Press Releases

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act, legislation that would establish physical activity recommendations for children and adults. The bipartisan legislation would call on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue...

Bipartisan bill to fix K-12 education law that expired seven years ago passes Senate by a vote of  81 to 17   WASHINGTON, D.C., July 16 – The Senate today passed by a vote of 81 to 17 the Every Child Achieves Act, the bipartisan agreement by Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor supporting an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act to strengthen accountability measures. Murray noted that the amendment from Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Senator Cory...

Senate Republicans defeat amendment to protect LGBT students   Murray: “As we debate our nation’s K through 12 education bill, we need to do everything we can to prevent bullying, harassment, and discrimination”   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking...

Murray: “If we are serious about closing education gaps in grades K through 12, and if we are truly committed to making sure all students have the chance to succeed, we must invest in quality early childhood education.”   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member...

In 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression and at a time of instability and uncertainty for families across the country, our nation recognized the need to protect the rights of workers to improve their pay and working conditions through collective bargaining. That’s why Congress passed a law called the National Labor Relations Act. Under...

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 10 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement today on House passage of the 21st Century Cures Act:   “The House has worked diligently on its legislation to spur innovation and reform the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of...

“Not only is there consensus about the need to fix No Child Left Behind, there’s also remarkable consensus about how to fix it. That consensus is this: Continue the law’s important measurements of academic progress of students but restore to states, school districts, classroom teachers and parents the responsibility for deciding...

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 10 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today made the following statement on the nomination of Andy Slavitt to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:  “I will be interested in hearing from Mr. Slavitt whether he is ready to work with Congress to make the...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the administration’s definition of a closely-held corporation following the Supreme Court decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores,...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), released the following statement on the House of Representatives passing the 21st Century Cures Act. “I’m pleased that the House has taken a bipartisan step forward by passing the 21st Century Cures Act as...

The House on Wednesday arguably passed a bill that will have the most impact on the GOP presidential nomination of any this year. That is saying a lot considering the House (and Senate) passed Corker-Menendez (to give Congress an up-or-down vote on any final Iran deal), trade promotion authority, the first significant entitlement reform bill (the...

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 9 – Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on House passage of legislation to fix No Child Left Behind:  “Newsweek magazine calls No Child Left Behind ‘the education law everyone wants to fix,’ so it’s hard to overstate...

MYTH: The Every Child Achieves Act allows for federal involvement in state standards. FACT: FALSE. The bill explicitly prohibits any federal involvement with State standards. The HELP Committee incorporated language from bills introduced by Sen. Pat Roberts and Sen. David Vitter that prevents the Secretary from reviewing state standards,...

Murray: “…so many girls across the country have spent this week dreaming of, one day, being one of those women champions they saw on television last weekend. Let’s make sure they know Congress has their back” (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member...

 “This is a real answer to inequality in America: giving more children more opportunity to attend a better school.” – Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, D.C., July 8 – Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today offered an amendment (Click HERE for video) to the bill being debated by the...

Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., rose to the Senate floor Wednesday to tell his colleagues that state and local governments know best when it comes to educating students. Alexander was speaking in support of a K-12 education bill that would replace No Child Left Behind. "We need to show some humility and recognize, as...

Senators began work in earnest Wednesday on a bipartisan bill to replace No Child Left Behind by congratulating themselves on finally taking up legislation that is eight years overdue, and then unanimously passing an amendment to support school libraries. That comity is likely to yield to more vigorous debate in the days ahead, but for the moment,...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor, opposing efforts to amend the Every Child Achieves Act to use federal education funds for private school vouchers. In her speech, Murray highlighted that as Congress works to fix...

Pell grants, state aid, modest loans and scholarships put a four-year public institution within the reach of most. Paying for college never is easy, but it’s easier than most people think. Yet some politicians and pundits say students can’t afford a college education. That’s wrong. Most of them can. Public two-year colleges, for...