Representative George Miller is part of Change.org’s Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change. Change.org asked Representative Miller to respond to questions to provide context for his work and the causes he supports.
As the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee , no cause is more important that the need to rebuild and strengthen America’s middle class. I am dedicated to improving our nation’s schools and making college more affordable and accessible, so that every student has the opportunity to succeed. I am committed to rebuilding a clean energy economy that will create millions of good-paying jobs and reestablish America’s technological leadership. As we regain jobs through this new investment, I will fight to restore workers’ rights, so that every American can benefit from economic opportunity. And we will make the preservation and strengthening of retirement savings a priority, so that all Americans can enjoy a secure retirement after a lifetime of hard work.
Together, we can rescue our economy, restore the promise of the American Dream, and ensure that, in a nation as great as ours, the interests of students, workers, families and retirees are at the heart of our nation’s priorities.
There are many things I’m proud of during my years of public service, but I’m very proud of our committee’s work this past year to improve the lives of all Americans. Last January, I was thrilled to stand by President Obama’s side with Lilly Ledbetter as he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law – an issue that our committee first began working on in 2007. At the same time, the House also passed the Paycheck Fairness Act that would help end the discriminatory practice of paying a woman less than a man for performing the same job by strengthening the landmark Equal Pay Act.
In a historical step, the House passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act in November that would extend affordable health insurance to millions more Americans. Creating good paying jobs has been a key focus for this Congress. To that end, I worked with my colleagues in the House and Senate to ensure that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act would save and create millions of jobs and lay the foundation for sustainable, long-term economic growth. Just before we adjourned in December, the House passed the Jobs for Main Street Act , to continue generating new jobs in every sector possible and get Americans back to work.
Paying for college and retirement are top worries among working families, which is why our committee passed the 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act to ensure workers have basic, clear information about the fees associated with their 401(k) plans.
In September, the House passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act . This legislation provides students and families with the single largest investment in federal student aid ever and makes landmark investments to improve education for students of all ages – and all without costing taxpayers a dime.
I was present when the President signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act , ushering in a new era of service and volunteerism that will help our nation emerge stronger from this crisis. We’re empowering new generations of Americans to meet growing needs in their communities, to learn skills for the jobs of the future, and to become part of the solution to the key challenges we face – health care, energy and education. This law will make Americans of all ages, from middle school through retirement, the backbone of our nation’s recovery and revival.
It was a tremendously busy 2009 and we’ve got much more to do in 2010, including getting our health insurance reform bill to the President’s desk. However, our work over the last year will help get our economy back on track and lay the groundwork for a stronger future.
Growing up in a politically active family helped me see that politics could make a difference in people’s lives. My father, a California State Senator for over twenty years, dedicated himself to improving the lives of children and Californians from all walks of life, protecting the environment, supporting the rights of workers, and improving education. He would hold meetings in our living room that could get pretty loud sometimes as issues were hotly debated. It was his influence and seeing the real difference he made in our community and in our state that led me to believe I wanted to help make a difference too and that I could be good at it.
I look to Senator Ted Kennedy’s spirit, passion and remarkable lifetime of work. Senator Kennedy was always a personal hero of mine. Over the past 35 years, the opportunity to work with him, to have him as a mentor, and a friend was immensely valuable to me. I have great respect for his commitment, his courage, and his leadership in fighting for the most important causes of our time. At the core of everything Senator Kennedy fought for was a profound sense of justice. In foreign and domestic policy, he was grounded by a fundamental sense of right and wrong, and our country is better for it. Not every injustice he fought against has been righted, but his dreams and his legacy live on. Now it’s time for the rest of us to pick up where he left on and see them through.
