Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today released the following statement on the death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Shriver founded the Special Olympics and was a lifelong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities.

“My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Ted Kennedy, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, and the entire Kennedy family on this difficult day. Today, we mourn the loss of a leader who inspired and changed the lives of millions of Americans. When Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics, she gave thousands of people with disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports when others thought it impossible. In recent years, Mrs. Shriver was instrumental in our efforts to ensure equal college opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities as part of a larger 2008 law that reformed our higher education programs for students and families. Mrs. Shriver dedicated her life to opening up new possibilities for every American living with a disability -- making enormous strides toward true equality for our country. We will honor her incredible spirit as we work to build on her legacy to ensure that Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities to pursue their dreams.”

 

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Department of Veterans Affairs and the state of California announced an agreement about how tuition and fees at the state’s public colleges and universities are determined that will ensure that veterans who attend any college in California are able to receive the full amount of financial aid they are eligible for under the new GI Bill – and that veterans in other states receive. The agreement was reached after the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee passed a similar fix as part of a larger bill to make college more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans.

“The men and women who have made enormous sacrifices to serve our country deserve every opportunity to get a good education when they return home,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “This common-sense change will help them do just that. I applaud Secretary Shinseki, the Obama administration, and the state of California for taking action to ensure that veterans can receive the full amount of financial aid they are eligible for this coming year, regardless of what type of college they attend. Making sure that veterans who want to attend college in California can afford to do so is the right thing to do for our students, our university system, local economies throughout our state, and our competitive future.”

BACKGROUND

The new GI Bill authorizes the VA to pay the actual tuition and fees charged by a college for up to the maximum in-state tuition and fees charged by the most expensive public university in the state.

Students attending college in California would have been adversely affected by this calculation because the state’s public schools are barred from using the word “tuition” and instead must use the word “fees” when describing an institution’s cost. Therefore, a veteran who attends a private college in California would have received a much lower tuition benefit under the GI Bill than veterans at private schools in other states.

This new agreement will allow for the bulk of California’s “fees” to be characterized as “tuition” for the purposes of paying for the cost at private colleges – removing any unfair penalty that could reduce aid for veterans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Late last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to state school chiefs asking them to formally submit their policies on seclusion and restraint in schools, as part of larger efforts to prevent abusive uses of these practices in the nation’s classrooms.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office, conducted at the request of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, uncovered hundreds of allegations of abusive uses of seclusion and restraint practices on schoolchildren over the past two decades. In several of those cases, this abuse resulted in the death of a child.
 

U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), the chairmen of the House Committees on Education and Labor and Ways and Means, today congratulated U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on passing the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, H.R. 3200.

“We congratulate Chairman Waxman and the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee for taking the next step in this historic process. Now all three committees in the House have said ‘yes’ to health insurance reform that reflects the principles that President Obama has set forth and delivers on the change American families, businesses and local economies need. We look forward to continuing to work together over the coming weeks to reconcile the differences between these three bills and prepare to bring unified legislation to the House floor in September that lowers health costs, protects patients’ choices of doctors and plans, and ensures access to quality, affordable health insurance for all Americans.”

WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and George Miller (D-CA) highlighted the campaign of misinformation being waged by opponents of health insurance reform on a conference call with reporters today.  Independent fact check organizations have shown that opponents of health insurance reform have resorted to making outrageous and misleading claims about the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200), while refusing to engage in a meaningful debate on the policy of reform.

“We will hold Republicans and the health insurance industry accountable for peddling fear and misinformation in order to protect the status quo and huge profits,” said Van Hollen, the Assistant to the Speaker. “It has been 44 days since Republicans guaranteed a bill, but instead of keeping their word they have launched a full scale attack on the truth.”

“Fear has become the main diet of the Republicans and the insurance industry,” said Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, which passed H.R. 3200 earlier this month. “Opponents know how close we are to delivering a bill that reflects the goals of President Obama and the change the American people want and deserve, which is why their efforts to mislead the public are only getting more desperate. We won’t allow their lies, scare tactics and political games to stand in the way of passing reforms that will reduce costs, protect people’s choice of doctors and plans, and ensure access to quality, affordable health care for all.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today House Republicans once again proved that they’re more committed to finding cheap budgetary tricks that will help them score political points than having a meaningful, honest debate about legislation that will help students and parents pay for college.

For the second time in two days, Republicans asked the Congressional Budget Office to manipulate an analysis of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221), a bill that will invest almost $90 billion in additional student aid for families and pay down the deficit – and at no cost to taxpayers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement today on the agreement reached between U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and members of the panel. The deal will allow Waxman’s Committee to pass the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200) by the August district work period.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), the chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, today praised President Barack Obama’s announcement of his intention to nominate Dr. David Michaels as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

“President Obama is to be commended for his intent to nominate Dr. David Michaels to lead the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration,” said Miller. “Dr. Michaels' expertise and leadership is needed as OSHA continues to restore vital health and safety protections for America’s workers. I look forward to working with Dr. Michaels and Secretary Solis to ensure the agency has the tools it needs to accomplish this mission.”
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today in response to a new report that shows that number of Americans volunteering is rising across the country – even though volunteering has typically decreased in previous economic downturns. According to the report, Volunteering in America, released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, one million more Americans volunteered in 2008 than in 2007. Overall almost 62 million Americans – or more than a quarter of the adult population –volunteered in 2008.

“This report should make each and every one of us optimistic about the future of volunteerism. It reminds us that service is a deeply held American value – and that Americans’ desire to help their neighbors and communities only grows stronger in difficult times. Unlike in previous economic downturns, people are turning out in record numbers to volunteer and become a part of the solution to the many challenges we face. Earlier this year, President Obama and Congress took an historic step to unleash this spirit and commitment to service by enacting the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. This law is already helping to launch a new era of service that will help improve our schools, transition to a green, clean-energy economy, create healthier of communities, and ensure that our nation can emerge from this economic downturn stronger and more vibrant.”