell, Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education, Sacramento, CA  
Miguel Garcia, Registered Nurse and member, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Los Angeles, CA
Bill Modzeleski, Associate Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education, Washington, DC
Dr. Anne Schuchat, Deputy Director for Science and Program (Interim), Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA

WHEN:         
Thursday, May 7, 2009
10:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

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

Below is information for workers, families, schools and employers about how to protect our communities by reducing the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.

What is the H1N1 Flu?

General information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the H1N1 flu (commonly mis-referred to as "swine flu"), including what the H1N1 flu is, how it spreads and how to take care of people sick with it »

School Preparedness

Checklists and other tools to help schools, child care providers, colleges and universities to delay or reduce the spread of the flu virus »

Workplace Preparedness

Checklists and other guidance for businesses and employers to protect employees' health and safety while limiting negative impacts to the economy and society »

More information from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration »

Family Preparedness

Advice and strategies to delay or reduce the spread of the flu virus »

Your Rights in the Workplace

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees to provide an eligible employee with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for reasons, including caring for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition, and taking medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.

More about FMLA »

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. George Miller (D-CA) made the following statement today regarding the temporary closure of Highlands Elementary School in Pittsburg, CA.

“I know many of us are worried about the impact of the H1N1 flu on our families and our community, especially our school community.  Obviously, our first concern is that we keep our children and our families as safe as possible.  But we also need to deal with this in a timely manner so we can get kids back into the classroom.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House voted to approve final passage of the conference report for the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2010, which help will turn the economy around by investing in strategies for long-term growth – education, health care, and energy and cutting the deficit by two-thirds by 2013. The Senate is expected to vote on final passage tonight.

U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, hailed the budget as a roadmap for rebuilding the nation’s middle class and paving the way for long-term economic growth.

In just 100 days, President Obama and the 111th Congress have already made progress on behalf of America’s students, workers and families. Whether it’s restoring protections for workers or making good on his promises to invest in education, President Obama’s first 100 days delivered on the change Americans have been seeking and show that the President and this Congress are committed to make Washington work for families.

Key measures, many of which the Education and Labor Committee helped enact, have already started improving the quality of life for working families, including:

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Dina Titus, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

Today we celebrate Workers Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have been killed or injured on the job.  It is also the 39th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, legislation that has improved the safety of workers on the job.  It is with that in mind that the Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to bring to light the dangers that Americans still face every day that they go to work and to reevaluate the effectiveness of the OSH Act in ensuring worker safety and employer compliance.

The Committee heard some truly staggering statistics about both the number of fatalities and injuries that occur in the workplace and about the weak penalties that employers receive. 

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Marcia Fudge, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

On this Equal Pay Day 2009, we must commit to achieving equal pay for all Americans.  Today, April 28, marks the point in 2009 when the average woman's wages will finally catch up with the wages paid to the average man in 2008.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law. Progress has been slow during the forty-six years since passage of the Act.  After four decades, Americans continue to be unfairly compensated for the work they perform every day of their lives.

The Workforce Protections Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday, April 30 on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Enhanced Enforcement Program.

The Enhanced Enforcement Program identifies high risk employers by their past behavior and targets them for additional scrutiny. However, the U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General’s Office issued a report on April 1 that found the Bush administration did not properly enforce worker health and safety laws used to oversee employers with history of safety violations. It shows that over the last five years, since the program was established, the EEP has failed to effectively deter employers from putting workers’ lives at risk.

To read the Inspector General’s report, click here.

The Committee will hold a hearing on whether our nation’s health and safety laws ensure that employers who fail to protect their workers are adequately penalized and deterred from committing future violations.

Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 with the goal of assuring safe and healthful working conditions to all American workers. Nearly 40 years later, while workplace health and safety has improved, many workers remain at risk of death, injury or illness while on the job.

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Paul Tonko, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

As we celebrate Earth Day for the 39th year – by volunteering in our local areas through our own individual efforts and raising awareness globally – we must all do our part.  This year represents a great opportunity for all of us to ensure a cleaner, safer and greener environment.  We can and we must achieve these ends.  A major component of shifting our economy from one that pollutes, relies on carbon based fuels and approaches problem solving from an antiquated angle is no longer acceptable.  We must all go beyond the traditional “Think Globally, Act Locally” mantra to curb our environmental impacts.  We can act personally by lowering our thermostats, using compact fluorescent bulbs and weatherizing our homes.  We can act locally by creating no idle zones, making our cities and towns more pedestrian friendly and driving energy efficient vehicles.  We can act regionally by building on mass transit, supporting high speed rail initiatives and thinking more strategically.  We can act nationally by passing a cap and trade bill, supporting improved efficiency measures and catalyzing a green energy work force.

