Press Releases
Ranking Member Scott Applauds HHS Action to Ensure Robust Protections for People with Disabilities
09.08.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Scott applauded the Biden-Harris administration after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule to update regulations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that ensure access to health and human services programs. “We have come a long way toward ending discrimination against people with disabilities in America since pioneering advocates—like the late Judy Heumann—fought to secure some of the first federal antidiscri… Continue Reading
As Student Loan Payments Resume, Ranking Member Scott Highlights Education Department Resources, Reforms to Support Borrowers
09.06.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Scott applauded the Department of Education (ED) for its work to support student loan borrowers as student loan payments and interest accrual resume for the first time in just over three years. “With the return to student loan repayment underway, student loan borrowers and their families may be worried about their economic security. Thankfully, the Biden-Harris administration is here to help with resources and reforms that will facilitate a smoother transitio… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on August Jobs Report
09.01.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 187,000 jobs in August as the unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent to 3.8 percent. Notably, this rise in the unemployment rate was driven by an increase in labor force participation rather than a decline in employment. The number of jobs created in August is higher than the 182,000 jobs created each month, on average, under the Tr… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds President Biden’s Proposed Rule to Strengthen Overtime Pay Protections
08.30.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Labor released a proposed rule that would raise the salary threshold for salaried workers to automatically qualify for overtime compensation. According to the Department of Labor, the proposed rule would guarantee overtime pay for most salaried workers earning less than about $55,000 per year, extending overtime protections for 3.6 million Americans. “Workers in this country des… Continue Reading
Courtney, Bean Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Missing and Exploited Children
08.21.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (R-FL) introduced H.R. 5224, the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation renews the Missing Children’s Assistance Act (MCAA) and makes critical updates to help the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) better support youth who are missing, to reduce child sexual exploitation, and to preven… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Biden Administration’s Guidance on Race in Admissions
08.14.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education and Department of Justice released joint guidance on race in admissions. “Admissions practices that narrowly tailored the use of race as one of many factors in evaluating prospective students were key to fostering diversity in higher education. Such admissions policies not only supported historically underserved students, but research confirmed that diverse campuses a… Continue Reading
Government Watchdog Report Finds Telework Can Increase Productivity and Improve Quality of Life for Workers and Their Families
08.11.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Committee on Oversight and Accountability Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), announced the release of a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the benefits and potential of telework for worker productivity and firm performance. “During the pandemic, millions of Americans… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on July Jobs Report
08.04.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 187,000 jobs in July, as the unemployment rate ticked down from 3.6 percent to 3.5 percent. This is higher than the 182,000 jobs created each month, on average, under the Trump administration prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since taking office, President Biden has created 13.4 million jobs, which is more jobs created in 30 months than … Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Report Finds Health Insurance Alternatives May Leave Consumers and Workers Vulnerable to Low-Quality Coverage, Misleading Marketing
08.02.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) announced the release of a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on health care arrangements—including Farm Bureau health plans, health care sharing ministries, and fixed indemnity plans—that are offered as alternatives to health insurance. The report found that these plans and… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: The Rebuild America’s Schools Act
08.01.23 WASHINGTON - Last week, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01) introduced the Rebuild America’s Schools Act (RASA) of 2023. Advocates and experts agree that this legislation would take key steps to ensure that schools are safe environments to learn and work. Here's what they're saying: [Re]Build America’s School Infrastructure Coalition (BASIC) Executive Director Ally Talcott: “We applaud and are … Continue Reading
Following SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision, Ranking Member Scott Urges ED to Protect Racial Equity in Education
08.01.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter urging the Department of Education (ED) to take steps to protect the civil rights of students following the Supreme Court’s ruling in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC. Despite decades of repeatedly finding that race-conscious admissions policies are consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act
07.31.23 WASHINGTON - Last week, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) introduced the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act to further lower prescription drug prices for American families and rein in pharmaceutical price gouging. Here is what leading advocates and experts are saying about the Lowering Drug Costs … Continue Reading
Workers, Employers, Economists, and Advocates Support the Raise the Wage Act
07.28.23 WASHINGTON - This week, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2023. Here is what workers, employers, economists, and advocates are saying: Business for a Fair Minimum Wage CEO Holly Sklar: “Stuck at just $7.25 an hour since 2009, the minimum wage is a poverty wage instead of an anti-poverty wage. That’s bad… Continue Reading
Education Leaders Propose Bill to Rebuild America’s Public Schools
07.27.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01) introduced the Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2023. The legislation invests more than $130 billion in our schools’ physical and digital infrastructure, and the resources are targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that pose health and safety risks to students and staff. “Chronic neglect of America’s public schools has forced stud… Continue Reading
House Democratic Health Committee Leaders Introduce Lower Drug Costs for American Families Act
07.26.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Democratic Health Committee leaders introduced new legislation to further lower prescription drug prices for American families and rein in pharmaceutical price gouging. The bill was introduced by Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA). Nearly one year ago, President Biden signed the Infl… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce Heat Stress Legislation to Protect Workers
07.26.23 WASHINGTON - Today, as temperatures around the world hit record highs, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, House Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with Reps. Judy Chu (CA-28), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), and Alma Adams (NC-12), introduced legislation to ensure the safety and health of workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace. Senators Sherrod Brown (OH) and Alex Padilla (CA) introduced identical companion legislation in the Senate. The Asunción Valdivi… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Praises Biden-Harris Administration for Expanding Access to Mental Health Care
07.26.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration released a new rule to strengthen mental and physical health parity requirements. “Access to high-quality mental health care and substance use disorder treatment are essential to our overall health and well-being. Mental illnesses are closely linked to physical health problems, such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, while, conversely, chronic physical illness… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage
07.25.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2023. The Raise the Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2028 and give roughly 28 million Americans a long-overdue raise. “No person working full-time in America should be living in poverty. The Raise the Wage Act will increase th… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Report Highlights Importance of Monitoring and Improving Americans’ 403(b) Retirement Plans
07.24.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which underscores the importance of monitoring 403(b) retirement plans in which millions of teachers and non-profit employees invest. The report also highlights several innovative ideas and state-based efforts to improve 403(b) plans. The new GAO report comes as House Republicans advance a budget that proposes a $38 million funding cut for the Employee Benef… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Leads Opposition to Extreme MAGA Republican Bill to Threaten Education Funding, Fuel Culture Wars
07.19.23 WASHINGTON - Today, extreme MAGA Republicans in the House voted to pass their Scapegoating Not Solutions Act, a mean-spirited proposal that threatens to take away education funding from a school if any its facilities are used to temporarily house asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants. Republican politicians falsely claim this bill is intended to keep students safe and address learning loss. Regrettably, this resolution does neither of those things. View Ranking Member Scott’s floor rem… Continue Reading