Ed & Workforce Republicans Tout GOP “eContract”
For High-Tech America

Committee Initiatives Expand Private Sector Freedom, Remove Barriers to  
Future Innovation and Growth

            WASHINGTON, D.C. - Republican members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce today hailed the unveiling of “eC3 - The e-Contract with High-Tech America,” the third installment of the House Republican effort to ensure that high-tech growth continues to be the engine of America’s economic prosperity, increasing productivity throughout the economy. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) unveiled the third “eContract” at a news conference this morning.

            “Republicans are working to lay the foundation for a prosperous high-tech future,” House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) said. “We’re modernizing our education system to restore accountability, flexibility, and innovation to our public schools. And we’re pursuing reforms to ensure that today’s workers are fully equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21^{st century economy.”}

            The Education and the Workforce Committee is pursuing a full slate of legislation aimed at enhancing America’s global leadership and securing the nation’s high-tech future:

· No Child Left Behind Act (H.R. 1). Preparing the next generation of Americans to compete starts with emphasizing the fundamentals and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn. Passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority on May 23rd, H.R. 1 challenges the status quo by implementing President Bush’s four principles for education reform: accountability, local control and flexibility, research-based reform, and expanded parental options. Specifically, H.R. 1 streamlines seven duplicative Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) technology programs into a single performance-based technology program to send more dollars to the classroom, reduce paperwork, and increase flexibility; emphasizes academic achievement and professional development in the area of technology by insisting that at least 20% of the technology funding sent to the local level be spent on teacher training; and increases access to technology by targeting funds to those schools with the greatest need.

· FED. UP Project. 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) is making use of the Internet to help colleges and universities crack down on needless and overly burdensome regulations. Dubbed “Upping the Effectiveness of Our Federal Student Aid Programs,” or FED. UP, McKeon, is making use of the committee webpage to solicit recommendations from students, teachers, administrators and others in the higher education community regarding difficulties with regulations in the Higher Education Act.

· OERI Reform. Education Reform Subcommittee Chairman Michael Castle (R-DE) this year will continue with efforts to reform the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI).

· Internet Equity and Education Act (H.R. 1992). Introduced by 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee vice-chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA), H.R. 1992 would build on the recommendations of the Web-based Education Commission by using the Internet to expand access to higher education for all Americans through distance education and other means.

· Retirement Security Advice Act. This week, Boehner and Employer-Employee Relations Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) will introduce bipartisan legislation to modernize current law to expand access to quality investment advice for rank-and-file workers. Today’s workers have greater freedom and control than ever with their pensions and retirement savings. The bill would update federal law to allow employers and investment intermediaries to provide workers with free access to quality investment advice.

· “Super Stock Options” Legislation. Boehner and Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY) are collaborating on a joint bill to allow more rank-and-file workers to receive stock options in the companies they work for in addition to traditional cash compensation. The bill would also make it easier for workers who have stock options to take advantage of the market and use their options to build wealth and retirement security.

· Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1982). Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) has introduced compensatory time legislation to give working men and women more power and control over their lives by allowing them, through an agreement with their employer, to choose paid time off as compensation for working overtime hours.

· OSHA Oversight. Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, has led an effort to examine the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s rulemaking process. OSHA sparked a firestorm in early 2000 with its plans to conduct home workplace inspections, subjecting the homes of millions of Americans who telecommute to the same rules that apply to the traditional workplace.

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