Stories by DOL Newswire on Federal Newswire


Senior Lawmakers Introduce Sweeping Reforms to Black Lung Benefits Program

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senior Democrats from the House and Senate today proposed sweeping reforms to the federal program that provides benefits to coal miners suffering from black lung disease.Federal law requires that coal companies compensate disabled miners who contract black lung, which is caused by inhaling coal dust over an extended period of time, but coal companies routinely deploy an array of unfair tactics to avoid paying miners the benefits they deserve.


Harkin Statement on National Labor Relations Board Nominee

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered the following statement at the HELP Committee hearing on the nomination of Lauren McFerran to serve as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).


News Release: House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after President Obama announced his plans to unilaterally change federal immigration laws...


HELP Chairman Harkin Unveils Bill to Reauthorize Higher Education Act

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today introduced the Higher Education Affordability Act (HEAA), his bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The bill takes a comprehensive approach to rein in rising college costs and ensure the system is better serving students and families.


Harkin, Alexander Applaud Passage of Bipartisan Ebola Treatments Bill

News Release: 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 HELP Committee approval of the Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act.


News Release: Rep. John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after being selected by his colleagues to serve as chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee in the 114th Congress...


Harkin Applauds HELP Committee Approval of EEOC and Department of Labor Nominees

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today applauded HELP Committee approval of two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) nominees, two Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission nominees, and a Department of Labor (DOL) nominee.


Harkin Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Infant Health Bill

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today applauded HELP Committee approval of the Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act.


Kline, Miller Praise Senate Passage of Bill to Update Child Care Program

News Release: House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the committee, praised the Senate’s passage of a bill to improve and reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant today.


Harkin, Alexander, Mikulski, Burr Applaud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Help American Families Access Safe, Affordable, and Quality Child Care

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Richard Burr (R-NC) today applauded Senate passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, a bipartisan reauthorization that will expand access to and improve the quality of child care for the more than 1.5 million children and families that benefit from the federal child care subsidy program. The law has been due for reauthorization since 2002.


Harkin Statement on PBGC Annual Report

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) 2014 Annual Report. Congress requires the agency to provide the Annual Report so that...


Kline Statement on Latest Pension Report

News Release: House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) released its FY 2014 Annual Report, which shows the deficit in the agency's multiemployer insurance program has increased from $8.3 billion to $42.4 billion...


Harkin Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Bills Aimed at Preventing Skin Cancer and Strengthening Traumatic Brain Injury Programs

News Release: 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 Sunscreen Innovation Act and the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2014.


Harkin: CDC Study Shows Decline in Youth Tobacco Consumption; Rise in E-Cigarette Use

News Release: WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the 2013 National Youth Tobacco Survey. The survey shows that tobacco use among young people is decreasing, while e-cigarette use among high school students has tripled between 2011 and 2013.


Harkin Statement on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Nominees

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered the following statement at the HELP Committee hearing on two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) nominees. The EEOC nominees include P. David Lopez, nominated to serve as General Counsel, and Charlotte Burrows, nominated to serve as a Member of the EEOC.


News Release: House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after the Department of Education released new waiver guidance...


Harkin Statement Regarding Efforts to Ensure A Fully Functioning National Labor Relations Board

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on today’s announcement from the White House regarding the administration’s withdrawal of Sharon Block’s nomination to serve on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).


Harkin, Alexander Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help with Development of Ebola Treatments

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN), along with several other HELP Committee cosponsors introduced a bill to incentivize the development of treatments and vaccines...


VIDEO RELEASE: Kline Outlines Education and Workforce Priorities

News Release: Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today outlined broad priorities to help strengthen the nation’s classrooms and workplaces. Chairman Kline discusses in a new video steps Washington must take to support students and working families, such as fixing a broken K-12 education system, improving higher education, and providing job creators more certainty...


Harkin: October Jobs Report Shows Continued Positive Economic Growth

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement on the October employment report showing that the economy added 214,000 jobs last month, with the national unemployment rate continuing to decrease, falling from 5.9 percent to 5.8 percent, its lowest point in six years.