Press Releases
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, September 22, overwhelmingly passed the Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act (H.R. 5963) by a vote of 382-29. Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, Ranking Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, is an original co-sponsor of the legislation, which reauthorizes the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
Today Congresswoman Wilson issued the following statement after learning of the passing of Shimon Peres:
Today marks the third anniversary of the Dominican Constitutional Court's decision to strip the hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of foreign descent of their citizenship, the majority of whom are of Haitian descent. They are also being denied the legal rights and protections to which they were previously entitled. The court's decision has created a devastating human rights crisis and an unprecedented level of statelessness. It is particularly devastating for children who can no longer attend school or seek medical care.
Today marks the anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first piece of legislation that President Obama signed when he took office. Seven years later, however, equal pay has still not been achieved. Last year, women who worked fulltime earn just 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. African-American and Hispanic women earn 60 and 50 cents, respectively, per every dollar earned by white men.
"Every February, the nation celebrates the many accomplishments and contributions that African Americans have made to the United States. Black History Month also is a reminder that diversity is one of our country's greatest strengths.
"Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act. In a survey conducted in 2000, nearly 24 million workers took leave to manage work and family or personal medical issues, but just 15 million were covered and eligible under FMLA and could afford to take leave. According to recent statistics, since its enactment, the law has been used more than 200 million times and ensured that those workers did not have to choose between remaining employed and caring for a family member or themselves. That's good news.
On Tuesday, February 9, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson will co-host with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee an Africa Policy Breakfast to examine and raise awareness about Boko Haram's regional impact and growing threat to Nigeria and the border nations of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin.
President Obama's newly released Fiscal Year 2017 federal budget request for the Department of Labor rejects a proposal to cut benefits under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) for federal civilian workers injured or killed on the job.
"I applaud President Obama for nominating Acting Secretary John King to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education. Throughout his career, Dr. King has demonstrated a commitment to high standards and advancing educational equity and opportunities for all students. As the Department of Education implements the Every Student Succeeds Act, his nomination comes at a critical time. I look forward to working with him to ensure that every American student graduates from high school college and career ready, and urge the Senate to swiftly confirm his nomination.
The appointment of Senator Jocelerme Privert to serve as Haiti's provisional president is good news. The fact that lawmakers moved so swiftly is a positive sign that could help ease the international community's lingering concerns. I hope the interim government will also move swiftly to hold the presidential and legislative elections so that Haiti's leaders can focus their attention on the country's urgent needs, such as the current food insecurity crisis, building schools and hospitals, and upgrading its infrastructure.