Obama Relents on Proposal to End ‘529’ College Savings Plans - NYTimes.com

 

WASHINGTON — President Obama, facing angry reprisals from parents and from lawmakers of both parties, will drop his proposal to effectively end the popular college savings accounts known as 529s, but will keep an expanded tuition tax credit at the center of his college access plan, White House officials said Tuesday.

The decision came just hours after Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio demanded that the proposal be withdrawn from the president’s budget, due out Monday, “for the sake of middle-class families.” But the call for the White House to relent also came from top Democrats, including Representatives Nancy Pelosi of California, the minority leader, and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking member of the Budget Committee.

Ms. Pelosi pressed the case to senior administration officials on Air Force One as she flew with the president from India to Saudi Arabia, according to Democratic aides familiar with the discussions.

The move was an abrupt turn for the president, who had made the proposal during his State of the Union address only a week ago, a proposal he called part of his pitch for “middle-class economics.”

“Given it has become such a distraction, we’re not going to ask Congress to pass the 529 provision so that they can instead focus on delivering a larger package of education tax relief that has bipartisan support, as well as the president’s broader package of tax relief for child care and working families,” a White House official said.

Obama Relents on Proposal to End ‘529’ College Savings Plans - NYTimes.com

House Speaker Boehner acknowledges 'stumbles' - Yahoo News

 

Speaker John Boehner said on Tuesday, as legislative initiatives have been derailed by attacks from inside the party.

 

"There have been a couple of stumbles," Boehner told reporters after meeting in a closed session with his rank-and-file.

The latest Republican casualty was a border security bill aimed at demonstrating a tough law-and-order approach toward stopping illegal immigration, mostly along the southern border with Mexico.

The bill had been scheduled for House debate on Wednesday but was canceled due to a massive East Coast snow storm, according to a Republican leadership announcement on Monday.

But conservatives were bucking the bill, claiming it would do nothing to deport undocumented immigrants who manage to get over the border, leading some to wonder whether the votes existed among Republicans to win passage.

"A growing body of people are sick and tired of the 'trust me we'll do it later' approach," said Republican Representative Matthew Salmon of Arizona, "and want us to deal with both interior enforcement and border security at the same time."

The legislation could resurface in coming weeks, however.

One week ago, Boehner suffered a setback over an abortion bill that had been scheduled for House action. That time, it was more moderate Republicans, including some female lawmakers, who objected to the bill's provisions on abortions for victims of rape.

From the first day of the new Congress on Jan. 6, Boehner's conservative wing was restive, with 25 of them refusing to back his election to a third term as Speaker and resulting in a narrow victory for the nation's top-elected Republican.

On Tuesday, Boehner explained the legislative setbacks as an effort to get off to a fast start. It was, he said, "all in our effort to show the American people that we are here to listen to their priorities."

Republican Representative Pete Sessions, who chairs the powerful House Rules Committee that is controlled by Boehner, told reporters that leadership is taking a breather on the border security bill to give members more time to understand how immigration issues will be tackled this year.

The bill, Sessions added, "was well understood until it got confusing."

(Reporting By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama

House Speaker Boehner acknowledges 'stumbles' - Yahoo News

Workforce Connection to host job fair with 50+ employers - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

ROCKFORD (WREX) - More than 50 employers will attend the Workforce Connection's annual January Career Expo and Job Fair this Thursday. 
Employment and training opportunities are available in manufacturing, health care, customer service, logistics, sales and other job sectors. 
"We have had a huge response from employers wanting to participate in this event," says Darcy Bucholz, executive director of the Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance. "This is the largest job fair we have hosted in several years." 
The career fair takes place from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Community Building Complex, 111 W. 1st St. in Belvidere.
Rock River Training Corporation is running a shuttle bus from downtown Rockford to the event. To reserve a spot on the bus, call 815-847-7574. There is also a bus stop at the RMTD Belvidere route one block from the job fair site.

Workforce Connection to host job fair with 50+ employers - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader