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Retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman Left Fingerprints on Education Policy
Add U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., to the growing list of members of Congress who are retiring this year—after 40 years in office.
While he hasn't had as much of an impact on education policy as Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, or Rep. George Miller, D-California, both of whom are also retiring, Waxman has certainly left his mark on the periphery of K-12.
According to this Washington Post rundown of major legislation he helped pass, these touched on issues facing schools and educators:
- 1986: National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act
- 1990: Ryan White CARE Act, which helps low-income and uninsured victims of AIDS and their families.
- 1997: Child Health Insurance Program in 1997 (expanded in 2009)
The Education Week archives also show that Waxman was involved in the early 1990s in combating high lead levels in drinking water and in opposing abstinence-only sex education.
