Skip to content
News and updates

Category: General

Rep George Miller Announces Retirement

Posted on

Yet another Congressional leader of Higher Education announced his retirement today. Rep. George Miller announced he was retiring after four decades of serving his Oakland, CA district. The right-hand of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Miller currently serves as the House Education and Labor Ranking Member and has served at that committee’s Chairman as well.

Miller’s retirement opens up internal politics on who will be the next Democrat to lead the Education and Labor Committee. Rep Steve Rothman is the next senior Democrat on the committee.

Finally, due to House Republican term limits, Chairman Kline will need a waiver in the next Congress to remain Chair (assuming the RS keep the majority).  If not, the next Republican leader of the committee could be Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC).

Budget Deal Clears Procedural Hurdle

Posted on

This morning, the bipartisan Budget deal, which would roll back the sharp Sequester spending cuts,  cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate. The vote to invoke cloture — a procedural step that requires a 2/3rds vote ends and signals an end to debate and allows the measure to be voted upon by the Senate — ensures that the agreement will be passed and sent to President Obama in the coming days.

Senators voted 67 to 33 to end debate and proceed to final passage on the budget agreement. A final vote could come as soon as Tuesday evening if Senate Republicans agree to speed things up. Otherwise, the chamber is likely to send the measure to the White House late Wednesday

National Science Board Seeks Nominees

Posted on

The National Science Board, which is the policymaking body for the National Science Foundation (NSF), has issued a call for nominations for candidates to serve on the Board for the years 2014-2020.  Nominations are open now through Monday, July 29, 2013. The Board will assemble a group of candidates to submit to President Obama for nomination and appointment. It seeks individuals with significant scientific, engineering, or public service credentials, and also “looks at demographics, balance among professional fields, active researchers, teachers and administrators, and industrial representation.”  A full list of desired attributes is provided in the announcement.