Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee
House Democrats Applaud the Biden Administration’s Proposal to Raise Wages for Child Care Workforce
01.23.24 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), and 31 House Democrats applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposal to raise wages for Head Start workforce and better support children and families. “We can no longer stand by as dedicated and qualified early childhood educators leave Head Start programs due to unacceptably low wages, while families struggle to find quality, affordable child care and early education o… Continue Reading
Courtney, Bean Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Missing and Exploited Children
08.21.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (R-FL) introduced H.R. 5224, the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation renews the Missing Children’s Assistance Act (MCAA) and makes critical updates to help the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) better support youth who are missing, to reduce child sexual exploitation, and to preven… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott, Rep. Beyer Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Students from Dangerous Seclusion and Restraint Practices
05.18.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08)—alongside Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Patty Murray (D-WA)—reintroduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, legislation to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint discipline practices in school. The Keeping All Students Safe Act would make it illegal for any school receivin… Continue Reading
What They’re Saying: Child Care for Working Families Act Will Tackle Crisis Head-On & Make Affordable Child Care a Reality for Millions
04.28.23 WASHINGTON - On Thursday, Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, reintroduced their Child Care for Working Families Act—comprehensive legislation to tackle the child care crisis and ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need. The legislation—led by Representatives Scott, Wild, and 43 addition… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Reintroduce Child Care for Working Families Act to Tackle Child Care Crisis and Get Families the Child Care & Pre-K They Need
04.27.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, reintroduced their Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to tackle the child care crisis and ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need. Representative Wild (D-PA-07) joined Representative Scott in leading rei… Continue Reading
Despite Internal Opposition, Republicans Force Through Anti-Student, Parent, and Educator Legislation
03.24.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Republicans advanced the Politics Over Parents Act (H.R. 5) despite opposition from parents, students, educators, and members of their own party. Moreover, Republicans unilaterally rejected the Democratic alternative offered by ECESE Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01). The Democrats’ alternative would have: Prevented schools from banning books; Created a designated parent coordinator at every public school; Increased funding for statewide family… Continue Reading
WATCH: Ranking Member Scott Leads Fight Against Anti-Student, Parent, Educator Legislation
03.23.23 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on H.R. 5, the Politics Over Parents Act. View Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. "First, let me be clear: House Democrats believe parental engagement is central to student success. Parental engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behavior, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills. "Unfor… Continue Reading
What People Are *Actually* Saying About Extreme MAGA Republicans’ “Politics over Parents” Bill (H.R. 5)
03.22.23 WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives will consider Republican legislation that would undermine public education under the guise of 'parental rights.' Experts and advocates for students, parents, and teachers agree that this proposal would only further politicize classrooms and jeapordize support for public education while doing nothing to increase real parental partnership with schools. Here’s what they are saying about Republicans’ so-called Parents Bill of Rights Act: Secretary of… Continue Reading
NEW: 118th Congress Democratic Committee Assignments
01.31.23 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce appointed subcommittee ranking members, subcommittee member assignments, and a vice ranking member for the 118th Congress. This Congress, Committee Democrats include a diverse group of lawmakers, including educators, labor advocates, parents, business owners, and civil rights leaders. The Members’ experience and expertise will help guide Committee Democrats’ work to ensure that all students have access to a quality education, ex… Continue Reading
Chairman Sablan Opening Statement at “Back to School” Hearing
09.20.22 WASHINGTON - Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Gregorio Sablan (NMI-At Large) delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing, “Back to School: Meeting Students Social and Emotional Needs.” “As students across the country return to the classroom for the 2022-2023 school year, the Committee is meeting today to discuss how our nation’s schools are helping students get back on track academically and meet their social and emotional needs. “The … Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Reintroduce Child Care for Working Families Act
04.22.21 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to address the child care crisis and ensure that working families can find and afford high-quality child care. Representative Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan joined Congressman Scott in introducing … Continue Reading
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist: There Should Be No Conditions on School Funding
07.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, during a Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Secondary and Elementary Education hearing on reopening schools, Dr. Sean O'Leary, Vice Chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), urged Congress to provide at least $200 billion in aid to K-12 schools that "must be available to all schools, regardless of their timeline for reopening." "Schools and areas with high rates of COVID-19 spread may need to consider delaying a return … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on White House Blocking CDC from Testifying on School Reopening
07.17.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Trump administration blocked the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention from testifying at a public hearing about safely reopening schools. "School reopening plans must be guided by the advice of public health experts. For that reason, we asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to testify in a public hearing to provide greater clarity on the steps we can take to help schools … Continue Reading
Committee on Education and Labor Approves the Rebuild America’s Schools Act (H.R. 865)
02.26.19 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor approved the Rebuild America's Schools Act (H.R.865). The Rebuild America's Schools Act invests more than $100 billion in America's public schools. According to economic projections, the bill would also create more than 1.9 million good-paying jobs. "For far too long, students, parents, and teachers have felt the consequences of our chronic failure to prioritize funding for public education. The Rebuild America's Schools Act would provi… Continue Reading
House and Senate Democrats Introduce Comprehensive Child Care and Early Learning Bill to Ensure Child Care for All
02.26.19 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Labor, and Chairman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (NMI-AL), House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, along with 96 other cosponsors, introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act − a comprehensive early learning and child care bill to ensure affordable, high-quality child care for working middle class families and those living paycheck to paycheck. Senator Patty Murray… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Show Bipartisan Support for Summer Meals Program
07.17.18 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education (ECESE) held a hearing entitled, "Examining the Summer Food Service Program." There is bipartisan agreement that the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is critical to the health and well-being of millions of children. "Not only do [summer meal] sites distribute nutritious food to low-income children, but they also provide educational, enrichment, or recreational activities that keep children engaged, sa… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Promote Bold Solution to Ensure Universal Access to Quality Child Care for Working Families
03.06.18 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education (ECESE) held a hearing entitled, "Strengthening Welfare to Work with Child Care." Across the country, far too many working families lack access to affordable, high-quality child care. In many states, the cost of child care is higher than the cost of attending college. This makes it difficult for parents to balance the costs of child care with holding down a good-paying job and providing for their family.… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Push for Stronger Supports for Native American Schools
02.14.18 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education (ECESE) held a hearing entitled, "Examining the Government's Management of Native American Schools." Native families are disproportionately low-income, and the challenges facing tribal communities are immense and well-documented. The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a woefully underfunded agency and the students served by schools under its jurisdiction lack the educational opportunities and outcomes … Continue Reading
At Hearing, Democrats Highlight Importance of Investments in Education Research
01.30.18 WASHINGTON - Today, the full Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing entitled, "Protecting Privacy, Promoting Policy: Evidence-based Policymaking and the Future of Education." There is broad, bipartisan consensus that educational research-when collected, stored, and used responsibility-is an invaluable tool that improves teaching and learning. Unfortunately, public investments in education research are not as robust as research investments used to advance policy and practice in o… Continue Reading
Hearing Testimony Shows More Funding is Required to Address Opioid Crisis
11.08.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee (ECESE) and the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development (HEWD) held a joint subcommittee hearing on how opioids are impacting communities across the nation. In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose, and more than 2 million individuals had a prescription opioid use disorder. Congress must address a crisis of this magnitude - and treatment alone is not enough to stem th… Continue Reading