Morgan Griffith was first elected to represent the Ninth Congressional District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives on November 2, 2010. Morgan is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over some of the most important issues facing Virginia’s Ninth District including public health and federal regulations.
For the 117th Congress, Morgan was named Republican Leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He is a member of the Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Energy.
Values
While the states and local school districts should be given more flexibility, the federal government continues to play a critical role in providing funding for educational opportunities for disabled and low-income children.
A high-quality education, especially in a more complex and dynamic economy, is something every child should have access to. This includes quality education for those children who desire to pursue a traditional college education and those who desire career and/or technical education. Our country’s economic growth is driven by a well-educated, well-trained, and well-rounded workforce
Actions
Voted to support the Every Student Succeeds Act (S. 1177). The Every Student Succeeds Act replaced No Child Left Behind and established state-determined accountability systems, which will give states and school districts the authority to measure student performance. The bill increased the flexibility of states and school districts to develop school improvement strategies and rewards, but maintains the requirement that states and school districts distribute yearly report cards that contain information on graduation rates and student achievement. In an effort to promote a more reasonable role for the federal government in our education system, the Every Student Succeeds Act also eliminates some elementary and secondary education programs while consolidating others. This bill passed both the House and the Senate and was signed into law on December 10, 2015.
Strong supporter of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which offsets costs incurred by counties and cities as a result of federal lands in their jurisdiction. Since federal lands aren’t taxable property, these PILT payments are intended to make up for this lost revenue to the local government and to cover expenses such as education, etc.
Member of the Congressional Rural Education Caucus. The caucus is a bipartisan group of Members interested in working together to promote greater awareness of the unique needs and functions of rural school systems.