01.21.15

Scott Welcomes New and Returning Committee Members, Calls for Bipartisan Action in 114th Congress

WASHINGTON—The House Education and the Workforce Committee held its first meeting of the 114th Congress today. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), the committee’s ranking member, inaugurated the legislative session by laying out the Democratic priorities for the next two years, welcoming new members to the committee, and calling for bipartisan action on the most significant issues facing the country.

“The Education and the Workforce Committee’s jurisdiction touches everyone in this country, from students and children to older Americans, from employers to working families. What we do or don’t do in these chambers will have real implications for millions of Americans,” said Rep. Scott, who has served on the committee for over twenty years. “We have important work to do over the next two years. The challenges we face are many, but so are the opportunities to make a real difference for students, families and workers. By taking an evidence-based approach to addressing the issues of the day, I believe that we can find common goals and common ground to get things done.”

Rep. Scott aims to address many issues in this Congress, including:

  • Providing quality early childhood care and education for families across the country
  • Overcoming the achievement gap that still exists between poor and minority children and their more affluent peers and helping prevent students from dropping out of school
  • Providing healthy, nutritious food for children in schools nationwide
  • Helping all interested students, especially those from minority or low-income families, access affordable, quality higher education
  • Reforming our juvenile justice system to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline
  • Raising the national minimum wage so that no one who works full time has to live in poverty
  • Protecting and strengthening the rights of workers to collectively bargain and have a voice on the job
  • Strengthening worker protections and defending the civil rights of workers, including fighting against discrimination and supporting diversity in the workplace
  • Strengthening and fully implementing the Affordable Care Act in order to ensure that all families have the ability to access quality, affordable health care coverage
 

Today also marked the first committee meeting for several members, including Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY),Katherine Clark (D-MA), Alma Adams (D-NC) and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA).

“I am honored to serve with every member of the committee for the 114th Congress,” said Rep. Scott. “I have had the privilege of working with many of these esteemed members for years, and I look forward to working with my colleagues who are new to the committee to make sure this is a productive and successful Congress for the American people.”

Rep. Scott’s full remarks at the organizational meeting can be found here.

The Democrats serving on the committee for the 114th Congress are (listed in order of seniority on the committee):

  • Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-3)*
  • Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15)*
  • Rep. Susan A. Davis (CA-53)*
  • Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-3)*
  • Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-2)*
  • Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11)*
  • Rep. Jared Polis (CO-2)*
  • Rep. Gregorio Sablan (NMI)*
  • Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24)*
  • Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1)*
  • Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-2)*
  • Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41)*
  • Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8)
  • Rep. Katherine Clark (MA-5)
  • Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12)
  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11)

* Indicates prior service on the committee