Ranking Member's Press
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing “ESEA Reauthorization: Meeting the Needs of Special Populations”
"I'd like to thank everyone for being here today for our second ESEA hearing in less than 24 hours! Let no one doubt that a strong reauthorization of this legislation is a top priority of this Committee! "I appreciate the time my colleagues have devoted to these hearings. I think they have been tremendously helpful in raising important issues and giving me and my colleagues an opportunity to hear directly from outstanding experts and educators. Their views are proving immensely valuable as w… Continue Reading
04.28.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing “ESEA Reauthorization: Standards and Assessments”
"Today's hearing will focus on the important role that standards and assessments play in our education system. Given the foundational role of standards and assessments, we had planned to have this hearing at the beginning of our ESEA hearing series, but had to reschedule due to the Senate calendar. I want thank our witnesses and the other members of the HELP Committee for their flexibility. "In our previous ESEA hearings, a variety of experts have impressed on us the importance of our coun… Continue Reading
04.27.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing ‘Putting Safety First: Strengthening Enforcement and Creating a Culture of Compliance at Mines and Other Dangerous Workplaces’
"The topic of today's hearing couldn't be more timely, or more important. In the wake of the West Virginia coal mining disaster that killed 29 miners; the refinery explosion in Anacortes, Washington where seven workers died; the disaster that killed six people at a Connecticut natural gas power plant; and just last week a blast on a Louisiana oil rig off the Gulf of Mexico that most likely killed 11 workers, it is time to focus renewed attention on the safety of American workers. This string o… Continue Reading
04.22.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Roundtable Hearing on ESEA Reauthorization: Meeting the Needs of the Whole Student
"I'd like to thank all of you for being here today as we continue to discuss the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Through our previous hearings, we have gained valuable insight into the need for education reform, the Administration's views on how best to meet this challenge, various efforts to turn around our lowest-performing schools, and how to recruit and develop talented educators and school leaders. This afternoon we will hear from experts who specialize in a… Continue Reading
04.20.10
Harkin: Effort to Reduce Americans’ Sodium Intake Will Save Thousands of Lives
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today applauded the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) effort to reduce the amount of salt consumed by Americans. The effort is based on recommendations made in a report released today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Harkin, a national leader on prevention and wellness, requested the report in 2008. It was produced by an independent committee of experts representing publ… Continue Reading
04.20.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing "Protection from Unjustified Premiums"
"Good morning. Today this Committee is holding its first hearing on health care since President Obama signed into law the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This Committee will be an active participant in implementation and oversight of that law. As we all know, health reform is not complete with the signing of a bill, and we are fully committed to ensuring a smooth and successful implementation. "A major goal of health reform is to bring down the cost of health care and to… Continue Reading
04.14.10
Harkin Introduces Bill to Keep Educators on the Job
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and of the Senate Appropriations panel that funds education initiatives, introduced the Keep Our Educators Working Act today. The bill will create a $23 billion Education Jobs Fund to help keep teachers, principals, librarians and other school personnel on the job as states face crippling budget shortfalls. Cosponsors of the measure so far include: Senators Begich (D-AK), Bingaman (D-N… Continue Reading
04.13.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing “ESEA Reauthorization: School Turnaround”
"I'd like to thank all of you for being here today as we continue to discuss reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In our two previous hearings, we gained valuable insight into the need for education reform in order for our country to remain globally competitive; and we heard from Education Secretary Arne Duncan about the Obama Administration's views on how best to meet this challenge. This afternoon, we will hear from experts on turning around underperforming sc… Continue Reading
04.07.10
Harkin: New Report Reinforces Need to Pass Comprehensive Food Safety Reform Now
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement today regarding a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) inspections of domestic food facilities. Among its findings, the report identifies significant weaknesses in FDA's inspections of food facilities, including the fact that FDA inspects less than a quarter of food facilities each year, and that more than half of all foo… Continue Reading
04.06.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) on the Mining Deaths at Upper Big Branch South Mine
