Chair's Press

*As Prepared for Delivery* WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin today delivered a speech on the floor of the Senate on presidential nominations, including President Obama’s nominations to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and for the Secretary position at the Department of Labor (DOL). The Senate HELP Committee held...

Harkin Statement on NLRB, Labor Secretary Nominations WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement after Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed for cloture on President Obama’s nominations to the National Labor Relations Board...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), today joined with 21 of their Senate colleagues to call on federal officials to investigate allegations that so-called “debt relief” companies have been using...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement after a Harkin-sponsored measure that would return federal student loan interest rates to 3.4 percent for one year failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate. “I am deeply...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement applauding the Committee’s passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender...

“Today is an historic day in the HELP Committee, where we have the opportunity to move forward with landmark civil rights legislation that will make us a stronger, better, fairer country.  Today’s proceedings are the culmination of a long history of work by this Committee – the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the anticipated vote on a bill to ensure that the interest rate for federal subsidized Stafford loans remains at 3.4 percent. In June, Harkin joined Senators Jack Reed, Kay Hagan,...

WASHINGTON, DC –  In an effort to protect taxpayers and prevent the interest rate on need-based student loans from doubling on millions of Americans, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today joined 38 Senate Democrats to introduce a fully paid for bill to lock...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to a New York City council decision to override a mayoral veto and enact a law that would allow workers to earn up to five paid sick days per year: “Tens of millions of...

“Today marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Fair Labor Standards Act by President Franklin Roosevelt on June 25th, 1938.  The FLSA was a landmark achievement.  After years of struggle, this national law set a floor under wages, limited working hours by requiring overtime pay, and set out to eliminate child labor. ...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in reaction to the United States Supreme Court’s announcement that it will review a federal appeals court ruling that President Obama’s intrasession appointments to the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today on a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showing that under the health reform law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), consumers will receive...

“Today’s hearing will address a very important topic – how federal policy can better support a skilled workforce through the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. “I am pleased to be joined today by Senators Murray and Isakson who have been tireless champions of reauthorizing this bill. They have been working...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in reaction to a new study released by the National Institute on Retirement Security, which shows that the retirement crisis is even worse than previously thought: “The findings of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined 15 of his Senate colleagues to reintroduce legislation to create a universal financial aid award letter so that families and students can easily compare financial aid packages from different schools. He joined...

WASHINGTON—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, applauded President Obama for signing the Animal Drug User Fee Agreement (ADUFA) and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Agreement (AGDUFA) reauthorizations into law today. ADUFA and AGDUFA allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...

WASHINGTON--Chairman Tom Harkin released the following statement after the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee today approved Harkin's Strengthening America's Schools Act (SASA), a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). “The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education...

WASHINGTON—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Committee’s completion of the first day of markup of the Strengthening America’s Schools Act, S. 1094. The HELP Committee will convene again tomorrow, Wednesday, June 12, at 10:00...

*As Prepared for Delivery* “Today we will mark up the Strengthening America’s Schools Act of 2013, a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA. Our actions today are crucial and long overdue—the last reauthorization of this law expired in 2007. With this mark-up, we have the opportunity to improve on...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee prepares to mark up the Strengthening America’s Schools Act (SASA), Chairman Tom Harkin’s bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), advocates and experts have expressed support for the bill’s...