Ranking Member's Press

WASHINGTON, August 1 — With the expiration today of No Child Left Behind waivers, Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) marked August 1, 2016 as “the end of the ‘Mother May I?’ era in K-12 education.” “Today, the national school board era has come to an end. Today, the “Mother May...

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 28 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is “exactly right to keep your Fitbit or Weight Watchers app free of unnecessary government oversight and red tape.” “The recent surge of innovative fitness trackers and...

WASHINGTON, July 25 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said bipartisan opioids legislation signed into law by President Obama will provide a “substantial boost to states like Tennessee, which are on the front lines of our nation’s opioid epidemic.” “Each year, more than 1,000 Tennesseans...

WASHINGTON, July 14 – United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today urged the President to sign the bipartisan conference committee report to reform opioid programs sponsored by Senators Portman (R-Ohio), Ayotte (R-N.H.), Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Klobuchar (D-Minn.) which passed the United States Senate yesterday. Speaker Ryan signed...

“It is inexplicable that Senate Democrats are blocking a bill that would provide millions of dollars to hospitals, public health departments, community health centers, and health care providers in Puerto Rico, simply because some of the money is directed to providers that the Puerto Rican government has deemed Medicaid-eligible in Puerto...

“I am focused on four areas of the regulation that seem to the most in need of overhaul: the timeline for new state accountability systems, the summative rating system, the requirement for evidence of state academic standards, and the return to high stakes federal tests.” WASHINGTON, D.C., July 14 – Chairman Lamar...

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 14 – Top Republicans on the Senate’s labor committee today introduced two resolutions to block the administration’s attack on workplace wellness programs, which allow employees to save money on their health care premiums by making healthy lifestyle choices.  “Wellness programs are the only...

"Each year, more than 1,000 Tennesseans die from opioid abuse or overdose—this is an epidemic taking more Tennessee lives than car accidents or gunshots do." WASHINGTON, July 13 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today urged the President to sign bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senators Portman (R-Ohio),...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Pat Roberts (R-Kans.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) today introduced the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Regulatory Relief Act, legislation that would provide regulatory flexibility and hardship relief to providers and hospitals...

“Rarely do we have such an opportunity: it includes support for the President’s Precision Medicine initiative and the Vice President’s Cancer Moonshot. Speaker Ryan has said that 21st Century Cures is a major part of his health care agenda. Majority Leader McConnell says he wants to pass the bill this year.” WASHINGTON, July...

“This is a bipartisan bill to reform important programs that already passed 94 to 1 in the Senate earlier this year and has had the input and hard work of many members. In addition, over the last three years, we've increased funding for opioids already by 542 percent—that's over five times more than two and a half years...

WASHINGTON, July 7 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today voted for legislation to create a national standard for bioengineered food labeling. “I commend Senator Roberts and Senator Stabenow for reaching a compromise consensus which keeps American consumers informed, and provides much needed clarity to...

WASHINGTON, July 7 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today congratulated Vanderbilt University Medical Center for receiving a $71.6 million grant – the largest it has ever received – to support research for the President’s Precision Medicine Initiative. “This puts Vanderbilt’s medical...

“I hope you’ll tell [Secretary King]: ‘No more national school board. No more ‘Mother May I?’ waivers. No more telling me how to rate my teachers or whether my school is succeeding or failing.’” WASHINGTON, July 7 – Today Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) was given the...

WASHINGTON, DC – After this morning’s meeting of House and Senate opioid conferees, bicameral leaders announced that a conference report has been filed. The conference report will be considered by the House Rules Committee tonight, and is expected to be on the House floor on Friday. Legislative text is available here. To view a copy of...

“This is a bill to reform important programs. In addition, over the past three years, the Senate appropriators have recommended increased funding for addressing opioid abuse by a factor of seven times, and just today the House majority said it wants to increase funding by 14 times over that same period. We are willing to discuss...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) commended U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell Wednesday for proposing to remove pain management questions from hospital payment calculations said to contribute to the overprescribing of...

Calls news a big win for Tennessee, as hospital survey questions on pain management are said to contribute to overprescribing of opioids, a concern raised by State Representative Bill Dunn at Knoxville roundtable WASHINGTON, July 6 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today commended U.S. Department of Health and...

“This is an important bipartisan bill that has had the input and hard work of many members. It was introduced by Senators Whitehouse Portman, Ayotte, and Klobuchar in February of last year and they have 39 additional cosponsors.”  WASHINGTON, D.C., July 6 – At the start of a House and Senate conference committee...

 “I want to make sure than any regulation you propose about accountability is consistent with the words we chose and the intent of the bill the President signed.”  WASHINGTON, D.C., June 29 –Senate education chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today told Secretary of Education John King that any regulation the...