Press Releases

“I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about how we implement this law to spur a period of innovation and excellence, that I'm sure will be the result of this new era of accountability and responsibility and opportunity placed in the hands of those who should have the responsibility for our children and our schools: …...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded the Department of Education’s proposed rule to address disparities in special education and disciplinary practices, such as suspensions and expulsions. The new proposed rule, which is now...

“There’s no doubt, as the Wall Street Journal said, that this is the ‘largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter-century.’ There also is no doubt that a law is not worth the paper it’s printed on unless it’s implemented properly.” WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 — The chairman of the U.S....

WASHINGTON—At the closing session of the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting on Monday, Feb. 22, NGA Chair Utah Gov. Gary Herbert will award Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander with the first-ever James Madison Award. The James Madison Award recognizes a prominent public figure for advancing the principles of federalism and...

Next Month, Supreme Court Will Hear Zubik v. Burwell, Yet Another Challenge to Health Reform Law’s Birth Control Policy; Today, Sens. Franken and Murray Outline Argument for Protecting Women’s Access to Affordable Birth Control   WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/16/2016]—Today, U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Patty Murray...

“Last year Congress saw an urgent need and passed a bill to fix No Child Left Behind with broad support from Republicans and Democrats. This year, the urgent need is higher education.” Nashville, Tenn., February 16 – Congress should this year help more students attend college by simplifying the “dreaded”...

“The backlash against Washington trying to tell 100,000 schools what they should be doing caused people on both the left and the right to remember that the path to higher standards and better teaching and real accountability is community by community, classroom by classroom, state by state, and not through the federal government dictating the...

Democrats to GOP: Our government has a crucial role to play in ensuring that women everywhere have access to critical health care services   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led 27 of their Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to...

“Obamacare was a takeover of the health care system, the federal pocketbook, and the family budget.” WASHINGTON, D.C., February 11 – A new study of Obamacare by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office requested by Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) finds that health insurance premiums will...

WASHINGTON, February 11 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate education committee, released the following statement on the White House announcement that the president intends to nominate John King Jr. to serve as U.S. education secretary: “I have urged the president to nominate an education secretary, and...

Murray praised WA-state community colleges for helping students transition from higher education to their careers   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee delivered remarks at an event hosted by the Association of Community College Trustees...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representatives Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) sent a letter to Edith Ramirez, Chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expressing their concern over the continued practice of sexual orientation change efforts, commonly referred to as...

Unaccompanied homeless youth face unique challenges in completing the FAFSA form to qualify for financial aid   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, urged Acting Secretary of Education John King to simplify the Free Application for...

WASHINGTON, February 9 – Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today announced that the Senate health committee has unanimously passed bipartisan legislation that will improve health information technology. Alexander said: “Our goal is to make our country's electronic health record system...

Passed the Committee with unanimous bipartisan support   Legislation introduced last week follows yearlong investigation into contaminated medical devices linked to outbreaks in Washington state and nationwide   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement on the early childhood education components of President Barack Obama’s FY17 budget proposal. “Early childhood education is one of the smartest investments we can...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement on investments in tackling mental illness and substance abuse that were included in President Barack Obama’s FY17 budget proposal.   “I’ve heard far...

Murray: “As I’ve made clear—the path to a bipartisan deal on medical innovation must include mandatory investments in the NIH and the FDA, and must uphold the gold standard of FDA approval.”   Bills in the markup address preventing superbug infections linked to scopes, improving our nation’s health IT...

“The House has completed its work on the 21st Century Cures Act, the president has announced his support for a Precision Medicine Initiative and a ‘cancer moonshot’—and with this bipartisan action in committee today, we’ve shown the Senate’s potential to be the vehicle that turns these groundbreaking ideas into...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement on investments in cancer research and NIH mandatory funding included in President Barack Obama’s FY17 budget proposal.   “When I talk to researchers and...