Press Releases
Scott Announces Support for Inflation Reduction Act
08.10.22 NEWPORT NEWS, VA - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, issued the following statement announcing his support for the Inflation Reduction Act: “The Inflation Reduction Act delivers key components of President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ agenda to invest in jobs and the economy while lowering costs for working families. This legislation will lower the cost of health care, prescription drugs, and energy for millions of American families.… Continue Reading
New Watchdog Report: ED Needs to Streamline Process for Students Impacted by School Closures
08.10.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found that student loan borrowers whose schools close need more timely and complete information to know if they are eligible to have their loans discharged. Under closed school discharge, student loan borrowers—who suffer school closures and do not complete their education elsewhere—may be eligible to have their loans discharged. Unfortunately, the GAO found that, be… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on July Jobs Report
08.05.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 528,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent. “Today’s jobs report shows a strong labor market—a sign that our economy is growing, and Americans are finding work in rewarding careers. “The recovery of our labor market did not happen by accident. It is a direct result of the investments by the Biden-Harris Admi… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Republican REAL Reform Act
08.05.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Republican House leaders proposed changes to the student loan system, including provisions to eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, tie the hands of the Department of Education in providing relief to borrowers, limit access to federal financial aid, and restrict the flexibility of loan repayment. “When President Johnson signed the Higher Education Act in 1965, he said the legisla… Continue Reading
Scott Celebrates $11 Million in New Funding for Hampton Roads Job Training, Reaffirms Commitment to Delivering Sustained Workforce Funding
08.03.22 NEWPORT NEWS - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, announced $11 million in new federal funding for the Hampton Roads Workforce Council along with Kevin Gallagher, Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, during a tour of the Virginia Career Works Hampton Center. During the tour, Congressman Scott and Mr. Gallagher met with career coaches, job seekers, and employers to discuss how this funding—made possible by the American … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Leads Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Reaffirm Race-Conscious College Admissions
08.02.22 WASHINGTON - On Monday, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), in addition to 64 House Democrats, filed an amicus brief—in the case of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College—urging the Supreme Court to uphold narrowly tailored race-conscious college admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In the brief, the Members describe the persistent need for race-conscious admissions policies … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Cost of Student Loan Program
07.29.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled, “Student Loans: Education Has Increased Federal Cost Estimates of Direct Loans by Billions due to Programmatic and Other Changes.” “A college degree remains the surest path to achieving the American Dream. The student loan program was originally created to ensure that all students—regardless of their family’s income—could afford t… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on EEO-1 Form Compensation Data Report
07.28.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) released a report assessing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) historic pay data collection efforts from certain private sector employers and federal contractors for reporting years 2017 and 2018. The report found that the pay data the EEOC collected, which provided establishment-level data on the earning… Continue Reading
Committee Passes Bills to Protect Workers from Heat Stress, Address and Prevent Child Hunger
07.27.22 WASHINGTON - Today, the Education and Labor Committee advanced two bills—the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2022 (H.R. 2193) and Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 8450)—to protect workers from heat stress on the job and address and prevent child hunger. The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2022 would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish an enforceable standard that protects workers in jobs at risk f… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Opening Remarks at Mark Up of Bills to Protect Workers from Heat Stress, Address and Prevent Child Hunger
07.27.22 WASHINGTON - House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Committee Markup of H.R. 2193, the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2022, and H.R. 8450, the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. "Today, the Committee is marking up legislation to protect workers from heat-related illness and death, and help address and prevent child hunger. "The first bill, the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness … Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act
07.22.22 WASHINGTON — On July 20, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee Chair Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced a comprehensive, evidence-driven reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs that meets the needs of children and families. The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 8450) builds on Congressional Democrats’ work to expand school and summer meal programs, increase access to federal nutrition programs like the S… Continue Reading
Nutrition Leaders Introduce Comprehensive Proposal to Address and Prevent Child Hunger
07.20.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee Chair Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced a comprehensive, evidence-driven reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs that meets the needs of children and families. The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 8450) builds on Congressional Democrats’ work to expand school and summer meal programs, increase access to federal nutrition programs like the Special Supplemental Nutritio… Continue Reading
Chairs Scott, Murray Applaud Release of New Guidance on School Discipline
07.19.22 WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Education released new guidance for states and school districts to help school leaders address disparities in discipline for students with disabilities. In 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that students with disabilities, along with Black students and boys, face disproportionate rates of discipline when compared to their peers. “The guidance the Biden administration issued today will help schools keep students and staff safe. Regre… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report Finds Growing Racial Segregation in Schools
07.14.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found persistent and growing racial and socioeconomic segregation in K-12 public schools. Specifically, the GAO found that, in the 2020-2021 school year, more than one in three public school students attended a school where 75 percent or more of the student population were of a single race or ethnicity. Even more concerning, the report found that district secession—a… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on June Jobs Report
07.08.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 372,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.6 percent. “Today’s jobs report, coupled with recent data from the Department of Labor, shows a strong labor market— a sign our economy is growing. Importantly, Americans are finding work in rewarding careers, the unemployment rate is steady, employers are hiring rapidly… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Commends Biden-Harris Administration for Finalizing Multiemployer Pension Rescue Program
07.06.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration finalized a rule on the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) Program created through the American Rescue Plan Act. The SFA Program averted the immediate crisis threatening the retirement security of America’s workers, retirees, and their families. To date, the Program has operated on an interim rule and has saved 127,493 pensions and protected an estimated 562 businesses, a… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Leads Vote to Improve Mental Health Services for College Students
06.24.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) lead passage of two pieces of bipartisan legislation to strengthen mental health services for college students and help prevent suicide, drug, and alcohol abuse on campuses. The Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act (H.R. 5407) directs the Department of Education to encourage institutions of higher education to strengthen and expand mental health services, including suicide prevention plans, to … Continue Reading
ICYMI: On 50th Anniversary of Title IX, Chairman Scott Delivers Remarks at Unveiling of Portrait of Former Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink
06.23.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during a ceremony to unveil the portrait of former Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink in Statuary Hall. View more photos from the event here. “Congresswoman Patsy Mink has an unquestionable place among the portraits of this institution’s trailblazers. As you know, Congresswoman Mink became the first Asian-American woman, in fact, the first woman of color to serve in Congress at a time when the country was n… Continue Reading
WATCH: Chairman Scott Leads House Passage of Keep Kids Fed Act
06.23.22 Washington - Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on passing the Keep Kids Fed Act (S.2089). View Chairman Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Roughly two years ago, our communities experienced an unprecedented surge in child hunger, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Just weeks into the pandemic, more than one in every three households with children, and nearly half of all mothers with young childr… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Applauds New Proposed Changes to Title IX Rules
06.23.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education released new proposed Title IX regulations. “The Education Department’s new proposed Title IX regulations mark a monumental step in our fight to address sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination in K-12 and higher education—all while preserving the rights of the accused. By expanding the critical protections under this law, the new regulations would help ensure that … Continue Reading