Here in Congress we have taken the first steps towards greening our workforce through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Myth: H.R. 1984 will require too much disclosure and will confuse 401(k) participants.

Fact: H.R. 1984 would require clear and simple fee disclosure so that workers can make sound investment decisions for themselves. The biggest problem currently facing workers with 401(k) plans is that there is too little disclosure of fees, not too much. Plan participants should be presented with the facts and then be allowed to make their own decisions.

Myth: Fees on 401(k)s are already adequately disclosed.

Fact: There is no one place that 401(k) plan participants can go to find out about the fees they are paying. Information that is available is difficult to find and difficult to read. As a result, a 2007 survey by the AARP found that roughly 80 percent of plan participants were not aware how much in fees were taken out of their 401(k)s.

A majority of American workers rely on 401(k)-style plans to finance their retirements. According an AARP survey, the vast majority of account holders report that they do not know how much Wall Street middle men are taking from their retirement accounts.

These hidden fees can greatly reduce workers’ retirement account balances. In fact, just a 1-percentage-point in excessive fees can reduce a worker’s 401(k) account balance by as much as 20 percent or more over a career. Especially during these difficult economic times, workers need simple and complete information in order to make better educated decisions about their retirement plans.  

Workers should have the right to know how much Wall Street middle men siphon off from their savings. The 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act (H.R. 1984) will provide workers with clear and complete information about the fees they are paying to help them make the best investment decisions for their future retirement security.  (Click here to view the bill text) Specifically, H.R. 1984:

The Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday, April 23 to examine various health care reform proposals that will guarantee quality and affordable health insurance coverage for all Americans.

WHAT:          
Hearing on, “Ways to Reduce the Cost of Health Insurance for Employers, Employees and their Families”

WHO:            
Karen Davenport, director of health policy, Center for American Progress
David Himmelstein, associate professor of medicine, Harvard University
Michael Langan, principal, Towers Perrin
William Oemichen, president and CEO, Cooperative Network, Madison, Wisc.
Ron Pollack, executive director, FamiliesUSA
Janet Trautwein, executive vice president and CEO, National Association of Health Underwriters
William Vaughan, senior health policy analyst, Consumers Union

WHEN:         
Thursday, April 23, 2009
10:30 a.m., EDT
                        
WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

 

The Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, April 22 on legislation that will provide American workers with clear and complete information about Wall Street fees taken from their 401(k)-style accounts.

The 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act of 2009 will help workers shop around for the best retirement options by requiring simple fee disclosure on the investment options contained in their employer’s 401(k) plan. Current law does not require all fees workers pay to be disclosed; and even for information that is available, it can be difficult for workers to find and evaluate.

The bill is expected to be introduced today by Rep. George Miller, chairman of the full committee, and Rep. Rob Andrews, chairman of the subcommittee.

Hidden 401(k) fees were the subject of Sunday’s 60 Minutes and featured an interview with Rep. Miller. To watch the segment, click here.

Earlier this morning, Matt Lauer, co-host of the Today Show, interviewed Mike Duke, the new CEO of Wal-Mart, and they talked about the Employee Free Choice Act. Unfortunately, Mr. Lauer led his question with a mischaracterization of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Watch the video and read the transcript.

Matt Lauer: With 1.4 million associate employees that earn an average wage of $10.83 an hour, Wal-Mart now faces a threat to its corporate model. There's proposed legislation on Capitol Hill that would make it easier for unions to organize employees, the Employee Free Choice Act, doing away with secret ballots. Unions say it will make it easier for American workers to earn a fair salary. Others, like the guy who runs Home Depot, the co-founder, says it's going to cripple American business. What's the truth?
 
Mike Duke: Well, of course, we are opposed to that. We have a unique relationship with our associates. Of all of our managers across America, 3 out of 4 started with the company as an hourly associate. 95% of our associates across America have health care insurance in some fashion. It's really one of those bills that would be damaging to the American economy long-term.

