Press Releases

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 Supreme Court decision in National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) v. Noel Canning.  “The American men and women who manufacture our goods, nurse us back to...

Washington, D.C., June 26 –U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the committee overseeing labor policy, released the following statement on today’s ruling by the Supreme Court, which held that the president’s January 2012 appointments to the National Labor Relations Board are unconstitutional: “The...

“This is the eleventh in a series of hearings to inform this committee’s reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The focus of today’s hearing, campus sexual assault, is a profoundly important one. “Too many students are being assaulted on our nation’s college campuses. According to current research, an estimated...

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25—The Senate coauthors of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) today hailed the Senate passage of the bill, which seeks to update and improve the nation’s workforce development system, and together urged the U.S. House of Representatives to take up the bill and pass it swiftly. The bill—which...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Senate coauthors of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) today hailed the Senate passage of the bill, which seeks to update and improve the nation’s workforce development system, and together urged the U.S. House of Representatives to take up the bill and pass it swiftly. The bill—which was...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In advance of a Senate vote on the bipartisan, bicameral Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), one of the lead Senate authors of the legislation, spoke on the floor to urge his Senate colleagues to support the legislation. The proposal, which was released by a bipartisan group of leaders from...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released for discussion a draft proposal for the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The Higher Education Affordability Act takes a comprehensive approach to rein in rising college costs...

“The title of today’s roundtable is ‘Moving Toward Greater Community Inclusion – Olmstead at 15.’  Our discussion will focus on developments in advancing the community integration of people with disabilities and the impact of the Olmstead decision.  I will also be interested to hear what the panelists think...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—One year after releasing a report showing that many states have not made adequate progress in ensuring the availability of home- and community-based services as an alternative to nursing homes and other institutional settings for individuals with disabilities, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today introduced legislation to ensure...

WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today released the following statement as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the fourth phase of the successful “Tips From Former Smokers” campaign.  The “Tips” campaign, aimed at helping Americans quit smoking, is funded by the Prevention and...

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following joint statement in response to the agreement reached between the Department of Education and Corinthian Colleges Inc.: “We are glad to see that the...

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 23—Following a recent incident at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in which upwards of 75 staff may have been exposed to live anthrax, members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee today requested information from the agency about the lapse in safety protocols that led...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Following a recent incident at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in which upwards of 75 staff may have been exposed to live anthrax, members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee today requested information from the agency about the lapse in safety protocols that led to the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded White House actions announced today to support working families. Among the actions taken is a Presidential Memorandum directing federal agencies to implement flexible workplace policies as much as possible,...

WASHINGTON D.C.—Senate coauthors of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) today announced the Senate has reached agreement to consider the bill to improve the nation’s workforce development system and said it could be voted on as early as next week. The bill, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of leaders from the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after the Obama Administration announced two administrative actions that will extend critical federal benefits to families headed by same-sex couples.   The first announcement, from the Department of Labor (DOL), clarifies that an employee is eligible...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) announced that they have introduced the Correctly Recognizing Educational Achievements to Empower (CREATE) Graduates Act, legislation that helps young people receive the degrees they have...

WASHINGTON, June 19 – Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) today released a draft bill to simplify the process of applying for and receiving federal financial aid to attend college, allow year-round use of Pell Grants, discourage over-borrowing and simplify repayments. The bill would reduce to a single...

WASHINGTON — THIS year, more than 20 million college students will complete the dreaded 108-question Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as the Fafsa. Most do it again every year they’re in school. Some pay someone to help them. Colleges hire thousands of staff members to assist. Too many students are so intimidated...

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), and Richard Burr (R-NC) sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Hamburg asking for comprehensive data on the risks and benefits associated with the Expanded Access, or “compassionate use”, program.  Expanded Access allows patients to access non-FDA...