Relief from the president’s failed government takeover of health care is finally on the way. This week, Congress will take the next step in the process of repealing Obamacare and providing a stable transition to a patient-centered health care system. Still, there are those who prefer the failed status quo of dwindling choices and soaring costs and have chosen to deny the facts. Here are the numbers that explain how the status quo is creating hardship for working families and small business owner...
It’s a new year with new opportunities to deliver real solutions that will improve the lives of the American people. That is precisely what Republicans are aiming to do, taking early action to rein in an onslaught of regulations that is crushing America’s families and small businesses. Unfortunately, there are some in Washington who are gearing up to fight for the failed status quo. Just this week, President Obama and congressional Democrats huddled to discuss their defense of the disastrous hea...
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released unemployment data for December 2016: After eight years of failed policies and a sluggish economy, Americans are eager to move in a better direction. A new Congress and new administration mark a new beginning for this great country. We have an historic opportunity to achieve meaningful reforms and the positive results hardworking men an...
As the Obama administration comes to a close, there is at least one thing they will be leaving behind: a legacy of bad rulemaking and harmful regulations. Indeed, the country has endured eight years of regulatory scheming and bureaucratic overreach affecting virtually every aspect of American life, including: A fundamentally flawed overtime rule. Despite repeated Republican calls for a responsible update of federal overtime policies, the Obama administration put forward an extreme rule that will...
We recently shared real-world stories of how ObamaCare is hurting people across the country. These stories aren't anything new. For six years, men and women have spoken out about the harmful consequences of the failed health care law. ObamaCare has been particularly challenging for small business owners, who are forced to provide government-approved health insurance whether they can afford to or not. These stories heard in recent years serve as an important reminder of why Republicans are workin...
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released unemployment data for December 2016: After eight years of failed policies and a sluggish economy, Americans are eager to move in a better direction. A new Congress and new administration mark a new beginning for this great country. We have an historic opportunity to achieve meaningful reforms and the positive results hardworking men an...
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), incoming committee chairwoman, issued the following statements in response to Education Secretary John King’s upholding of the Education Department’s decision to terminate federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS): “The department’s decision will disrupt the education of students across the country, and it will hurt low-income an...
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), incoming chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. John Kline (R-MN), current committee chairman, released the following statements after President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder for Secretary of Labor: “Andrew Puzder is a terrific choice to serve as the next secretary of labor,” Chairwoman-designate Foxx said. “Through a long, distinguished career in the private sector, Mr. Puzder has a d...
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released unemployment data for November 2016: Republicans are ready to move forward with a bold agenda that will spur robust growth and job creation in this country once again. It’s an agenda based on commonsense reforms that places less faith in Washington and more faith in the American people. Delivering patient-centered health care, improving edu...
With approval of the full Republican conference, the House Republican Steering Committee has selected Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) as the chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in the 115th Congress. “My colleagues have entrusted me with a significant responsibility, and I look forward to building on the foundation established by leaders such as John Kline and John Boehner and continuing their legacy of honest, dogged work confronting the challenges facing America’s school...
BACKGROUND The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes important protections for America’s workers. For example, certain workers are entitled to overtime pay, which is defined as time-and-one-half the employees’ regular rate of pay for hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week. Workers who are exempt from overtime must be paid above a minimum salary threshold and perform certain duties. However, despite the importance of these protections, the regulatory structure implementing the law is overly co...
BACKGROUND To promote safe and healthy communities, the federal government has long supported state efforts to set at-risk youth and juvenile offenders on the pathway to success. Helping children reject a life of crime requires more than an adjudication system and a detention facility. It requires a collaborative effort among parents, teachers, and community members to prevent criminal behavior and help support children who have engaged in illegal activity. In support of that effort, Congress p...
BACKGROUND Young adults face a job market vastly different than the one that existed a generation ago. Technological advances and the growth of a global economy have dramatically changed the kinds of jobs available, making quality education and training vital to competing in today’s workplaces. That’s why Congress has enacted reforms in recent years to improve K-12 education and modernize the workforce development system. But more can be done to help equip all Americans with the tools they need...
THE PROBLEM: Preventing child abuse and neglect is a priority that reaches across party lines, and federal policies have long supported state efforts to identify, assess, and treat children who are victims of abuse and neglect. One of those policies, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), was enacted in 1974 to coordinate federal efforts to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. The law provides states with resources to improve their child protective services systems. In...
THE PROBLEM: Far too many men and women will leave the workforce without the financial security they need to retire. Policymakers should be looking for opportunities to make it easier for working families—especially low- and middle-income families—to successfully plan for their retirement years. The last thing Washington should do is create barriers to the retirement security the American people need. Unfortunately, the Department of Labor has finalized a new regulatory scheme that will do just...
In 2014, the Department of Labor began an effort to update federal overtime rules. There would have been strong bipartisan support for that effort if the department had pursued a responsible approach. In fact, we have spent years engaging in this issue because we believe federal overtime rules need to be modernized—both to strengthen protections for workers and to provide more clarity and certainty for employers. Unfortunately, the department took a different approach and finalized an extreme ru...
