BATON ROUGE, LA (January 31, 2017) – Today, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) issued a statement on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions’ approval of Betsy DeVos for education secretary.

Ms. DeVos advances to the next step in the process with the approval of the Senate committee that oversees education. The committee voted along party lines with a vote of 12 to 11. This vote allows her to move on to a Senate floor vote which LABI hopes the U.S. Senate will take up as soon as possible.

Stephen Waguespack, President and CEO of LABI stated, “We appreciate the hard work of the Senate committee and the hours they devoted to this process. This is a tremendous step forward. Betsy DeVos has been a longtime supporter of efforts to provide a high-quality education for all children, regardless of ZIP code and income. Let’s hope the full Senate gets to this quickly so we can get to the business of improving the American education system as soon as possible.”

For press inquiries, contact:

Camille Ivy-O’Donnell

(817) 944-5091

camillei@labi.org

About the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry was organized in 1975 to represent Louisiana businesses, serving as both the state chamber of commerce and state manufacturers association. LABI’s primary goal is to foster a climate for economic growth by championing the principles of the free enterprise system and representing the general interest of the business community through active involvement in the political, legislative, judicial and regulatory processes. Find out more information at www.labi.org.

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