Meet the New Chair of the House Education Committee

In the wake of the Democratic wave that swept through the country on Election Night, it's always a good idea to look past the numbers and see what impact the electoral shake-up is going to have on issues that matter to you. The first thing that's clear is the House has flipped (Warren Zevon may decide the Senate), and beyond the historic aspects of "Speaker Pelosi," that means the Committee chairmanships are going to change hands. What does that mean for the House Education and Workforce Committee? It means that Congressman George Miller, aka "Big George," a.k.a. "Jorge El Grande," is most likely to be in charge.

Miller has represented the 7th District of California, which includes parts of Contra Costa, Solano and Napa counties, including cities like Concord, Richmond and Vallejo, since 1975. Elected as a member of the Watergate baby freshman Congressional class, Miller quickly became known as a hard-nosed politician eager to make Congress a stronger, more independent voice. His uncompromising stances on the environment, education, and labor issues moved him up the ranks and made him a trusted mentor, now advisor to soon-to-be-named Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Since January 2001, Miller has served as the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Heres a sample of what Miller has done for higher education: strongly critiqued excessive student lender profits (especially on 9.5% taxpayer-guaranteed loans), called for increased student financial aid, advocated for student loan tax relief, and promoted expansion of the Direct Loan program.

Millers criticisms of Republican higher education initiatives are biting, mostly that theres a college affordability crisis, that Republicans have failed to cut excessive lender profits, and worse, that they've also reduced student financial aid. He has cast doubt on Republican budget priorities, questioning why they overlook options such as the Direct Loan program that can save taxpayer money (which he would then funnel towards more student aid).

Miller was a central architect of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and remains committed to the concept of accountability in federal education policy. In the K-12 education context, he has pushed for high teacher quality requirements, strict accountability standards, and adequate funding for both.

As strong as Miller is, hes going to have his hands full at the dawn of the 110th Congress. The 109th Congress (not to mention the 108th, and the 107th) left some unfinished business to choose from: Head Start, the Child Care Block Grant and the Workforce Investment Act all got hung up the last two years, Head Start and WIA are stuck on the same issue. After the logistics of shifting offices and hiring staff are taken care of, a Democratic House might be able to work those issues out with the Senate, but it is unlikely thats where the agenda begins, because there are bigger fish to fry.

No Child Left Behind is up for reauthorization. Its a big priority for President Bush/Education Secretary Spellings, Senator Kennedy and Miller, and they would likely prefer to have it done quickly. But that will be an uphill battle.

The clock is their enemy. Think of all the things that have to be done. There are the left over bills from the last Congress. There are the logistics of a transition that will take time -- moving offices, hiring staff, buying computers, etc, etc... There is new Member education on the policy. The knowledge of NCLB by most new Members of Congress is at best a few inches deep. Then there is working through the giant bill and it's many, many K-12 provisions. And don't forget that 2008 is a Presidential election year, and we all know how much happens on the Hill in those years.

Most DC education watchers think NCLB reauthorization will be a three-year process. But dont bet your life against Miller, Kennedy, and Spellings. When it comes time to close the deal, they are three of the best pols in Washington.

So, where does that leave the education policy agenda? Heres our bet.

Higher Ed still has to be reauthorized. Miller will want to take another look at the bill now-Minority Leader Boehner passed off the floor last March. He wasnt hot to trot for it at the time, although his biggest issue was college affordability. As a matter of fact, that issue is big enough to for soon-to-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi to say the House Dems will work in the first 100 hours of Democratic control of the House to pass legislation to cut the student loan interest rate in half. Expect it to take months to work its way through the complete legislative process -- God willing.