Mr. Lauer is incorrect to say that the Employee Free Choice Act would get get rid of the secret ballot for workers. Contrary to misleading statements being pushed by opponents of the bill, the Employee Free Choice Act does not eliminate the secret ballot election process. That process, also known as a National Labor Relations Board election would still be available under the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill simply enables workers to also form a union through majority sign-up if a majority prefers that method to the NLRB election process. Under current law, workers may only use the majority sign-up process if their employer agrees. The Employee Free Choice Act allows workers, not corporate executives, to make that decision.

Asking the CEO of Wal-Mart about the Employee Free Choice Act is like asking the fox about the hen house. To read Human Rights Watch's 2007 report on "Wal-Mart's Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association" please click here. (pdf)

In the first installment of our Meet the Freshmen series, Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada shares with us why she wanted to be on the committee, what she hopes to achieve and what she has learned so far.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis today named House Education and Labor Committee senior policy advisor Jordan Barab as deputy assistant secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Barab will also serve as acting assistant secretary for OSHA beginning Monday. Barab has worked for the committee for more than two years specializing in worker health and safety issues.

On Tuesday, March 31, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine green jobs and their role in our nation’s economic recovery. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act set aside $50 billion in grants and tax incentives to promote energy efficiency and the renewable energy sector. Congress also approved the Green Jobs Act in 2007, a program to help train American workers for jobs in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today announced that Jody Calemine, a longtime committee aide and currently its Deputy Director of Labor Policy, will be promoted to General Counsel for labor issues. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The government agency responsible for investigating complaints of minimum wage, overtime and child labor violations left workers vulnerable to unscrupulous employers, the U.S. Government Accountability Office told the House Education and Labor Committee today. The GAO’s conclusions were based on the results of an undercover investigation into the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor from July 2008 to March 2009.

“Those most vulnerable to wage theft are likely bearing the brunt of our nation’s economic crisis,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, who requested the investigation. “We owe it to all hard working Americans to ensure that we correct the incompetence of the Bush administration and ensure families are not being cheated out of their wages by unscrupulous employers. This was a massive failure. Former Secretary Chao was absent without leave.”

The Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, March 25, to examine the findings of the Government Accountability Office’s undercover investigation into the Labor Department’s ability to enforce and investigate violations of our nation’s minimum wage, overtime and child labor laws.

The Committee held a hearing last July that identified failures by the Bush administration to properly protect workers from the problem of “wage theft” by adopting weak enforcement strategies and reducing funding and staffing levels of the Wage and Hour Division. This agency is responsible for investigating complaints of wage, hour, and child labor violations. For more information on July’s hearing, click here.

The Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, March 24 on the importance of ensuring that if workers receive investment advice, it be independent and free of financial conflicts of interest.

In the last days of the Bush administration, the Department of Labor proposed to allow financial services firms to offer potentially conflicted investment advice on workers’ retirement accounts. For more information on this proposal, click here.

The Obama administration has slowed the consideration of this midnight rule.

The Akron Beacon Journal had an op-ed from Larry Thompson, owner of Thompson Electric, about how the Employee Free Choice Act is good for business and good for workers.

Thompson Electric is proof that unions are good for workers and good for business. Our positive, long-term partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is one of the main reasons that I, as an entrepreneur and business owner, support passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. More workers across the United States should be given a free and fair chance to form a union, just like our employees.

Our union workers receive the most cutting-edge job training available, and it pays off through lower injury rates, increased productivity and a strengthened ability to serve the people of Ohio. The union difference is not only impressive, but a valuable commodity in our line of work.

Mr. Thompson makes a fine argument that businesses and communities benefit with higher paid and higher skilled workers and, thus, the Employee Free Choice Act is needed to reform current law. We encourage you to read the entire op-ed.

Leading members of the U.S. Senate and House today introduced legislation that would help enable workers to bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions by restoring their rights to form unions.

“The current crisis has shown us the dangers of an economy that leaves working families behind. The people who work in our factories, build our roads, and care for our children are the backbone of this great nation. The Employee Free Choice Act will give these hardworking men and women a greater voice in the decisions that affect their families and their futures. It’s a critical step toward putting our economy back on track, and I hope that we can act quickly to send it to the President’s desk," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

“Just as the National Labor Relations Act, the 40 hour week and the minimum wage helped to pull us out of the Great Depression and into a period of unprecedented prosperity, so too will the Employee Free Choice Act help reinvigorate our economy,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  “Today is one of those defining moments in history as we introduce legislation that puts power back into the hands of the people who are truly the backbone of this economy.”

