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Foxx on Ed and Labor Markup, Democrats’ Rushed Bills

Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement after the Committee passed legislation today regarding unnecessary and expensive school construction projects, predatory wage and hour penalties, a package of bills that will create duplicative programs, and two bipartisan bills on mental health and substance abuse:

“The fact that Democrats are ramming so many bills through this committee with the bare minimum of debate and deliberation shows a disrespect for the legislative process. With the exception of H.R. 6493 and H.R. 5407, the bills Democrats passed today are largely unnecessary and far too expensive. We should be working to get out of this inflation crisis, not making it worse by recklessly spending even more taxpayer dollars. Further, giving federal agencies more control over our workforce, private employee benefit plans, K-12 schools, and higher education won’t solve any problems, but it will certainly create a lot of new ones.”

H.R. 7701, the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act:

  • Weaponizes the Fair Labor Standards Act against job creators.
  • Takes choice and flexibility away from workers.
  • Imposes predatory fines on small businesses, representing a 900 to 4,900 percent increase in penalties.

H.R. 604, the Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act:

  • Advances legislation already rejected by Senate Democrats and the American people when the Build Back Better fiasco failed.
  • Allows taxpayer funds to be misspent on frivolous projects that won’t improve students’ education.
  • Hands more money to schools that still haven’t spent billions given to them during COVID.

H.R. 7780, the Mental Health Matters Act:

  • Creates duplicative and overlapping programs.
  • Excludes career colleges from providing school districts with mental health support.
  • Allows DOL to attack employer-sponsored health plans without providing clear guidance on mental health parity requirements. 
  • Provides DOL with an eye-popping $275 million in additional funding.
  • Enriches trial lawyers at the expense of workers and job creators.
  • Threatens access to employer-sponsored mental health and retirement benefits.

H.R. 5407, the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act:

  • Addresses the frightening rise in depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues faced by college students.
  • Encourages institutions of higher education to develop and implement comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans.

H.R. 6493, the Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act of 2022:

  • Supports prevention and recovery efforts for college students experiencing alcohol or substance abuse.
  • Encourages colleges to collaborate about best practices.
  • Instructs the Department of Education and HHS to promote successful programs.

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