Press Releases
What People Are Saying: The Protecting the Right to Organize Act
03.02.23 WASHINGTON - This week, a bipartisan group of House and Senate Members introduced the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023 (H.R. 20), a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. Here is what leading advocates and experts are saying about the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, H.R. 20: President Joe Biden: “A union is about working people having… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott: “Politics Should Never Prevent a Student from Receiving a High-Quality Education”
03.01.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to recent House Republican proposal to undermine public K-12 schools under the guise of parents’ rights. “Politics should never prevent a student from receiving a high-quality education. Regrettably, Republican politicians want to turn classrooms into the epicenter of an extreme culture war while doing nothing to meaningfully help students get back on track. In fact, every Congressional Repu… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act
02.28.23 WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chair of the Senate Committte on Aging, and Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) announced the reintroduction of the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide states and employers with the resou… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize
02.28.23 WASHINGTON - Today, a bipartisan group of House and Senate Members introduced the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023 (H.R. 20), a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. The House bill was introduced by the Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01). The Senate companion was … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden-Harris Administration for Taking Step to Protect Workers’ Civil Rights
02.28.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration announced that it will rescind a Trump-era rule that gutted anti-discrimination protections for employees of federal contractors and subcontractors. “I applaud the Biden-Harris administration for rescinding the Trump administration’s religious exemption rule and taking a critical step to protect the civil rights of federal contract and subcontract workers. The Trum… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott: President Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan Would “Deliver Life-Changing Support for the Borrowers Who Need It Most”
02.28.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement ahead of the Supreme Court’s session to hear oral arguments on President Biden’s student debt relief plan. “A college education should not depend on how much money a student’s parents make. Yet, the rising cost of tuition, decades of disinvestment in higher education, and the declining relative value of the Pell Grant have left many student loan borrowers with burdensome debt. “That’s why I sup… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Press Reports of Abusive Child Labor Practices
02.27.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to recent press investigations into exploitative child labor practices. “We should all agree, children should be focused on learning and growing - not putting their health and well-being at risk in unsafe and grueling workplaces. Regrettably, recent reports revealed that abusive child labor practices are a persistent and serious problem in America. While Republicans are proposing to roll bac… Continue Reading
Scott, Casey, McMorris Rodgers, Daines to Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Help Workers with Disabilities Find Good-Paying Jobs
02.27.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chair of the Senate Committte on Aging, and Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), announced that they will reintroduce the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide states and employers with the res… Continue Reading
Ranking Members Scott, Bonamici Praise Proposal to Provide Expanded, Healthier Food Options for WIC Participants
02.17.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) wrote to the Department of Agriculture in support of its proposal to improve food assistance for participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). “The WIC program has proven vital to infants, children, and pregnant and postpartum women by promoti… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Administration’s Progress to Reduce Student Loan Debt by Fixing Income-Driven Repayment
02.10.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) applauded Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona for the Department’s proposed rule to reform the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) system. The proposed reforms make the IDR program more generous for low-income borrowers, automatically enrolls delinquent borrowers in the IDR program, sunsets old IDR plans, and eliminates monthly accrual of interest to borrowers. “I am encouraged by the Department’s proposed rule, which makes significant change… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Opening Statement at Education Hearing
02.08.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing on the state of education. “When the Supreme Court decided the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, it outlawed legal segregation in education, and said - among other things - that, ‘In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the State of the Union
02.07.23 WASHINGTON – Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden delivered the State of the Union address. “As Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I was pleased that President Biden laid out a clear vision for providing quality and affordable education for all students, improving the lives of workers and families, and expanding access to affordable health care. “As… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Praises Biden Proposal to Provide Healthier Meals for Children
02.03.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration issued a proposed rule to improve nutrition standards for child nutrition programs and align them with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). “I am pleased that the Biden-Harris administration is making progress toward the evidence-based nutrition standards that our children need to grow up healthy. We know that providing nutritious food for chi… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on January Jobs Report
02.03.23 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 517,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4 percent. Since President Biden took office, the economy has created more than double the average number of jobs each month compared to the Trump administration’s pre-pandemic performance. “Today’s jobs report is further proof that Congressional Democrats’ and President Bid… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden’s Proposal to Improve Access to Contraceptive Services under the ACA
02.02.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration published a proposed rule to ensure that individuals can access no-cost coverage for contraceptive services under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Currently, many individuals covered by employer-sponsored plans and student health insurance plans can be denied coverage for contraceptive services by individuals and entities that claim a religious or moral objection.… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Ahead of 30th Anniversary of FMLA, Democratic Lawmakers Hold Press Conference Unveiling Legislative Package To Establish Paid Leave And Expand And Modernize FMLA
02.01.23 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representatives Richie Neal (D-MA), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Sean Casten (D-IL), and Lauren Underwood (D-IL) held a press conference ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to announce a legislative package to establish a paid family and medical leave program and expand and moderniz… 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
Ranking Member Scott Welcomes Democratic Committee Members for the 118th Congress
01.27.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that the House Democratic Caucus unanimously affirmed the recommendations of the Steering and Policy Committee for Members to serve on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. “The Committee’s Democratic Members reflect a broad cross-section of America. They include educators, labor advocates, parents, business owners, and civil rights leaders. T… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden Administration Efforts to Help Miners, Families Access Care
01.19.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Labor announced a proposed rule that would make reforms to the Black Lung benefits program to ensure that coal operators honor their responsibility to fund the workers’ compensation benefits miners and their survivors are entitled to receive. “Decades ago, Congress established the Black Lung Benefits Act to provide monthly compensation and medical coverage for coal miners who dev… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Release New Report Documenting Weaponization of Religious Freedom in Federal Policy at Expense of Americans’ Civil Rights
01.16.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released a new report—Religious Liberty? The History of Religious Liberty in Federal Policy from 1990 to 2022—that examines how, in recent decades, the federal government has advanced religious freedom interests at the expense of others’ civil rights and access to critical services. “The balance between protecting religious liberty—a fundamental American value—and protecting the civil rights of others has been essential to our d… Continue Reading