Ranking Member's Press
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing “ESEA Reauthorization: Supporting Student Health, Physical Education and Well-Being”
"Today's hearing will explore how physical activity, good health and sound nutrition can enhance students' ability to succeed in school and in life. "It alarms me that many health experts now predict that today's generation of kids will be the first to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Our young people are confronted by a twin epidemic of obesity and diabetes. And many children are now experiencing health problems that used to affect adults almost exclusively, including adult-onse… Continue Reading
05.11.10
Harkin: Task Force Report to Address Childhood Obesity Epidemic is a Roadmap to a Healthier America
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, praised the action plan released by the Task Force on Childhood Obesity this morning. On February 9th, the President created the interagency Task Force and directed it to produce a plan within 90 days. The plan, titled "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation," aims to bring the childhood obesity rate down from 17 percent today to 5 percent, where it was be… Continue Reading
05.06.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing “Ensuring Fairness for Older Workers”
"The Committee will come to order. We have convened this hearing to examine the issue of employment discrimination against older workers and the need, in the face of a very misguided and harmful Supreme Court decision, to enact legislation to ensure that older workers are treated with the fairness they deserve. "We will hear today from my fellow Iowan, Jack Gross. Jack devoted the prime of his life, over a quarter century of loyal service, to one company. How did the company reward him for… Continue Reading
05.05.10
Senate HELP Committee Approves CNS, DOE, DOL, NMLS Board and PBGC Nominees
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced today that the Committee approved nine nominations en bloc this afternoon to fill positions at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the National Museum and Library Services Board and the Corporation for National and Community Service. To accommodate members' schedules, the Executive Session was held off the Sen… Continue Reading
05.05.10
Harkin Names HELP Committee Team Leaders, New Investigation Unit
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), today announced the selection of his team leaders for health, education and labor and the development of a new investigation unit for the Committee. "The opportunities before this Committee are limitless, but they center around the issues that touch the daily lives of all Americans - ensuring access to affordable, quality health care and a continued investment in rec… Continue Reading
05.04.10
Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) at the HELP Committee Hearing “ESEA Reauthorization: Improving America’s Secondary Schools”
"Today's hearing, 'Improving America's Secondary Schools,' will explore the challenges facing America's middle and high schools, and how ESEA reauthorization can help states and districts address those challenges. "Without question, among the most serious challenges is the extraordinarily high dropout rate in the United States. Each year, 1.2 million students drop out of school; that's 7,000 per school day. "School dropouts are at a severe disadvantage compared to their peers who earn a dip… Continue Reading
04.29.10
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