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the statement below following an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia that killed 25 workers, with four workers still missing. Harkin chairs both the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Labor Appropriations Subcommittee. "My heart goes out to the family members of these 25 men who died, and of the four who are still missing, during this difficult time. As the son of a coal … Continue Reading
03.30.10
Harkin: With President’s Signature, Landmark Education Reform to Increase College Affordability Becomes Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement today after President Obama signed into law a landmark package of student lending reforms. "The last few weeks in Washington have been truly historic. Comprehensive health reform is no longer just a promise - it is the law of the land. And with his signature today, President Obama enacts fundamental student loan reform and a historic investmen… Continue Reading
03.26.10
Harkin Fights for Extension of Unemployment Insurance on Senate Floor
Washington, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor on the importance of extending unemployment insurance. "Let me thank my colleague and dear friend from Michigan, Senator Stabenow, for those kind words. I know of no one who cares more deeply and works harder in this body for the average American family and workers in this country than Debbie Stabenow. She is always the… Continue Reading
03.25.10
Harkin: Landmark Legislation to Increase College Affordability Clears Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today announced that landmark legislation to make college more affordable and accessible had passed the U.S. Senate. The legislation must now go to the U.S. House for a final vote before heading to the President's desk for his signature. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2010 was approved today by a vote of 56-43. Prior to the measure being considered in the Se… Continue Reading
03.23.10
With President’s Signature, Comprehensive Health Reform And Harkin-Led Prevention Investments Become Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after President Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate-passed comprehensive health reform measure approved by the House earlier this week. Harkin, as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, was on hand at the White House to witness the bill signing. "It's been a long debate and a hard-fought battle, but today, the hundred year struggle to p… Continue Reading
03.22.10
Harkin: GAO Report Suggests Common Sense Fixes to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) commented today on the findings of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report he requested on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA). The EEOICPA provides compensation to workers and their survivors for occupational diseases arising from toxic and radiation exposure in the government's nuclear weapons program. Several Iowans who worked on the Department of Energy's Line 1 are currently pursuing clai… Continue Reading
03.21.10
Harkin: House Vote Sends Strengthened Health Reform Measure to Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010. With this vote, comprehensive health reform has passed and will go to President Obama for his signature. The reconciliation package now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration next week. Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "With this vote today, the House took a major st… Continue Reading
03.17.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing on the Obama Administration’s ESEA Reauthorization Priorities
"I'd like to thank all of you for being here today for the second in a series of hearings focusing on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Today's testimony will help inform us as we undertake a bipartisan process to reshape this legislation. We have learned a lot since No Child Left Behind was passed nine years ago, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect the goals of that law while fixing the things that are not working. … Continue Reading
03.11.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing "A Fair Share for All: Pay Equity in the New American Workplace"
"The Committee will come to order. We have convened this hearing to examine the issue of fair pay for women. This is not a new issue. In 1963, responding to the fact that the 25 million female workers in the workforce earned just 60 percent of the average pay for men, Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act to end this unfair discrimination against women in the workforce. This hearing is about reaffirming the basic promise of the Equal Pay Act, that every worker should be judged and compensated b… Continue Reading
03.10.10
Senate HELP Committee Approves Fourteen Nominees to Fill Administration Positions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced today that the Committee approved 14 nominations by voice vote this afternoon to fill positions at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, the Legal Services Corporation and the National Council on Disability. To accommodate members' schedules, the Executive Session was held off the S… Continue Reading
03.09.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing “The Importance of a World-Class K-12 Education”
"I'd like to thank all of you for being here today for the first in a series of hearings focusing on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Testimony from educators and experts, this morning and in subsequent hearings, will guide us as we undertake a bipartisan process to reshape this bill. We have learned a lot since No Child Left Behind was passed nine years ago, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect the goals of that b… Continue Reading
