Newsletter: Rokita Report
Statement
Dear Friend,
Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 113th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well.
Rokita Readings
A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to "Keep the Republic."
The President and his party continue to sell the American public on the idea that raising the minimum wage will help our economy and is the best prescription for helping poor and low-income families. Unfortunately, it will do quite the opposite and would cost many poor and low-income earners their jobs.
I came across an interesting read by David Neumark in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month titled "Who Really Gets the Minimum Wage?" that shines a light on the minimum wage and who it really goes to.
As the President is fully focused on political gain, he ignores the facts about minimum wage workers. According to Census Bureau data, a significant number of low-wage workers are not in low-income families. Also not mentioned by the President is that some low-income workers may not work full-time, and that half of poor families have no workers.
This column is a reminder of how complex every political issue is, and that we must look past the feel-good sound bite. Sure, paying people more money sounds great, but there's really more to the story than meets the eye.
Welcoming Lafayatte's New Neighbor - GE Aviation Breaks Ground
On Monday, I joined Governor Pence, Senators Coats and Donnelly, Purdue President Daniels, Mayors Dennis and Roswarski, and other leaders in a ground breaking ceremony for the new GE Aviation facility in Lafayette.
The new plant is a $92 million investment that will create hundreds of jobs for the greater Lafayette and Tippecanoe County areas.
This investment is a testament to the work of leaders across the state and county. A special thanks is due Governor Pence and his predecessor, Mitch Daniels, for their forward looking leadership that helped secure this investment. It is an honor to have served with them both.
As an aviator myself, I welcome the aviation industry's growth in our state. I know GE Aviation to be the high water mark in commercial aviation. We simply couldn't ask for a better new neighbor.
Reforming Higher Education
This week, the House considered and passed several pieces of legislation to increase access to higher education choices for students and families.
Where to attend and how to pay for higher education are two of the most important decisions a student will make in early adulthood.
Part of my effort in fighting for all people so they can build better lives for themselves and their families, is to ensure that Hoosiers have access to the best information available as they consider their futures.
In my role as a subcommittee chairman, I partnered with my Education and Workforce Committee colleagues to support and pass several bills to promote alternative avenues to the traditional credit hour system, improve access to information about higher education, and how to finance a post-secondary career
Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act (H.R. 3136)
* Promotes innovation in higher education by directing the Secretary of education to implement competency-based education demonstration projects.
* Provides accountability by requiring an annual evaluation of each demonstration project to determine program quality.
* Delivers greater flexibility to institutions that want to provide students a more personalized, cost-effective education.
H.R. 3136 passed the House unanimously.
Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act (H.R. 4983)
* Requires the Secretary of Education to create a consumer-tested College Dashboard that would display key information students need when deciding which school to attend.
* Instructs the secretary to provide a link to the page of each institution listed on a student's FAFSA to make sure students know this information is available.
* Streamlines and eliminates unnecessary information and federal transparency initiatives.
H.R. 4983 passed the House unanimously.
Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act
* Ensures both students and parents who participate in a federal loan program receive interactive counseling each year that reflects their individual borrowing situation.
* Informs low-income students about the terms and conditions of the Pell Grant program through annual counseling that will be provided to all grant recipients.
* Directs the Secretary of Education to maintain and disseminate a consumer-tested, online counseling tool institutions can use to provide annual loan counseling, exit counseling, and annual Pell Grant counseling.
H.R. 4984 passed the House 405 to 11.
Improving Federal Wage and Hour Protections
On Wednesday, I joined my colleagues on the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections in holding a hearing titled "Improving the Federal Wage and Hour Regulatory Structure" which focused on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
FLSA establishes federal wage and hour protections for over 130 million public and private sector workers. Over the years, there have been many conflicting interpretations and regulations that have created an environment of uncertainty regarding the FLSA, resulting in a significant increase in FLSA-related litigation.
My exchange with witnesses focused on the calculation of overtime pay and how regulations under the FLSA are having a negative impact on employees and employers. You can view that exchange here.
Wednesday's hearing was an important opportunity to examine the increase in FLSA-related litigation and how the Department of Labor can better offer compliance assistance. To learn more about the hearing or to watch an archived webcast, please click here.
History Repeating - Voting Reforms
This week, I joined my House Administration Committee colleagues for a hearing on the President's Commission on Election Administration, which was led by election law experts Bob Bauer and Ben Ginsberg, who were the witnesses for the hearing.
I served as Indiana's Secretary of State for two terms (2003-2010), which is the chief election official in the state. It was one of the highest honors of my life and I think fondly on my time in the Statehouse. Committee Chairwoman Candice Miller is also a former Secretary of State (MI). Due to our past service, we serve on the committee of jurisdiction helping to ensure that any eligible person's right to vote is protected.
My exchange focused on increasing the value of our voting process for voters, access to polls, and voting centers. Watch my exchange with witnesses by clicking here.
Voting centers were a part of a pilot project launched during my time as Indiana's Secretary of State and have continued to spread throughout our state as a solution to voting access issues experienced by voters. Indiana has long been on the forefront of election reforms, during my tenure, and also under our current Secretary of State, Connie Lawson, who continues the expansion of voting centers and reforms.
To learn more about Indiana's voting laws and reforms, visit the Indiana Secretary of State's website here.
For additional information on the hearing, or to watch an archived webcast, click here.
Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care.
Sincerely,
Todd Rokita
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