 “Americans’ wages have been stagnating or falling for the past decade. For far too long, we have seen corporate CEOs take care of themselves and shareholders at the expense of workers,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “If we want a fair and sustainable recovery from this economic crisis, we must give workers the ability to stand up for themselves and once again share in the prosperity they help to create.”

About the Employee Free Choice Act »
Strengthening America's Middle Class by Helping Workers Bargain for a Better Life »
Myth vs. Fact »
Worker After Worker Explains Why EFCA Is So Important »
Worker Rights Under Attack »

Both the U.S. Senate and House will introduce the Employee Free Choice Act today.

About the Employee Free Choice Act »
Strengthening America's Middle Class by Helping Workers Bargain for a Better Life »
Myth vs. Fact »
Worker After Worker Explains Why EFCA Is So Important »
Worker Rights Under Attack »

US News and World Reports has an article answering the 8 Questions You May Have About the New COBRA Subsidy. It is a good addendum to our Our Frequently Asked Questions on the COBRA Premium Reduction.

Michelle Andrews wrote:

Anxious readers who had lost their jobs wanted to know how they could apply for the subsidy, which will cover 65 percent of laid-off workers' COBRA health insurance premiums if they choose to continue their health insurance under their former employer's plan. The reason for their concern is no mystery: The federal law known as COBRA that permits them to extend their health insurance also requires them to pay 100 percent of the premium, plus an administrative fee of 2 percent. For people trying to get by on an unemployment insurance check of around $325 a week, shelling out $1,000 or more a month for health insurance is often not feasible. Even a helping hand of 65 percent doesn't make COBRA cheap, but for some the subsidy will at least make coverage affordable.

If you have questions about the COBRA subsidy make sure to visit our FAQ, the article and the Department of Labor's COBRA website.

In today's USA Today, Sandra Block highlights some of the important provisions regarding ensuring continued access to health care for unemployed workers in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

The economic stimulus package signed into law last month seeks to address the high costs by subsidizing COBRA premiums for unemployed workers. Under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, laid-off workers can continue their former employer's health coverage for up to 18 months, but only if they pay the entire premium, plus a 2% administrative fee. Average COBRA premiums exceed $400 a month for individuals, and more than $1,000 a month for families.

The stimulus package will subsidize 65% of COBRA premiums for employees who were laid off between Sept. 1 and the end of this year. If you delayed signing up for COBRA coverage when you lost your job, you have 60 days to re-enroll after you receive a notice from your employer.

Read the rest of the article for additional important information about eligibility and COBRA expiry.

This is the second in a series of hearings the House Education and Labor Committee is holding to examine innovative strategies for improving job training and education for America’s workers as it works toward reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, applauded today’s Senate confirmation of Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor.

“I congratulate Hilda Solis for her Senate confirmation as our nation’s next Secretary of Labor. With this confirmation, the Department of Labor will finally have a leader who is an advocate for all hard working Americans and someone who understands their everyday struggles. I look forward to working with Secretary Solis in order to move the country forward on our nation’s top priorities: expanding health care, ensuring fair and equal pay, improving worker safety, strengthening retirement security and rebuilding our middle class.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The economic collapse has uncovered problems in our nation’s retirement systems that must be addressed to ensure that Americans can enjoy a safe and secure retirement, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today.

“The current economic crisis has exposed deep flaws in our nation’s retirement system,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the committee. “For too many Americans, 401(k) plans have become little more than a high stakes crap shoot. If you didn’t take your retirement savings out of the market before the crash, you are likely to take years to recoup your losses, if at all.”

In light of the current financial crisis, on Tuesday, February 24, the House Education and Labor Committee will begin a series of hearings to explore the shortcomings of our nation’s retirement system and look at solutions to ensure that Americans can enjoy a safe and secure retirement after a lifetime of hard work.

The first hearing will examine how the current economic crisis has highlighted existing weaknesses in the 401(k) retirement savings system.  As a result of economic conditions, older workers are putting off retirement plans, retirees are thinking about going back to work, current workers are reducing 401(k) contributions, and more are borrowing from their retirement savings to pay for basic necessities.

The White House announced that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law today by President Obama, will save or create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. 

More about the impact of the new law can be found in these White House fact sheets:

Overview on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act »
Impact of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Working Families »
Employment Numbers by State »
Education Fact Sheet »
Health Care Fact Sheet »

Also, visit Recovery.gov to see how money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be spent.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Colombian government has not done enough to stem the rising violence against labor union leaders or address the backlog of labor union leader killings, witnesses told the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee today. A leading Colombian labor think tank also announced that murders against labor union members jumped by 25 percent in 2008.

