By Shannon Holmes
February 20, 2006

Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (CA) was named to serve as Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce February 16. The appointment was made after a vote by all of the Republican Members of the House following a February 8 recommendation from the House G.O.P. Steering Committee. The leadership and support McKeon has demonstrated over the past few years for cities and the local workforce system has been invaluable, especially during the work on reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act.

“We look forward to a continued working relationship with Representative McKeon as Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee to ensure that key priorities for cities are maintained in education and workforce training legislation,” stated Conference of Mayors President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill.

McKeon, has served on the House Education and the Workforce Committee since 1993, and has been Chairman of the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness since 1995. Through his chairmanship, McKeon wants to improve the quality of American education, train the workforce to adapt to a high tech global economy, and make regulations that are more streamlined and less costly.

The chairmanship was left vacant after Representative John Boehner (OH) was elected as the new Majority Leader in the House February 2. The Committee on Education and the Workforce and its five subcommittees oversee education and workforce programs that affect and support hundreds of millions of Americans, from school teachers and small business operators to students and retirees.