News
Democrats Still Rallying Members on Minimum Wage, Labor Bills
by Jaclyn Diaz
07.05.19 House Democrats, eager to get two top labor policy items off the ground this year, are facing a tougher time than expected getting party members on the same page. A proposal to boost the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024 is moving forward to a floor vote later this month, after facing some pushback by some fellow Democrats. Headway on another proposal, with big implications for labor, has been much slower as more progressive members work to rally and educate lawmakers on provisions of the bi… Continue Reading
DeVos pressed on states' education of migrant children with disabilities
by Nicole Gaudiano
07.05.19 The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee is fighting with the Department of Education over whether states have a legal responsibility under the law to locate migrant children with disabilities who are in federal custody. The Department's position that states do not is "unsupported by both the case law and the legislative history" of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) wrote in a July 2 letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Scott h… Continue Reading
Top House Democrat challenges Betsy DeVos on migrant children's education rights
by Sophie Tatum
07.03.19 As public outrage over conditions at migrant detention centers intensifies, a top House Democrat is insisting that state officials should be held responsible for finding children with learning disabilities at these facilitiesand determining if they need access to special education services. The demand by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., is the latest salvo by Democrats to try to increase the rights of the estimated 13,000 migrant children held at government shelters and to open those shelters up to inc… Continue Reading
Top Democrats Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Collective Bargaining Rights for Public-Sector Workers
by Staff
06.26.19 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, alongside the Committee Chair Robert "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Representatives Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Matt Cartwright (PA-08) and Abby Finkenauer (IA-01), introduced legislation to guarantee public-service workers in every state have the right to stand together and negotiate for fair wages and working conditions. "Workers win when they join together and advocate to raise … Continue Reading
House Panel Debates Religious Freedom in Healthcare
by Shannon Firth
06.26.19 WASHINGTON -- House Democrats argued that a law meant to protect Americans' religious liberties has been exploited in ways that infringe on others' civil rights, particularly those of women and the LGBTQ community. The "Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)" which has been law for more than 25 years, is being "twisted" in ways that its authors never intended, said Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, during a hearing on Tuesday. RFRA, which passed … Continue Reading
Virginia Lawmakers Take Sides on Recent Religious Freedom Ruling
by Michael Pope
06.25.19 A recent Supreme Court decision upended how courts view religious freedom, making it possible for corporations to deny certain health services to female employees based on a religious exemption. Now, two Virginia Congressman are now heavily involved in the debate. Congressman Bobby Scott of Newport News is working with Massachusetts Democrat Joe Kennedy to overturn what they see as the problems created by the recent Supreme Court decision in Burwell versus Hobby Lobby. Scott says that decisi… Continue Reading
Trump Administration Proposes New Type of Apprenticeship
by Eric Morath
06.24.19 WASHINGTON-The Labor Department released its proposal Monday to create a new type of apprenticeship that would be run by business groups, colleges and other entities, rather than by the federal government. Releasing the proposed guidelines moves a step closer to finalizing President Trump's goal, laid out two years ago, of expanding access to apprenticeships by removing the Labor Department from day-to-day management of such programs. Apprenticeships, which combine on-the-job training and cl… Continue Reading
Bobby Scott asks GAO to examine Job Corps reversal
by Ian Kullgren
06.24.19 House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) today asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the Trump administration's abandoned plan to close nine Job Corps Centers. Although Scott praised the administration's decision to cancel the closures, he asked GAO to investigate whether the administration followed the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act and whether the initial announcement damaged recruiting and enrollment. Scott also sent a long list of questions to Labor Secre… Continue Reading
Congress members ask GAO to study fallout from death of DOL fiduciary rule
by Greg Lacurci
06.24.19 High-level Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives have asked a congressional watchdog to study the fallout from the now-defunct Department of Labor fiduciary rule, including the regulation's effect on a wide range of business practices and how those practices have changed since the rule was killed in court. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., ranking member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor… Continue Reading
Government Watchdog Asked to Examine DOL Fiduciary Rule Fallout
by Ted Godbout
06.24.19 FIDUCIARY RULES AND PRACTICES Marking the one-year anniversary of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals' Order vacating the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule, key Democratic members of Congress have asked the Government Accountability Office to examine how the financial services industry has responded since then. In their letter to GAO, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), chairma… Continue Reading