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness.)

America’s workers are in dire straits -- 3.6 million jobs have been lost since December 2007, with 598,000 jobs shed last month alone and unemployment surging to 7.6 percent.

Worse, we have failed to provide our workers with the education and skills that would help them weather the storm.  According to the National Commission on Adult Literacy, 80 to 90 million U.S. adults, roughly half of the nation’s workforce, currently lack the basic education and communication skills required for jobs that pay family sustaining wages.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes $4 billion for job training to help prepare laid-off, adult, and younger workers for work in emerging industries, is a critical first step toward getting America back to work.

However, our Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which authorizes our job training, adult education, and vocational rehabilitative services programs, is also long overdue for an upgrade. The current authorization expired in 2003, and the law has not been reauthorized since 1998 – when the economy was stronger and we were adding jobs rather than shedding them.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 598,000 jobs were lost in January and the unemployment rate jumped to 7.6 percent. Approximately 3.6 million jobs have been lost since the recession began in December 2007.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today offered his strong support of U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis as the next Secretary of Labor.

On Wednesday, January 7 at 10:00 am, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held a forum on the economic outlook and the components of an economic recovery plan to spur job creation and create long-term growth. Steering and Policy Committee co-chairs Congressman George Miller (CA-7) and Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) chaired the forum, which featured a panel of economists and experts in infrastructure investments. The chairs of the House Science and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Budget, Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees also participated.

The forum on the state of the economy and the need for a comprehensive jobs and economic recovery package took place on Wednesday 7 January 2009 at 10:00 AM in Washington, DC in the Ways and Means Committee Hearing Room (1100 Longworth House Office Building).

I congratulate Ron Kirk on his selection as the next U.S. Trade Representative. Earlier this year, he spoke of the importance of "responsible trade." At this pivotal time for our nation’s economy, our competitiveness, and for the larger global community, I hope that he will champion the kind of responsible trade policies that give all workers a real shot at good jobs and put us on the path towards a more prosperous, green and sustainable future.

During his campaign, President-Elect Obama promised to fix our broken global trading system by insisting on strong, enforceable labor and environmental standards in future trade agreements. He pledged to re-negotiate the deeply flawed North American Free Trade Agreement, hold off consideration of the proposed trade agreement with Colombia until its government shows real progress in addressing and prosecuting the horrific assassinations of labor leaders and union members in its country, and strengthen assistance for U.S. workers who lose their jobs due to trade. These promises are an enormous step in the right direction, and I hope that the President-Elect and Mr. Kirk will deliver on them.

Our committee looks forward to working with Mr. Kirk and the Obama administration to modernize NAFTA and CAFTA, and to negotiate future trade agreements that will help rebuild and strengthen our economy, restore our competitive edge, and uphold our belief that all workers on this planet deserve basic human rights and labor protections.

Miller has been a leading voice in calling for the Colombian government to do more to effectively address the horrific assassinations of its country’s labor leaders and union members before the U.S. moves forward with its proposed trade agreement with Colombia. Currently, the country’s impunity rate for such murders remains well above 90 percent, and even many convicted killers remain at large.  For more information on his efforts, click here.

Congresswoman Hilda Solis is a very strong champion of working families and will be an outstanding Secretary of Labor. Her record in the California legislature as a leader on labor issues and her excellent work in Congress on behalf our of nation’s working men and women will restore the Department of Labor as an advocate for hard working Americans.  

Congresswoman Solis will take the helm of the Department of Labor during a very trying time for our nation and our workers. Our nation’s growing economic uncertainty demands a Labor Secretary who understands the everyday struggles Americans are facing.

The task of rebuilding the Department of Labor after years of neglect will be particularly daunting. As a colleague and former member of the Education and Labor Committee, I am confident that Hilda Solis is the right person to lead this effort to ensure that the Labor Department fights for working people.

I look forward to working with her and the Obama administration to move the country forward on expanding health care, ensuring fair and equal pay, improving worker safety, strengthening retirement security and rebuilding our middle class.

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised President-Elect Barack Obama’s selection of U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis as the next Secretary of Labor.

“Congresswoman Hilda Solis is a very strong champion of working families and will be an outstanding Secretary of Labor. Her record in the California legislature as a leader on labor issues and her excellent work in Congress on behalf our of nation’s working men and women will restore the Department of Labor as an advocate for hard working Americans." 

