Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Civil Rights in Employment
Chairman Scott Urges Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Older Workers Against Discrimination
06.23.21 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks on the House floor in support of H.R. 2062, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act. "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 2062, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, which I reintroduced this year with our colleague from Illinois-Mr. Rodney Davis. "For decades, the federal government has recognized the need to protect older… Continue Reading
Committee Advances Bills to Protect Nursing Mothers and Older Workers
05.26.21 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee advanced two bills to combat workplace discrimination, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (HR. 3110) and the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) (H.R. 2062). The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act ensures nursing mothers are provided the time and privacy they need to pump at work to keep themselves and their infants healthy. The bipartisan bill is supported by worker advocates, civil rights and public he… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott to Biden Administration: The Honor System Does Not Protect Workers
05.18.21 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement calling for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to do its job to protect workers from COVID-19. National Nurses United and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union released statements citing concerns with the impact of CDC's new guidance on workers. "One clear lesson from the last 16 months is that the honor system does not protect workers from COVID-19 infections. OSHA's decis… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Calls for Passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
05.14.21 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks on the House floor in support of H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. "Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, introduced by Representatives Nadler and Katko. "It is unacceptable that, in 2021, pregnant workers can still be denied basic workplace accommodations that help them stay healthy during their pregnancy. "These acc… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott, 54 Members of Congress Reintroduce Fairness for Farm Workers Act
05.13.21 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) joined Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03) and 53 other Members of Congress in reintroducing the Fairness for Farm Workers Act to update the nation's labor laws to ensure farm workers receive fair wages and compensation. The bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to end the overtime and minimum wage exemptions for farm workers. Since its passage in 1938, FLSA has excluded farm workers fr… Continue Reading
House Democrats Reintroduce Bill to Strengthen Civil Rights Protections, Restore Purpose of Federal Religious Freedom Law
02.25.21 WASHINGTON – Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) reintroduced legislation to address the increasing use of religious freedom laws to undermine civil rights protections. The Do No Harm Act re… Continue Reading
Scott and McMorris Rodgers Statement on Civil Rights Report to Repeal Subminimum Wage for People with Disabilities
09.17.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Labor, and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) released the following statements on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 2020 report on the subminimum wage and its impact on people with disabilities. In the report, the Commission recommends Congress "repeal Section 14(c) with a planned phase-out period to allow transition among service providers and people with disabilities to alternative service models prioritizing co… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on SCOTUS Decision in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru
07.08.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel that religious employers can exempt some of their employees from civil rights laws on the basis of religious freedom. This is particularly relevant given the Court's recent decision in Espinoza, which would allow taxpayer money to flow to private, religious schools. "Today's Supreme Court decision cre… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott on Landmark Decision to Secure Employment Protections for LGBTQ
06.15.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ individuals cannot be denied employment due to sexual orientation or gender identity. "The Supreme Court's decision affirms that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits the unlawful workplace discrimination on the basis of sex. With today's landmark decision, the Court relied on precedent to make clear that gender-based discrimination against workers includes sex… Continue Reading
House Democrats to Labor Department: Protect Civil Rights in Federal Contracting
05.04.20 WASHINGTON - Today, House Democrats sent a letter to the Director of the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in strong opposition to the agency's recent guidance allowing new service, supply, and construction contracts related to coronavirus response to avoid federal affirmative action requirements. The letter was signed by Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Committee on Armed Services… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Calls on Trump Administration to Withdraw Proposals Supporting Taxpayer-Funded Religious Discrimination
02.21.20 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) sent four letters to the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (ED), Labor (DOL), and Justice (DOJ) expressing strong opposition to the administration's sweeping set of proposed rules that would allow religious discrimination against employees and students in federally funded programs and violate the religious liberty rights of individuals accessing federally sponsored social service progra… Continue Reading
Congress Seeks Documents on Trump Administration’s Change to Longstanding Rules Protecting Federal Employees
01.23.20 WASHINGTON, DC -Today, Rep. Bobby Scott, the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) seeking documents and information about the change proposed to longstanding federal rules ensuring that federal employees who bring complaints for illegal employment discrimination may be accompanied by the representatives of their choice. "As the Ch… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Praises Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Older Workers Against Age Discrimination
01.15.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement as the House voted to pass H.R. 1230, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act. The bipartisan legislation would restore protections for older workers by ensuring they have the same legal protections against age discrimination as those that exist for discrimination based on race, sex, nationality, and religion. "It has now been more than a decade since the Supreme Court heightened the bu… Continue Reading
Committee Advances Bipartisan Proposal to Secure Clear, Strong Protections for Pregnant Workers
01.14.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor advanced the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694), a bipartisan proposal to secure clear and strong protections for pregnant workers. The legislation guarantees pregnant workers' right to reasonable accommodations - such as extra bathroom breaks, relief from heavy lifting, and other minor job modifications that ensure they can continue working without jeopardizing their health or the health of their pregnancy. The bill is being led b… Continue Reading
Committee Chairs to Secretary Azar: Abandon Proposal to Undermine Civil Rights Protections Under Federal Programs
12.20.19 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (MA-01), and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar asking the Department to abandon its proposal to weaken civil rights protections for Americans served by a wide array of feder… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on EEOC Decision to Abandon Collection of Data on Racial, Gender Pay Gap
09.12.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a Notice of Information Collection on the EEO-1 report. The Notice abandons an Obama-era initiative to expand the EEO-1 data collection, known as Component 2, to include data on race and gender pay disparities. "The 2016 revisions to the EEO-1 report (Component 2) are necessary for the enforcement of our nation's anti-discrimination laws. The expanded pay data… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Department of Labor Proposal to Weaken Anti-Discrimination Protections in Federal Contracting
08.15.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Contracting Compliance Programs proposed a new rule which would gut nondiscrimination protections by vastly expanding religious exemptions to Executive Order 11246, which prohibit discrimination in hiring by federal contractors, including on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity. "The administration's proposal to weaken anti-discrimination protections in f… Continue Reading
Chu, Menendez, Scott, Lofgren Introduce Bicameral POWER ACT to Protect Immigrant Workers
05.22.18 WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Representative Judy Chu and Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced the Protecting Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation (POWER) Act in the House and Senate. The legislation will provide U Visa eligibility for immigrant workers who report unsafe or unfair labor practices. The bill will also strengthen labor agencies' investigative powers and allow a stay of removal and work authorization for workers who file a workplace claim. At a time of increasing workplace ra… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Honor Brown v Board Anniversary by Highlighting Administration’s Attacks on Students’ Civil Rights
05.17.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Democrats honored the 64th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision by expanding the focus of a hearing on data privacy to include a wide range of threats to students' rights and educational equity. While acknowledging the importance of protecting students' data, Democrats highlighted the Trump administration's actions to roll back protections for transgender students, rescind Obama-era guidance on combating sexual assault on campus, and halt… Continue Reading
Scott: House Passes Bill that Undermines Civil Rights for People With Disabilities
02.15.18 Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 [225-192]. The legislation attacks the civil rights of Americans with disabilities. "Passage of H.R. 620 is the latest attack on the rights of individuals with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a bipartisan civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and ensures access to places of employment… Continue Reading