Ranking Member's Press
Murray Statement on Roe v. Wade Anniversary, Continued GOP Attacks on Women’s Health Care Decisions
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade. "Forty-two years ago today the Supreme Court issued a constitutional guarantee in Roe v. Wade to women across the country, affirming their fundamental right to make their own choices about their own bodies. Roe v. Wade was a critical step forward for equality and opportuni… Continue Reading
01.21.15
Murray Calls for Fixing Broken No Child Left Behind Law, Ensuring All Students Have Quality Education
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) delivered remarks at a committee hearing on Fixing No Child Left Behind: Testing and Accountability. In her opening statement, Murray highlighted the critical role the federal government plays in ensuring no child falls through the cracks and in establishing accountability for schools and districts, and also noted the importance of reducing redundant and low-quality tests.… Continue Reading
01.15.15
Murray Statement on Need for Wage and Overtime Protections for Home Care Workers
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on the federal court ruling that would strike down a Department of Labor rule to extend minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers. "Home care workers, including tens of thousands in my home state of Washington, provide demanding and deeply personal support to families in need. There is no reason why these professionals, ninety pe… Continue Reading
01.14.15
Joint Statement from Senator Murray and Rep. Rosa DeLauro on Expanding Access to Paid Sick Leave
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today commended President Barack Obama's proposal to expand paid sick days to more workers. Both legislators reiterated their strong support for the Healthy Families Act, a bill to let workers earn paid sick leave to use when they are sick, to care for a sick family member, to receive preventive care, and to address the impacts of domestic violence. Murray and DeLauro will reintroduce that bill in the coming weeks. "W… Continue Reading
01.14.15
Murray Statement on Alexander No Child Left Behind Proposal
(Washington, D.C.) -Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on Chairman Lamar Alexander's No Child Left Behind proposal. "Anyone I talk to, Republican or Democrat, agrees that No Child Left Behind is a broken law that needs to be fixed. Now that we have each laid out our priorities I am hopeful that Chairman Alexander and I will begin a truly bipartisan process to provide every child with the quality educa… Continue Reading
01.14.15
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND: Murray Outlines Priorities, Calls for Bipartisan Fix to Broken Law
Murray outlines priorities to ensure all students have access to a quality education Murray: "Everyone should be able to agree that this law needs to provide every student, in every school, in every state a quality education. And that's exactly what I'm going to be fighting for." (Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor on fixing the broken No Child Left Behind law. In her spee… Continue Reading
01.14.15
Senator Murray’s Statement on President Obama’s Community College Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Obama Administration's proposal to make two years of community college free for qualifying students. "Expanding access to college and making it more affordable is a ticket to the middle class for millions of students across the country, and I look forward to working with President Obama and my colleagues to make this g… Continue Reading
01.14.15
Senator Murray’s Statement on Senate Committee Leadership Change
Washington, D.C-Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on her intention to serve as Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee when the new Congress convenes in January. Senator Murray served as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee this past Congress and will continue to serve as a senior member of that Committee. "I look forward to continuing my work on a Committee that does so much to impact policies that define who… Continue Reading
12.18.14
Chairman Harkin: HELP Committee Completes Bipartisan Success in 113th Congress by Sending 26th Bill to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Capping two years of the HELP Committee's bipartisan accomplishments, Congress this week sent to the President for his signature two additional bills under the jurisdiction of the HELP Committee. When both are signed by the President, they will be the 25th and 26th bills under the jurisdiction of the Senate HELP Committee enacted into law in the 113th Congress. The EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2014, a bill which reauthorizes key programs to support education and research to hel… Continue Reading
12.17.14
Harkin, Alexander, HELP Committee Members Urge Continued Prescription Drug Abuse Work
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Prescription drug overdose death rates in the United States have more than tripled since 1990 and prescription opioid abuse is an ever-growing problem. Following on their creation of a bipartisan Prescription Drug Abuse Working Group earlier this year, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today led HELP Committee senators in sending letters to a range of national, state, and local le… Continue Reading
12.12.14
Harkin Statement In Support of NLRB Final Rule to Modernize Union Election Process
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement today in support of the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) final rule to reform and modernize the union representation process. "Today the NLRB has taken an important step in their continued efforts to ensure that workers, unions, and employers have access to a fair, transparent, and efficient election process," Harkin said. "The final ru… Continue Reading
12.11.14
Harkin Applauds Congressional Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Life-Saving Newborn Screening Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today applauded House passage of the bipartisan Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act. Led by Harkin as chairman, this bipartisan health bill was passed by the HELP Committee in December 2013 and cleared the Senate earlier this week. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act now heads to the President's desk for his signature and is set to become … Continue Reading
12.10.14
Harkin, Murphy Announce Students Before Profits Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) to announce their introduction of the Students Before Profits Act to help protect students from deceptive practices and bad actors in the for-profit college sector. The Students Before Profits Act will put power back in students' hands by allowing them to make better informed decisions about what school to attend, while also holdi… Continue Reading
12.10.14
Harkin Statement on Multiemployer Pension Cuts Proposed by the House
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued a statement in response to the proposed cuts to multiemployer pensions programs included in the fiscal year 2015 Omnibus by the U.S. House of Representatives. "We in Congress should have done more to help working people in recent years as the middle class has been squeezed by stagnant wages and rising costs. The multiemployer pension system's struggle to cope with fallout from the Great Recession is an example. Now, if we do nothing, mil… Continue Reading
12.10.14
Harkin Applauds Groundbreaking Success of CDC’s “Tips From Former Smokers” Campaign
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded today's release of a new study highlighting the outstanding return on investment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Tips From Former Smokers campaign. According to the study, for every $480 spent by the "Tips" campaign, one smoker has successfully quit and every $393 spent has helped a former smoker live one year longer. This is far less… Continue Reading
12.09.14
Harkin, Alexander, Hagan, Hatch Praise Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Life-Saving Newborn Screening Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and HELP Committee members Sens. Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) today praised unanimous passage in the Senate of the bipartisan Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act. "Today I am pleased the Senate moved forward with this critical bill to invest in healthy families. Newborn screening programs play an essential role in the early detect… Continue Reading
12.08.14
Harkin Applauds Senate Approval of NLRB Nominee
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today applauded Senate approval of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) nominee Lauren McGarity McFerran to serve as a Member of the NLRB. "Today I am pleased the Senate took the important step of approving the nomination of Lauren McGarity McFerran to serve as a Member of the NLRB." Harkin said. "The American economy is stronger because of the work the NLRB does on beha… Continue Reading
12.04.14
Harkin Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Bills Aimed at Speeding Development of Ebola Treatments and Improving Infant Health
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded Congressional passage of two bipartisan health bills: the Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act and the Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act. Led by Harkin as chairman, both bipartisan bills were passed by the HELP Committee in November and cleared the Senate in recent weeks. With House passage this week, both bi… Continue Reading
12.03.14
Harkin Applauds Senate Approval of EEOC Nominees
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today applauded Senate approval of two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) nominees - P. David Lopez to serve as General Counsel of the EEOC and Charlotte Burrows to serve as a Member of the EEOC. Both nominees were approved by the HELP Committee in November. "An economy that works for everyone starts with a ladder of opportunity that is open to all." Harkin sa… Continue Reading
12.02.14
Harkin, Alexander Applaud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Ebola Treatments Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today applauded unanimous Senate passage of the Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act. The bill was unanimously approved by the HELP Committee in November and now goes to the House. "We have seen real progress as the U.S. response to Ebola continues, but as the disease rages on in West Africa, it is critical … Continue Reading
