Kaine Applauds Committee Passage of Bipartisan Legislation, Including Bill to Block the Dismantling of the Department of Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded committee passage of bipartisan legislation he led to block certain Interagency Agreements issued by the Department of Education (ED) that would transfer critical offices and programs to other federal agencies that lack the staff and expertise needed to fulfill these programs' missions. Specifically, the bill would block the Offices of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, Postsecondary Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Indian Education, or any program within those components, from being transferred out of the Department of Education. Kaine has vocally opposed the Trump-Vance Administration's plans to scatter ED's programs to other agencies ill-equipped to handle them, and secured a deal with HELP Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to hold a vote on this legislation.

"The quality of our schools directly corresponds to students' success and the strength of our economy," said Kaine. "I am glad that the HELP Committee passed my bipartisan legislation to stop the Administration from spinning off specialized agencies within the Education Department, including those supporting special education, to other departments that are not equipped to administer them. I am grateful to my colleagues and to all of the tireless education advocates who made this legislation possible. I'm also glad that the Committee passed four other bills I've supported to improve transparency around student outcomes from postsecondary education programs, streamline the process for high school students to transfer their disability accommodations to their colleges, strengthen benefits for rail workers and their families, and make it easier for working families to establish a financial safety net."

The HELP Committee also passed several other pieces of legislation led or cosponsored by Kaine:

• The Railroad Retirement Board Stability Act, which Kaine introduced alongside Senators Cassidy, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Jim Banks (R-IN), would provide more resources for the Railroad Retirement Board, which administers benefits for rail workers and their families, to address the growing backlog of benefit claims and modernize outdated technology.
• The College Transparency Act, of which Kaine is a cosponsor, would modernize the college reporting system for postsecondary data by providing accurate reporting on student outcomes such as enrollment, completion, and post-college earnings across colleges and majors.
• The Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act, of which Kaine is a cosponsor, would streamline the process of obtaining disability accommodations for rising college students who already have existing documentation (e.g., an IEP or 504 plan) from high school.
• The Emergency Savings Enhancement Act, of which Kaine is a cosponsor, would increase the maximum contribution to pension-linked emergency savings accounts (PLESAs) to $5,000 and reduce administrative burdens, thus making it easier for working families to establish a financial safety net without dipping into retirement savings.

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