Seven million unfilled jobs and more than $1.5 trillion in student debt means that the status quo is doing more harm than good. In the 115th Congress, the Committee on Education and the Workforce changed the conversation around higher education. Americans have invested billions of dollars and countless hours of hard work into higher education in an effort to earn a better job and live a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, today’s chaotic maze of federal aid programs, requirements, and red tape has d...
One of the most important things we’ve done in the 115th Congress was our tireless work, in true bipartisan fashion, on legislation to reform our juvenile justice system. After three years of hard work and dedication, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act cleared the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the bill received Speaker Ryan’s signature late last night. Next stop: Oval Office. Helping children reject a life of crime has long been a national priority. It requires more than an adjudica...
The Committee on Education and the Workforce had a lot to celebrate during the 115th Congress, but one of its biggest accomplishments was the strong bipartisan passage of H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. Americans face a job market that is vastly different from the one that existed a generation ago. Advances in technology and the growth of a global economy have dramatically changed the kinds of jobs that are available, making high-quality edu...
This week, the Committee on Education and the Workforce is reflecting on five ways we’ve made America better in the 115th Congress. One of those ways is by expanding health care options through association health plans (AHPs). The good news: it’s working. On June 19, 2018, the Department of Labor issued a final rule that built on House Republican efforts to provide health care options to millions of small business employees across America. Employers play an important role in providing America’s ...
This week, we’re taking a look back at five ways we’ve made America better during the 115th Congress. During the 115th Congress, Education and Workforce Committee Republicans worked hard on solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing the country. These solutions have been varied and diverse because the American people’s needs are varied and diverse. But one of the committee’s most important accomplishments this Congress was delivering regulatory relief through the Congressional Review Ac...
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN), released the following statements upon the final passage of H.R. 6964, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act: "Today’s passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act is a major victory for America’s youth," Chairwoman Foxx said. "With these reforms, we can meet young people right where they are, m...
POSTPONED: Mandating a $15 Minimum Wage: Consequences for Workers and Small Businesses POSTPONED Wednesday, December 12 at 10:00 a.m. , the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing on "Mandating a $15 Minimum Wage: Consequences for Workers and Small Businesses.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Witnesses Ms. Simone Barron Seattle, WA Dr. Joseph J. Sabia Professor of Economics San Diego State University San Diego, CA Mr. Larry Stottle...
Click here to watch the video online. Today, the House Republican Conference approved Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) to lead Committee on Education and the Workforce Republicans in the 116th Congress. Upon the announcement, Chairwoman Foxx released the following statement: "The question on everyone’s mind used to be: ‘Where are the jobs?’ Today we have 7 million job opportunities waiting for workers to fill them. We have 4.5 million more jobs than we had two years ago, and a quarter of a million mor...
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement upon the announcement of the Department of Education’s proposed Title IX regulations: “We have an obligation to do all we can to prevent sexual assault and hold perpetrators accountable. The Obama administration did serious damage with its arbitrary Title IX guidance. Today’s announcement that the Department of Education has begun the open, formal process of bringing poli...
To watch online, click here. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement after President Trump’s White House event honoring America’s workers: "The Pledge to the American Worker, shared by the administration, Congress, and leaders from businesses small and large from across the country, is producing real results. The economy is booming, unemployment is at near-historic lows, and America’s families and workers have...
BACKGROUND Americans face a job market that is vastly different from the one that existed a generation ago. Advances in technology and the growth of a global economy have dramatically changed the kinds of jobs that are available, making high-quality education and skills development vital to competing in today’s workplaces. In recent years, Congress has enacted reforms to improve K-12 education and modernize the nation’s workforce development system. However, more must be done to help all America...
BACKGROUND: Hiring. Work schedules. Pay increases. These are all decisions that take place between an employer and an employee. However, in 2015, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) placed itself squarely in the middle of the employer-employee relationship, changing it in a way that hurt working families and small businesses but empowered union interests. This prompted a similar expansion of the joint employer standard under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). With these actions, the Obam...
BACKGROUND For more than 30 years, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) considered two or more employers “joint employers” if they had “actual,” “direct,” and “immediate” control over essential terms and conditions of employment. This standard provided stability and legal clarity for employers large and small, especially local franchisees and subcontractors. Unfortunately, unelected NLRB bureaucrats, federal regulators, and activist judges have taken steps to dramatically change what const...
BACKGROUND: Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that exists not only in foreign countries, but in every state in the United States. This atrocious crime involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to force victims into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization estimates there are 21 million victims of human trafficking in what is a $150 billion criminal enterprise. In 2016, 7,572 trafficking cases in the U.S. were reported to the National Huma...
BACKGROUND: With its 2004 San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino decision, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overturned long-standing precedent and began using a subjective test to determine when and where to assert its jurisdiction over Native American tribes. Prior to this decision, the NLRB respected the sovereignty of tribes, holding that they were generally free from outside intervention. The board now decides on a case-by-case basis whether a tribal business on tribal land is for comm...
Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing. I thank our panel of witnesses and our members for being here today as we talk about freedom of expression on college campuses and how postsecondary institutions are and are not respecting individuals’ First Amendment rights. Here at the Education and Workforce Committee, we talk a lot about the importance of all education. Education has the power to change lives, and every form of instruction that focuses on developing a student’s skills is valuable...
Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. I would like to thank members of the subcommittee and our witnesses for joining us today as we examine ways in which we can continue to strengthen our national workforce development efforts and help more Americans get the skills they need to land in-demand jobs. In the last several years, we have seen an economic boom take place under Republican leadership in Congress and the White House. The job market is strong and unemployment is at n...
Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. I would like to thank members of the subcommittee and our witnesses for joining us today as we discuss H.R. 4219, the Workflex in the 21st Century Act. The American workplace continues to evolve in many positive ways, reflecting changes in employer and employee needs, attitudes, and preferences. Traditionally, competitive salaries and pay raises have been the primary ways for employers to attract and retain quality employees. While these...
Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. I would like to thank members of the subcommittee and our witnesses for joining us today to examine the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program and discuss how we can responsibly ensure that the most disadvantaged children have access to nutritious meals during the summer months. Last Congress, we considered legislation to reform this program by reinvesting funds from other child nutrition programs that were in many cases benefiting middle-cl...
Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. I would like to thank members of the subcommittee and our witnesses for being here today as we examine important and timely topics – current trends in the U.S. labor market, their benefits for American workers, and a review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) labor market economic information and methodologies. On the first of June, BLS released its May 2018 Employment Situation Report, which detailed the most recent data on U.S. em...
September 19, 2018 The Honorable Betsy DeVos Secretary U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland A venue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Dear Secretary DeVos: On July 31 , 2018, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) proposed new institutional accountability regulations to streamline and improve the borrower defense to repayment (borrower defense) process. Students defrauded by an institution of higher education must have a clearly established and navigable process to submit a claim. Unfortunate...
June 28, 2018 The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta Secretary U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210 Dear Secretary Acosta: We are following up regarding the Department of Labor’s (the Department) March 6, 2018, letter in response to our January 18, 2018, letter about union “worker centers” and their regulation through the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA or the Act). As you know, the Committ...
January 18, 20 I 8 The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta Secretary U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution A venue, NW Washington, DC 20210 Dear Secretary Acosta: We are writing to you regarding a longstanding interest of the Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee), namely the proliferation of opaquely financed, union-backed organizations known as "worker centers" over the past decade. In the view of many stakeholders and interested parties, including members of our Committee, these s...
The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta Secretary U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington , DC 20210 Dear Secretary Acosta: The bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which passed in 2014, made important reforms to our nation's workforce development system. These reforms make the workforce development system more responsive to the needs of both employers and job seekers. Our workforce development system will only be effective in helping Americans find good ...
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce today, sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta requesting additional answers on oversight questions about safety and security lapses within the Job Corps program. “I continue to have concerns about the safety and security of students participating in the Job Corps program,” wrote Foxx. “The very purpose of the program is to serve those who are hard to serve and the first way to accomplish tha...
Seven million unfilled jobs and more than $1.5 trillion in student debt means that the status quo is doing more harm than good. In the 115th Congress, the Committee on Education and the Workforce changed the conversation around higher education. Americans have invested billions of dollars and countless hours of hard work into higher education in an effort to earn a better job and live a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, today’s chaotic maze of federal aid programs, requirements, and red tape has d...
One of the most important things we’ve done in the 115th Congress was our tireless work, in true bipartisan fashion, on legislation to reform our juvenile justice system. After three years of hard work and dedication, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act cleared the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the bill received Speaker Ryan’s signature late last night. Next stop: Oval Office. Helping children reject a life of crime has long been a national priority. It requires more than an adjudica...
The Committee on Education and the Workforce had a lot to celebrate during the 115th Congress, but one of its biggest accomplishments was the strong bipartisan passage of H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. Americans face a job market that is vastly different from the one that existed a generation ago. Advances in technology and the growth of a global economy have dramatically changed the kinds of jobs that are available, making high-quality edu...
This week, the Committee on Education and the Workforce is reflecting on five ways we’ve made America better in the 115th Congress. One of those ways is by expanding health care options through association health plans (AHPs). The good news: it’s working. On June 19, 2018, the Department of Labor issued a final rule that built on House Republican efforts to provide health care options to millions of small business employees across America. Employers play an important role in providing America’s ...
This week, we’re taking a look back at five ways we’ve made America better during the 115th Congress. During the 115th Congress, Education and Workforce Committee Republicans worked hard on solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing the country. These solutions have been varied and diverse because the American people’s needs are varied and diverse. But one of the committee’s most important accomplishments this Congress was delivering regulatory relief through the Congressional Review Ac...