Democrats Demanding Clarity on Fallout From the DOL Fiduciary Rule
by Patrick Donachie
06.24.19 Leading Democrats in Congress are asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate how the financial services industry responded to last year's ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the Department of Labor's 2016 fiduciary rule. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), chairman for the House Committee on Education and Labor, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the Ranking Member for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, co-signed a letter to GA… Continue Reading
Fiduciary rule's demise prompts call for review
by Brian Croce
06.21.19 Two leading Democrats want the Government Accountability Office to examine the impacts of a federal court vacating the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule last year. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, wrote Friday to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro with the request. "In the past year, DOL appears to have done little, if anything, to wa… Continue Reading
Regulators Resist Call For Action In Response To Black Lung Epidemic
by Howard Berkes and Huo Jingnan
06.21.19 The nation's top coal mine safety regulator told members of Congress on Thursday that existing safety regulations are sufficient to protect miners from toxic dust, despite calls for change amid an epidemic of advanced black lung disease among coal miners in Appalachia. Assistant Secretary of Labor David Zatezalo, testifying before the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee, said sampling from coal mines shows a 99 percent compliance rate with rules designed to limit workers' exposure to silic… Continue Reading
Congressional Panel Hears Black Lung Testimony, MSHA Chief Says No New Policy Needed
by Sydney Boles
06.21.19 A Congressional panel heard testimony and had some sharp questions Thursday about the epidemic of black lung disease among Appalachian miners. Labor leaders are calling on federal regulators to strengthen protections for miners and several lawmakers wanted to know why the country's top mine safety agency is not doing more in response to the dramatic increase in the preventable but deadly disease. Progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of black lung disease, now afflicts roughly 2,50… Continue Reading
Regulators Resist Call For Action In Response To Black Lung Epidemic
by Howard Berkes
06.20.19 The nation's top coal mine safety regulator told members of Congress on Thursday that existing safety regulations are sufficient to protect miners from toxic dust, despite calls for change amid an epidemic of advanced black lung disease among coal miners in Appalachia. Assistant Secretary of Labor David Zatezalo, testifying before the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee, said sampling from coal mines shows a 99% compliance rate with rules designed to limit workers' exposure to silica, the … Continue Reading
Mine Safety Chief Urged to Cut Silica Limit to Stem Black Lung
by Sam Pearson
06.20.19 The Trump administration's top mine safety official declined to say if silica exposure limits should be lowered amid pressure from House Democrats to address rising levels of black lung disease in former coal miners. The issue was addressed June 20 at a hearing of the House Education and Labor Committee's Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, where Democratic lawmakers expressed concern that, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a federal research agency, and… Continue Reading
Schools Underreporting Use Of Restraint And Seclusion, GAO Finds
by Michelle Diament
06.19.19 U.S. Department of Education data on how frequently restraint and seclusion are used in the nation's schools is incomplete and inaccurate, government investigators say. Numbers reported through the agency's civil rights data collection drastically undercount schools' use of the practices, which disproportionately affect students with disabilities, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released this week. GAO indicated that the Education Department needs to take "immediate action… Continue Reading
As Congressional Panel Focuses On Black Lung, Miners Health Advocates Urge Stronger Health Protections
by Sydney Boles
06.19.19 A Congressional panel heard testimony and had some sharp questions Thursday about the epidemic of black lung disease among Appalachian miners. Labor leaders are calling on federal regulators to strengthen protections for miners and several lawmakers wanted to know why the country's top mine safety agency is not doing more in response to the dramatic increase in the preventable but deadly disease. Progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of black lung disease, now afflicts roughly 2,50… Continue Reading
Top Trump health official warned against controversial ObamaCare changes in private memo
by Peter Sullivan
06.14.19 A top Trump administration health official warned against controversial changes that could undermine ObamaCare in a private memo last year that was released by House Democrats on Friday. One of the three changes was later finalized by the administration, despite the warning from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma in the memo. And the other two have not yet been proposed but remain under consideration. House Democrats said Friday the fact that the administratio… Continue Reading
With nurses watching, lawmakers push OSHA on anti-workplace violence
by Mark Gruenberg
06.13.19 WASHINGTON-With National Nurses United members in the crowd monitoring them, the Democratic-run House Education and Labor Committee voted on party lines to push the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to, within a year, unveil a rule to force hospitals and nursing homes to create and implement programs to reduce workplace violence. The measure, HR1309, was one of three pro-worker bills the panel approved on June 11, all by party-line votes. All three measures also overc… Continue Reading