Ranking Member's Press
Alexander, Murray: Full Senate to Begin Debate on Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind
Following House passage yesterday by a vote of 359-64, the Every Student Succeeds Act is ready for Senate action next week * * * WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 3 - Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), following Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's announcement that the Senate would take up the bipartisan, bicameral agreement to fix No Child Left Behind next week, said they look forward to a successful vote in the Senate, fol… Continue Reading
12.02.15
No Child Left Behind: Murray Statement on House Passage of Legislation to Fix Broken Law
Murray: "Today marks another positive step to finally fixing the badly broken No Child Left Behind law for students, parents, teachers, and communities in Washington state and across the country." House overwhelmingly passes legislation 359-64 (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee praised the House of Representatives for passing the Every Student Succeeds Act, the bipartisan legislation… Continue Reading
12.02.15
Murray on Latest GOP Effort to Defund Planned Parenthood: “Women Have Had Enough”
Murray on Latest GOP Effort to Defund Planned Parenthood: "Women Have Had Enough" Murray: "I've heard from so many women and men who are tired of women's health being undermined, threatened, and used as a political football here in Washington, D.C." Murray introduces amendment to support, strengthen women's health care (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee delivered remarks on … Continue Reading
12.01.15
Murray: “Republican Efforts to Undermine Families’ Health Care Are Nothing but a Dead End”
Murray: "This legislation has no chance of becoming law" Murray calls on Republicans to stop political pandering and work with Democrats on policies to help families (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee delivered remarks on the Senate floor as debate began on extreme Republican legislation to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood. In her remarks, Murray … Continue Reading
11.30.15
House, Senate Education Committees Release Final Proposal to Replace NCLB
WASHINGTON - Today bipartisan leaders on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released the final legislative text for improving K-12 education and replacing No Child Left Behind. The final bill is being released after legislative proposals passed separately by the House and Senate in July and embodies the reforms agreed to by members serving on a joint conference committee earlier this month. The House-Senate confer… Continue Reading
11.19.15
Murray Leads Bicameral Letter Urging Guidance on Innovations to Help Workers Retain Retirement Savings Between Jobs
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee led a bicameral group of Congressional Members in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez to encourage the Employee Benefits Security Administration to issue guidance on innovations to help workers retain retirement savings between jobs. When workers change jobs, many choose to cash out their retirement savings and start over with a new savings… Continue Reading
11.19.15
House-Senate Conference Committee Approves Framework to Improve K-12 Education
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the House-Senate conference committee reached agreement on a proposal to improve K-12 education and replace No Child Left Behind. The agreement represents a compromise between the House-passed Student Success Act (H.R. 5) and the Senate-passed Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 (S. 1177). "No Child Left Behind has been failing students, parents, teachers, and state and local education leaders for far too long, and today we took an important step in replacing this flawed … Continue Reading
11.18.15
Murray: Conference Committee “Another Step Closer” to Fixing Broken No Child Left Behind
Murray delivers remarks as House, Senate meet to fix No Child Left Behind Murray: "There is one thing everyone in this room agrees on: No Child Left Behind is broken, and it's long past time to fix it" (Washington, D.C.) -Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee delivered remarks at a joint House and Senate conference committee meeting to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In her remarks, … Continue Reading
11.18.15
Murray Statements at Bipartisan HELP Committee Executive Session
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) submitted remarks for the record at an Executive Session to consider bipartisan legislation and nominations. At the markup, the Committee moved forward with the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2015 and the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act of 2015, as well as nominations for Victoria Lipnic to be a Memb… Continue Reading
11.18.15
Alexander, Murray on Senate Appointment of Senate Conferees to Fix No Child Left Behind: “It’s Time to Get to Work”
All 22 Senate HELP committee members appointed as conferees WASHINGTON, D.C, November 18 - The chairman and ranking member of the Senate education committee today praised the Senate for voting to appoint all 22 members of the Senate HELP committee as conferees to work with members appointed by the House in a conference to fix No Child Left Behind. Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) released the following statement: "We are pleased that all of our… Continue Reading
11.18.15
GUN SAFETY: Murray, 19 Senators Request Report on Effectiveness of Public Health Programs Designed to Impact Gun Safety
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and 19 of her Senate Democratic colleagues wrote a letter to Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to assess the efficacy of public health and safety programs that are designed to impact gun safety, including the storage and security of guns in households. In the letter, t… Continue Reading
11.17.15
Murray Announces Support for Dr. Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner, Lays Out FDA Priorities
Murray: "I have approached this nomination focused on the best interests of families and communities in Washington state and across the country, and in making sure the FDA puts them first in all its work" (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee delivered remarks at a Committee hearing on the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to serve as FDA Commissioner. In her remarks Murray discussed ch… Continue Reading
11.17.15
Murray Introduces Legislation to Modernize, Enhance, and Protect Social Security System
The Retirement and Income Security Enhancements (RAISE) Act will make targeted updates to Social Security benefit calculations (Washington, D.C.)- Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Retirement and Income Security Enhancements (RAISE) Act, a set of proposals to modernize, enhance, and protect Social Security in a fiscally responsible way. The RAISE Act would ensure that Social Security reflects the realities of … Continue Reading
11.13.15
Joint Statement on Efforts to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), along with Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), issued the following joint statement on efforts to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: "We believe we have a path forward that can lead to a successful conference, and that is why we are recommend… Continue Reading
11.13.15
Murray Statement on Supreme Court Decision to Hear Challenge to Harmful Texas Abortion Law
(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 Supreme Court's decision to hear Whole Woman's Health v. Cole, a challenge to an extreme Texas abortion law that marks the first time the Court has heard an abortion case since 2007. "Women have the constitutionally protected right to make their own decisions about their own bodies, and it is deeply disappointi… Continue Reading
11.10.15
Murray: GOP Resolution on Women’s Health “Another Effort to Pander to the Extreme Republican Base”
Murray resolution to support women's health is blocked by Senate Republicans (Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor objecting to a Republican resolution that supports interfering with a woman's constitutionally protected right to the full range of reproductive health care access. In her remarks, Murray explained that the resolution was another attempt to pander to the … Continue Reading
11.10.15
Murray Introduces Legislation to Remove Barriers, Provide Support for Homeless and Foster Students in Higher Education
Murray's Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act will help make it easier for vulnerable students to enroll in and afford college (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee introduced the Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2015, legislation that would remove barriers and help ensure more students from all walks of life hav… Continue Reading
11.06.15
Murray Statement on 50th Anniversary of the Higher Education Act
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement commemorating the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the Higher Education Act, which was signed into law on November 8, 1965. "Fifty years ago, President Johnson signed into law the Higher Education Act of 1965, opening the doors to higher education for millions of students and providing them with an opportunity to gain a foothold into the m… Continue Reading
11.06.15
Murray Statement on Supreme Court Decision to Hear Challenges to Affordable Care Act Contraceptive Coverage Benefit
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision to review the religious accommodation to the birth control benefit included in the Affordable Care Act. "In the 21st century, women should be able to access the health care they need, when they need it-and that must include affordable access to birth control. The Affordable Care Act took histori… Continue Reading
11.05.15
Murray Calls on HHS Inspector General to Investigate Potential Leak of Confidential Information on E-Cigarette Regulations
(Washington, D.C.) - Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), sent a letter to Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expressing her concern that the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA) potentially gained access to confidential information on the FDA's tobacco deeming rule, which would establish FDA authority over a range of tobacco products, including e-cigarette… Continue Reading
