Press Releases
Sen. Murray, Rep. Scott, Democratic Lawmakers Defend Basic Protections for Home Care Workers
02.27.15 (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) led a bicameral group of Democratic lawmakers in filing an amicus brief opposing the District Court ruling that would maintain the outdated exclusion of home care workers from basic worker protections like minimum wage and overtime. "Home care workers, including tens of thousands in my home state of Washington, have demanding jobs that provide families in need with critical, deeply personal support,"… Continue Reading
Scott Lauds President's New Proposal to Strengthen Retirement Security
02.23.15 WASHINGTON--Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement today after President Barack Obama announced that the Department of Labor will lay out new standards to ensure retirement advisors act in the best interest of their clients when giving investment advice: "Today's announcement by the President is another critical step toward improving every American family's retireme… Continue Reading
Republicans Pass Bill to Rob Funds from Poor, Give to Rich Schools
02.11.15 WASHINGTON—House Republicans today voted to turn back the clock on American public education and harm our nation’s neediest children. Along strict party lines, Republicans on the Education and the Workforce Committee pushed through a bill that reduces funding, eliminates and weakens protections for disadvantaged students, fails to provide a quality education for all children, and neglects our public school teachers. Committee Democrats offered several amendments to fix the legislation’s glaring … Continue Reading
Scott and Polis Statement on Senate Republican Resolution to Repeal NLRB Union Election Rule
02.09.15 WASHINGTON-House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) and Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee Ranking Member Jared Polis (D-CO) released the following statement today after Senate Republicans invoked a rarely used legislative tool to launch an attack on the National Labor Relations Board. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) filed a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval to prevent the NLRB from modernizing union election processe… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on January Jobs Report
02.06.15 WASHINGTON-House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that employers added 257,000 jobs last month. January's employment figures means the economy has now had a record 59 consecutive months of private sector job growth, resulting in the addition of 11.8 million new jobs. "Today's jobs report is a sign that our economy is maintaining momentum and continuing to grow. J… Continue Reading
ESEA Rewrite Must Ensure World-Class Education for All Students, Committee Learns
02.06.15 WASHINGTON-Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Ranking Democratic Member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a forum to hear from teachers, researchers and other education experts to inform the committee's work on rewriting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Committee Democrats believe any ESEA reauthorization must reflect current research and best practices, and must protect students' rights in the process. The forum follo… Continue Reading
***MEDIA ADVISORY***: Ed and Workforce Committee Dems to Hold Forum on ESEA Reauthorization
02.03.15 WASHINGTON-Rewriting No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), is one of the most significant challenges before this Congress. Unfortunately, the Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce have chosen to move forward with their reauthorization process without holding a single committee hearing or seeking any input from Democrats. The Republican majority has introduced legislation that would dismantle … Continue Reading
Scott Criticizes GOP’s ESEA Bill and Partisan Process, Announces Forum to Examine ESEA Reauthorization Issues
02.03.15 WASHINGTON-House Republicans today began a hasty, partisan push to rewrite one of the nation's most important education laws by introducing H.R. 5, legislation that would undermine equity and accountability in public schools. Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) criticized the bill and the scheduling of no related hearings. For that reason, Rep. Scott announced he will be holding a forum to more thoroughly examine the issues and policy solutions per… Continue Reading
Strong Federal Investment in Workforce and Education Critical to Economic Growth, Committee Learns
02.03.15 WASHINGTON-Congress must do more to help every Americans enjoy current and future economic growth and keep our workforce globally competitive, witnesses testified before the House Education and the Workforce Committee today. By investing more in our workforce and providing greater resources for our most disadvantaged students, the federal government can stem the growing income inequality and widening education gap harming families nationwide, and ensure the U.S.'s economic growth, members learne… Continue Reading
Levin, Pallone, Scott: GOP Trying to Rob Health Care from Millions of Americans (again)
02.03.15 WASHINGTON - The Ranking Members of the House Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce decried today's attempt by House Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - the 56th such attempt since the law's enactment - and the Republicans' sustained attack to undermine access to quality, affordable health care for millions of hard-working Americans. Ranking Members Sander Levin (D-MI), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) re… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the President’s Budget
02.02.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), the ranking Democratic member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2016: "President Obama's budget proposal lays out a fiscally responsible blueprint to strengthen the middle class by investing in workers, students, children, and families. The President's budget would reverse the arbitrary, destructive spending cuts of the last fo… Continue Reading
Ed & Workforce Committee Democrats Announce Subcommittee Assignments and Ranking Members
01.27.15 WASHINGTON-Democrats on the Education and the Workforce Committee announced ranking subcommittee members and subcommittee assignments for the 114th Congress today. "We serve on a committee that affects everyone across this great country, from students and children to the elderly, from employers to working families," said Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the full committee. "What we do or don't do in this committee will have real implications for millions. I am confident th… Continue Reading
House Democrats introduce Federal Employee Paid Parental Leave Act to provide 6 weeks of paid leave
01.26.15 WASHINGTON - House Democrats today introduced the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (FEPPLA) legislation that would provide six weeks of paid leave to federal employees for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child. President Obama recently backed the legislation in his push for changes to leave policy - a message that was also highlighted in the State of the Union Address. The lead sponsor of the legislation, Joint Economic Committee Ranking Democrat Congresswoman Carolyn B. Ma… Continue Reading
Rep. Scott: Greater Access to Quality Child Care and Early Ed Critical for Country’s Future
01.22.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, ranking member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today after President Obama outlined his budget plan to increase access, affordability and quality of child care and early childhood education for working and middle-class families across the country: "Today, President Obama outlined a vital step we must take to give working and middle-class families with young children access to affordable, high-quality c… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Strengthen Support for Victims of Youth Sex Trafficking
01.22.15 WASHINGTON, D.C. - A bipartisan group of House members today introduced legislation that would improve support for youth who are victims of sex trafficking. It is estimated that each year 300,000 children become victims of sex trafficking. Many of these children were once involved in a state child welfare system, yet their experience with sexual exploitation may go undetected. Led by Reps. Joe Heck (R-NV) and Karen Bass (D-CA), members are introducing bipartisan legislation that will enhance oth… Continue Reading
Scott Welcomes New and Returning Committee Members, Calls for Bipartisan Action in 114th Congress
01.21.15 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, fr… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the President’s State of the Union Address
01.20.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, ranking member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama's 2015 State of the Union address: "In tonight's State of the Union, President Obama put forward concrete steps we must take to strengthen our economy and rebuild the middle class. Too many hard-working Americans are struggling to find success in this new economy and struggling to get their fair shot. … Continue Reading
Scott Calls on Obama Administration to Keep Fighting for Home Care Workers
01.15.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to yesterday's ruling by federal district court Judge Richard Leon in the case of Homecare Association of America v. Weil: "Yesterday's ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied nearly two million homecare workers their fundamental minimum wage and overtime protections. These are hard-working men and wom… Continue Reading
Scott Supports Call for Paid Sick and Family Leave
01.15.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama's new proposals to expand paid sick leave and for new funding to help more states to create paid family leave programs: "Today, too many families are struggling to balance responsibilities at home and at work. The American workplace has simply not kept pace with the changing American family. "We must bring our w… Continue Reading
Rep. Scott: ESEA Reauthorization Must Support High-Quality Education for All Students
01.12.15 WASHINGTON-In response to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's new proposals for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today, the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the nation's cornerstone K-12 education law: "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act remains one of the most significant civil rights achievements of ou… Continue Reading