I was proud to introduce this legislation to provide small businesses, colleges and universities, and nonprofit organizations much-needed relief from a fundamentally flawed rule that will do more harm than good. It’s unfortunate this legislation is necessary in the first place. For over two years, Republicans have urged the department to update our nation’s overtime rules responsibly. These rules serve as important protections for America’s workers, but the existing regulatory structure is extre...
We are here to discuss an issue that is vitally important to Americans from all walks of life: retirement security. This is a leading priority for millions of hardworking men and women, and that is why it’s a leading priority for Republicans and Democrats alike. Strengthening retirement security has always been a difficult challenge with no easy answers. It’s one that demands thoughtful dialogue, bipartisan cooperation, and meaningful reforms. That’s exactly what our committee has been engaged i...
When the committee last met to discuss the Every Student Succeeds Act, we heard concerns from state and local education leaders that the administration is not implementing the law in a way that respects its letter and intent. Since that time, the Department of Education has released a regulatory proposal so unprecedented—and so unlawful—that it demands its own examination. The proposal I’m referring to is the department’s proposed “supplement, not supplant” regulation. This proposal changes the ...
Helping kids succeed in life is a priority we all share. That’s why we work to make sure all children have access to the education and the opportunities necessary to achieve their goals and build fulfilling futures for themselves. Unfortunately, too many children don’t realize that success is even an option for them. Too many others believe their chance has passed or don’t know how to seize it. As a result, they make decisions that put them on the wrong path and—in some cases—in the juvenile jus...
The Honorable John B. King, Jr. Secretary U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Re: RIN 1810-AB33 Proposed Rule on Implementing the Supplement, Not Supplant Provision Under Title I of the ESEA Dear Secretary King: We respectfully submit these comments in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to create new regulations to implement programs under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student S...
Dear Secretary Perez: Pursuant to Rule X of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee) commenced on October 13, 2015, an oversight inquiry into the development of an “investigatory tool” by the Department of Labor (Department) to determine whether employers have joint liability for violations of workplace safety laws. From the Department’s initial two-page response through its latest revelation that there are an additional 3,300 pages of yet-unpr...
Dear Secretary King: To address “the inability of the Department of Education to adequately manage” student financial aid, Congress designated the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) as a performance-based organization. In exchange for greater operational flexibility, FSA is expected to deliver performance-driven results and improved service and accountability. In reviewing reports published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector Gene...
Dear Secretary Perez: On August 21, 2015, we were joined by 20 of our colleagues in requesting an additional 60 days of public comment on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (the Department) proposal to update the overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. In a letter dated August 31, 2015, Wage and Hour Administrator David Weil denied this request, stating the initial 60-day comment period “provide[d] sufficient time for interested parties to submit comment.” Administrator Weil’s resp...
On October 13, 2015, we wrote to you regarding the Department of Labor’s (Department) draft memorandum to expand liability for workplace safety and health violations of franchisors under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Act). Among other requests, the Committee’s letter specifically requested the Department to provide information and a briefing related to the Solicitor of Labor’s (Solicitor) work with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other agencies within the ...
Relief from the president’s failed government takeover of health care is finally on the way. This week, Congress will take the next step in the process of repealing Obamacare and providing a stable transition to a patient-centered health care system. Still, there are those who prefer the failed status quo of dwindling choices and soaring costs and have chosen to deny the facts. Here are the numbers that explain how the status quo is creating hardship for working families and small business owner...
It’s a new year with new opportunities to deliver real solutions that will improve the lives of the American people. That is precisely what Republicans are aiming to do, taking early action to rein in an onslaught of regulations that is crushing America’s families and small businesses. Unfortunately, there are some in Washington who are gearing up to fight for the failed status quo. Just this week, President Obama and congressional Democrats huddled to discuss their defense of the disastrous hea...
As the Obama administration comes to a close, there is at least one thing they will be leaving behind: a legacy of bad rulemaking and harmful regulations. Indeed, the country has endured eight years of regulatory scheming and bureaucratic overreach affecting virtually every aspect of American life, including: A fundamentally flawed overtime rule. Despite repeated Republican calls for a responsible update of federal overtime policies, the Obama administration put forward an extreme rule that will...
We recently shared real-world stories of how ObamaCare is hurting people across the country. These stories aren't anything new. For six years, men and women have spoken out about the harmful consequences of the failed health care law. ObamaCare has been particularly challenging for small business owners, who are forced to provide government-approved health insurance whether they can afford to or not. These stories heard in recent years serve as an important reminder of why Republicans are workin...
Time for New Leadership and a New Direction at the Labor Department By Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), incoming-chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce In the new year, a new secretary will take the helm of the Department of Labor. Working families and small business owners face tough challenges, and they desperately need a labor secretary who will put their interests — not special interests — first. Andy Puzder is just the man for the job. Puzder has real-world experience creati...
