U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce

The Committee on Education and the Workforce is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. This standing committee has jurisdiction over education and labor issues.

Jurisdiction

The Education and workforce committee oversees all federal eduction and labor programs and initiatives including the controversial program No Child Left Behind Act . The programs also include

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Education

• Elementary and secondary education initiatives, including the No Child Left Behind Act, school choice for low-income families, special education (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ), teacher quality & teacher training, scientifically-based reading instruction, and vocational and technical education
• Higher education programs (the Higher Education Act), to support college access for low and middle-income students and help families pay for college
• Early childhood & preschool education programs including Head Start
• School lunch and child nutrition programs
• Financial oversight of the United States Department of Education
• Programs and services for the care and treatment of at-risk youth, child abuse prevention, and child adoption
• Educational research and improvement
• Adult education
• Anti-poverty programs, including the Community Services Block Grant Act and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Labor

• Pension and retirement security for workers
• Access to quality health care for working families and other employee benefits
• Job training, adult education, and workforce development initiatives, including those under the Workforce Investment Act ,to help local communities train and retrain workers;
• Continuing the welfare reforms of 1996
• Protecting the democratic rights of individual union members
• Worker health and safety, including occupational safety and health
• Equal employment opportunity and civil rights in employment
• Wages and hours of labor, including the Fair Labor Standards Act
• Workers compensation , and family and medical leave
• All matters dealing with relationships between employers and employees