Civil and Human Rights Coalition Opposes Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Bill

Media 06.24,15

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president and director of policy of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in advance of the House Appropriations Committee mark-up of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2016:

“This bill is anathema to the advancement of educational and workplace fairness for all Americans. Our coalition represents the broadest diversity of this nation, including people of color, young people, low-income workers, people with disabilities, seniors, and the LGBT community. 

Passage of this bill would roll back the workplace and educational protections that form the foundation of our nation’s ability to broaden the middle class and stay globally competitive. 

The bill:

  • Slashes $370 million from Pell Grants, which will deny access to higher education for low-income students, who are disproportionately students of color;
  • Underfunds enforcement of minimum wage, child labor, family leave. and other wage-hour laws by $61 million, or 22 percent, below the President’s budget;
  • Cuts funding for agencies that keep workers in hazardous workplaces safe by $81 million, or 8 percent, below the President’s budget;
  • Slashes funding for the National Labor Relations Board;
  • Rolls back the “gainful employment” regulation, which is designed to bar poor performing career college programs from accessing student aid;
  • Blocks a regulation that would protect retirement savers by ensuring that investment advisors are free from conflicts that prevent them from acting in the best interest of their clients;
  • Fails to provide a needed increase to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights; and
  • Fails to provide adequate funding for the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

A vote in favor of this appropriations bill is a vote to cut out the heart of the programs our nation needs to ensure all people have a chance at the American Dream and we oppose it.”

Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president and director of policy of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference, visit www.civilrights.org.

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