Roll Call
CQ Roll Call May 23, 2013

Education & Labor Archive

An Answer to Unemployment: A Jobs-for-All Bill | Commentary

It has been five years since the financial crisis struck, and progress in putting the unemployed back to work still lags, with no end in sight.

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Job Corps Hits Turning Point Under Congress' Watch

A banner typed across the front page of the Job Corps website in bold red letters reads, “Attention! Job Corps is enrolling students again!”

Sounding the Alarm on Job Corps' Woes

For Anand Vimalassery, watching Job Corps’ finances spiral out of control has been more than frustrating. After all, he spent the better part of a year trying to warn the Labor Department that the program — which offers students ages 16-24 free education or training to learn a career, earn a high school diploma or equivalency degree, and find and keep a good job — was headed for a serious funding shortfall.

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Advocates Fight to Stop Sunset of Skin Cancer Program

To mark National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, a group dedicated to educating schoolchildren about the hazards of too much sun exposure will hold a reception Wednesday to honor winners of its annual poster contest.

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EPA Environmental-Education Program Also on Budget Chopping Block

SunWise isn’t the only EPA education program on the budget chopping block.

Regaining Our Lead in STEM Education | Commentary

From 1997 to 2009, enrollment in the Advanced Placement test for music theory grew by 362 percent and enrollment in the computer science AB AP test grew by only 12 percent, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Pop quiz: Which of those fields is part of one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. jobs market?

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GOP Effort Against Labor Nominee Gains Steam

The Republican campaign against Labor Secretary nominee Thomas E. Perez picked up serious momentum Wednesday, as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Marco Rubio both raised strong objections.

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House GOP Needles Labor Nominee on Eve of Senate Committee Vote

With a Senate committee vote set for Wednesday on the nomination of Thomas E. Perez for Labor secretary, House Republicans convened a joint hearing Tuesday to examine a whistle-blower case that GOP lawmakers have been using as ammunition against him.

Filibuster 'Reform' Is a Gift to Big Labor | Commentary

Brace yourself: The real winner in the renewed conversation on so-called filibuster reform is union bosses. Unsurprisingly, should Big Labor’s allies in the United States Senate change the rules regarding how federal nominations are handled, it will be at the expense of America’s small businesses. And with vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board, Big Labor is salivating at the chance to advance its agenda by ramming through President Barack Obama’s nominees.

Hanna: Foreign STEM Workers Can Help Rebuild Economy

More than 30 years ago, Nagappa Ravindra came to America from India to obtain a master’s degree in engineering. After a nine-month process, he obtained his green card. Now, he’s a citizen and owns an engineering firm in upstate New York that employs about 90 people. Today, a story like Ravindra’s could not easily be repeated — obtaining a green card in his line of work could take eight years.

Klink: Ignore India's Actions at Our Own Risk

Recent news that India’s Supreme Court denied the biopharmaceutical company Novartis a patent for a major cancer drug sent shock waves through the international trade community, as it signified the latest disturbing development in a series of protectionist actions by India’s government.

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All Eyes on Portman as ENDA Re-Emerges

Sen. Rob Portman has his first opportunity to support gay rights legislation on Thursday, when a bipartisan group of senators plans to reintroduce the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

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Labor Cost Management Is Key to Coping With Sequester at Agencies

This may be small solace to airline passengers waiting out delays at airports in Los Angeles and New York, but the general consensus in Washington is that the real pain from budget cuts under the sequester may not be felt until the end of the summer or even next year. That’s because managers of federal agencies are using whatever flexibility they can, according to officials at agencies and unions representing workers, to cut down on furloughs to minimize disruptions in services.

Babcock: It's Time to Ask Farmers to Pay More for Crop Insurance

When somebody else pays for their drinks, most partygoers find they want and need more than a modest amount to drink because at an open bar, the cost of a drink is the time spent waiting in line for service. At a cash bar, lines are shorter because most people find they just don’t need that much to drink when they have to pay for it.

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Will Wyden's Rise Create More Democratic Headaches?

Liberals may have cheered when Montana Sen. Max Baucus announced he would retire in 2014 and give up his stranglehold on the Senate Finance Committee gavel. But the likely ascent of Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden to the top of the committee creates its own problems for Democrats.

Arslan: Tax Code Should Support Small Businesses

On behalf of America’s 22 million smallest businesses — the self-employed and micro-businesses — nationwide, we write to you with an important message: Any meaningful overhaul of the tax code must be fair and comprehensive. Unfortunately, our country’s tax code is unfair and actually deters those who want to start and grow their own small businesses. The tax code should encourage the creation of new small businesses and the growth of existing small businesses.

Buffenbarger: The U.S. Air Force's Billion Dollar Mistake

For more than a decade, the American people sacrificed to rid Afghanistan of tyranny and terror but, incredibly, once again the Department of Defense has turned its back on American workers. In a now all too common move, the DOD has again used exigent, irregular procurement authority to establish a multi-year, multibillion dollar program of record with a foreign owned company. So as Air Force officials prepare to testify before the House Armed Services Committee on Friday, lawmakers should seize the opportunity to question the DOD’s decision to ignore formal procurement processes that consider the value and dependability of American workers while so many are still struggling to find work here at home.

Boston Bombing Likely to Postpone Unveiling of Immigration Bill

Bipartisan immigration overhaul legislation may not be released until at least Wednesday out of respect for the tragic events that took place during the Boston Marathon on Monday.

Lynn: Choice Rests With Schools, Not Parents

Kevin P. Chavous’ recent Guest Observer (“Congress Is Getting It Wrong on Parental School Choice,” April 5) is little more than a propaganda piece for the forces that seek to privatize elementary and secondary education in America.

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Backers Hope Paid-Sick-Leave Laws Are Contagious

When Wanda Cobbs’ two children fell ill for an extended period this winter due to complications from their Type I diabetes, the decision to stay home to care for them came more easily than it had in the past. Thanks to a Connecticut law that took effect last year, Cobbs, a school bus driver for the West Hartford public schools system, had access to paid sick leave for the first time.

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