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today on President-Elect Obama’s selection of Ron Kirk for U.S. Trade Representative.

“I congratulate Ron Kirk on his selection as the next U.S. Trade Representative. Earlier this year, he spoke of the importance of ‘responsible trade.’ At this pivotal time for our nation’s economy, our competitiveness, and for the larger global community, I hope that he will champion the kind of responsible trade policies that give all workers a real shot at good jobs and put us on the path towards a more prosperous, green and sustainable future."

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 533,000 jobs were lost in November and the unemployment rate jumped to 6.7 percent, the highest number of job losses since 1974. Approximately 1.9 million jobs have been lost since January.

The U.S. Senate passed legislation today to extend the amount of time out of work Americans can receive unemployment insurance benefits. The House overwhelmingly passed the bill in October; the measure now goes to the president for his signature. The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 (H.R.6867) provides workers with an additional seven weeks of unemployment benefits for workers who have exhausted their regular unemployment and an additional 13 weeks of benefits for workers in states with the highest unemployment.

In light of today’s devastating economic news that new jobless claims rose to their highest level in more than 16 years, the Senate did the right thing for millions of out-of-work Americans. Unemployment benefits for more than a million Americans are set to expire by the end of the year. This extension will provide much-needed help for these families who still have to put food on the table, pay their home and heating bills, and look for a job.

With our nation’s financial wounds deepening by the day, we can’t allow the rug to get pulled out from under workers looking for a new job. Extending unemployment benefits is a no-brainer – it’s one of the most effective things we can do to help workers and stimulate our economy. With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time for the President to give workers and families a helping hand by immediately signing this bill.

Today, the Democratic Caucus officially re-elected Rep. George Miller to chair the House Education and Labor Committee for the 111th Congress.

It is an honor and a privilege to continue to chair the Education and Labor Committee in the next Congress, and I thank my colleagues for their support.

If anything, this historic election reminded us that Americans from all regions, backgrounds and political stripes are united in our shared hopes and aspirations: A quality, affordable education for our children; a good-paying job with decent benefits; and a secure retirement after a lifetime of hard work. In a nation as great as ours, these dreams can – and must – be achieved.

I look forward to working with all members of this committee, the next Congress, and the new administration on a Main Street recovery plan that will revitalize our economy, and toward our larger goal of rebuilding and strengthening America’s middle class. Like President-Elect Obama, I’m confident we can reach this goal by working in a bipartisan way that transcends the politics of the past, and by making sure that our government is open, accountable and engages the public. Moving forward, our committee will also build on our efforts to use innovative strategies to make sure that the voices of Americans around the country are heard here in Washington.

I also know that no one is more excited about the opportunities before us than Senator Ted Kennedy. No one has fought harder for our children, workers and families than Ted, and no one could ask for a better partner in these challenging times. I am thrilled that he has returned to the Senate, and look forward to continuing to work closely with him on the important tasks that lie ahead.

More information on Chairman Miller's priorities for the committee in the 111th Congress »

This hearing examined strategies – including investments in rebuilding crumbling infrastructure – to create good-paying jobs in order to put the nation’s stalled economy on the road to recovery. More than 2.2 million American workers have lost their jobs in the past 12 months and millions more are still looking for permanent employment.

This hearing, held in San Francisco, CA, further examined how the current financial crisis is impacting pension funds and workers’ directed retirement accounts, such as 401(k) plans.

This hearing examined how the current financial crisis is impacting pension funds and workers’ directed retirement accounts, such as 401(k) plans. According to a recent poll by the Associated Press, more than half of all Americans are worried that the ongoing financial crisis will force them to postpone retirement.

This hearing explored options to safeguard promised retiree health benefits. With insurance premiums skyrocketing and companies looking to cut expenses, an increasing number of companies have been rolling back or eliminating promised retiree health benefits.

This hearing examined the Department of Labor’s last-minute proposal that would dramatically weaken future workplace health standards and further slow their enactment. The department allowed only 30 days for comment on the proposal and would not hold public hearings.

Several labor measures have been signed into law or passed through the House recently, thanks to the Committee's hard work.

The Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on Immigration and Custom Enforcement workplace raids and the effects of the raids on local communities, including the impact on children, most of whom are American citizens. Witnesses explored how immigration enforcement could be improved in order to protect children.