Chair's Press

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor finalized a critical rule to ensure fair wages for workers providing in-home care and support to seniors and people with disabilities. The...

Will seek input from higher education community, including students, parents, and faculty WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today announced their intention to hold a series of hearings on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today to mark World Sepsis Day and to announce that the HELP Committee will convene on September 24th at 10:00 a.m. to discuss efforts to reduce healthcare-associated infections,...

1.6 Million Smokers Have Attempted to Quit Smoking; More Than 200,000 Americans Quit Smoking Successfully WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today hailed an announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the “Tips From a Former Smoker” (“Tips”) 2012 national ad campaign led an...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Ed Markey (D-MA) warned against the dangers of electronic cigarettes after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new data showing that use of these products has more than doubled among middle and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement in response to Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement that the Administration will implement a new rule to promote employment for individuals with disabilities.  The...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement welcoming an OSHA proposed rule aimed at protecting workers from exposure to crystalline silica.  Exposure kills hundreds of workers and sickens thousands more each...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed rulemaking to transition away from the so-called “2 percent rule.”  “The U.S. Department of...

‘The decision about where to attend college is one of the biggest choices students and their families face...I agree with President Obama that we must provide greater transparency to help them through the process' WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after President Barack Obama delivered...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today regarding the anti-bullying guidance issued today by the U.S. Department of Education for schools around the country. “As schools once again open their doors for students...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today in response to a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP).  The report showed that providing universal access to hybrid retirement plans - like Harkin’s USA...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned health care professionals against using sterile products supplied by Specialty Compounding in Cedar Park, Texas because bacterial infections have been potentially associated with contaminated calcium gluconate infusions produced by the company.  According to the...

“NewsHour” Segment Also Features Ricardo Thornton, Who Was Warehoused—Until His Early Twenties—in an Institution for Individuals with Disabilities; Thornton Testified Before the HELP Committee in 2012 WASHINGTON, D.C.—In case you missed it, PBS’ NewsHour program last night reported on an investigation issued by...

HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander Lead Effort on Legislation to Clarify Oversight of Large-Scale Drug Compounders  Report: “Differing FDA Authority to Oversee Compounded Drugs Across the Country Has Resulted in Gaps in Oversight of Drug Compounding” WASHINGTON, D.C. — A newly-released...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today regarding health insurance coverage for Members of Congress and their staffs. As Chairman of the HELP Committee, Harkin played a pivotal role in the passage of the health...

Reauthorization Bill Clears Senate HELP Committee by Vote of 18-3 WIA Reauthorization Has Been Overdue Since 2003 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) applauded the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee vote to pass reauthorization...

*As Prepared for Delivery* “Today we will mark up the Workforce Investment Act of 2013, a bill to reauthorize our nation’s primary workforce development system. Our actions today are crucial and long overdue – the last reauthorization of this law expired in 2003. With this mark-up, we have the opportunity to strengthen the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today after the Senate confirmed five nominees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The HELP Committee held confirmation hearings for the nominees in May and earlier this...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement today on the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Harkin was the Senate sponsor of the ADA and delivered the first-ever Senate floor speech in American...

WASHINGTON D.C. – A bipartisan coalition of senators on the U.S. Senate committee overseeing health policy today urged Senate action on their legislation to help prevent another compounding crisis like the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak that has led to 61 deaths and 749 illnesses, as well as protect the nation’s drug supply chain for...