Chairman Miller Statement on House Passage of Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill for 2008

Thursday, July 19, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the House voted to approve the 2008 spending bill for the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services:

"This bill creates a better future for all Americans, by investing in education, making workplaces safer and fairer, and helping to prepare American workers for new and better jobs. It strengthens America’s middle class while also recognizing today's fiscal realities and honoring our commitment to budget discipline.

"The bill will provide much-needed financial assistance to American families struggling to pay for college. Republicans promised to do more to help low-income kids pay for college, but then they broke their promises year after year. For the last four years that they were in charge, Republicans didn't raise the Pell scholarship by one penny. Democrats promised this year that we would help make college more affordable, and we are delivering on that promise.

"Republicans also broke their promises to America's public elementary and secondary schools by failing to adequately fund the No Child Left Behind Act. Given the fiscal mess that Republicans created during the six years that they controlled both the White House and the Congress, it is going to take time to come up with the funding that our schools need. But this bill puts us on the right track towards getting our schools the resources they need.

"The legislation also sets the right priorities for the Department of Labor, by focusing funding where it is most needed -- on important worker safety and job training programs. Republicans once again revealed their disdain for America's workers by pushing an amendment that would have eliminated basic labor rights that have been enshrined in the law for decades. Fortunately, Democrats defeated that amendment.

"For too long, Republicans promoted reckless tax cuts financed by shameful cuts in critical services for children, students, workers, and families. It will take time to undo the damage caused by Republican fiscal policies, but this bill is a good start. Every American child has a right to a good public education. Every American student who is qualified to go to college should have the opportunity to go to college, regardless of ability to pay. Every American worker has a right to a job that offers decent pay and benefits and safe working conditions. And all Americans have a right to demand and expect that the Congress will address their critical concerns without running up the red ink and saddling future generations with mountains of debt.”

BACKGROUND:

The spending bill passed today:

• Includes a $390 increase in the Pell Grant scholarship, which helps low- and moderate-income students pay for college. Last week, the House passed separate legislation to raise the Pell by $500 over the next four years. When you combine these proposals with the $260 Pell increase enacted by Congress earlier this year, then the maximum Pell scholarship increases from $4,050 in 2006 to $5,200 by 2011. 
• Includes a $2 billion increase for No Child Left Behind over last year's funding level and $1 billion more than what the President requested in his 2008 budget. The legislation includes $800.5 million more in funding than the President's budget for special education services. And it includes $175 million more than the President's budget for the Head Start early childhood education program. 
• Includes a $227.4 million increase over last year's funding level for employment, job training, and worker protection programs. It rejects cuts proposed by the Bush administration to Job Corps, the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers program, and the Senior Community Service Employment program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Kiley / Rachel Racusen
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-226-0853