"Three years ago today, this country watched as Hurricane Katrina devastated cities, towns, and communities up and down the Gulf Coast. Families' lives were ripped apart; businesses and homes were demolished; schools were destroyed. In the months following, I visited the region along with other members of Congress. We heard heartbreaking stories of the obstacles families faced while trying to get their lives back in order. We visited schools and colleges housed in trailers, met with students, teachers, school administrators, and parents. We witnessed their incredible determination to return to the classroom and rebuild their lives. Even in the face of great tragedy, their hope, spirit, and unshakeable resolve were nothing short of extraordinary.

"Yet in the storm's immediate aftermath, despite the magnitude of the devastation facing millions of Americans, the Bush administration completely failed to provide any of the leadership needed to help communities recover -- even trying to slash wages for Gulf Coast workers helping to rebuild the region. Sadly, three years later, not much has changed. While communities have made tremendous strides to get back on track, the Bush administration continues to turn a blind eye to the many challenges facing the region's businesses, schools, and families.

"The Democratic Congress has a very different view. We believe that rebuilding the Gulf Coast -- especially the schools and colleges that have long been the cultural and economic engines of these communities -- should be a top national priority. Over the past two years, we have taken steps towards this goal by providing much-needed funding to help recruit teachers and rebuild and restart the schools and colleges in the region.  But we also know that there is much more to do in order to fully help students, teachers and the broader education community get back on track. Ultimately, we need a new administration that understands that long term investments are needed to help the entire Gulf Coast region recover and thrive. On this third anniversary of Katrina, it's time for a renewed commitment to helping Gulf Coast schools and communities come back stronger than ever -- and a new President who will join Congress, the philanthropic community and education entrepreneurs in this effort."

In March of 2006, six months after the storm, Miller led a congressional delegation to tour Katrina-impacted schools and colleges in the greater New Orleans area. He visited again in May 2007. Over the past two years, the Democratic Congress has passed several bills that provide assistance to Gulf Coast teachers, schools and colleges. In 2006, Congress provided $60 million to attract top teachers and principals to Gulf Coast schools and to assist college students and institutions of higher education that had been damaged in the storm – an effort based on Miller’s RENEWAAL legislation.  Last September, Congress sent the College Cost Reduction and Access Act to the President and provided $170 million in new funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including those impacted by Hurricanes Katrina. In June, the House passed the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act, legislation that authorizes half a billion dollars over five years for public schools impacted by the storm, which continue to face hundreds of millions of dollars in unmet need. And earlier this month, Congress enacted the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which establishes a disaster relief loan program to help all colleges and universities recover and rebuild in the event of a disaster.

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“The House Education and Labor Committee opened an inquiry today into allegations reported by the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets that local union leaders of the Service Employees International Union may have engaged in financial misconduct. According to media reports, the president of SEIU’s second largest local union may have misdirected union funds to the benefit of his family members and other business associates. Our committee takes these reported allegations seriously and we plan to thoroughly review this matter.”

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202-226-0853

“For far too long, the rules of the financial services industry have been tilted in the interests of companies and consultants, not the millions of American workers who are deeply worried about saving enough for a secure retirement. Now, the Bush administration is proposing to further tip the scales towards special interests by opening the door to conflicts of interest among the very consultants purporting to offer unbiased investment advice, and potentially allowing companies to reap windfall profits at the expense of America’s workers.

“With more and more workers having to dip into their nest eggs just to stay afloat in today’s economy, there is a clear and urgent need to ensure that workers are getting the best deals possible on their 401(k) and other retirement plans. Instead, these proposals could make it much harder for workers to receive fair and honest advice when making key financial decisions about their futures.

“In its final months in office, this administration has developed a disgraceful pattern of sneaking in last-minute regulatory changes at the behest of special interests. At a time when Americans’ retirement accounts have already been pummeled by the nation’s economic downturn, it is deeply extremely troubling that the department is trying to push through proposals that would further jeopardize workers’ hard-earned savings. Indeed, the rules proposed by the administration today are nothing less than a boon for Wall Street and corporate executives, and I urge the Department to immediately withdraw these harmful proposals.”

Miller is the author of legislation, the 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act (H.R. 3185), which would help workers shop around for the best retirement investment options by ensuring that workers receive full disclosures about the fees charged on their 401(k) plans. For more information on that bill, click here.

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FOR PRESS INQUIRIES
Contact: Aaron Albright / Rachel Racusen
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-226-0853