Press Releases
Chairman Scott Statement on Passage of Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus Package and COVID-19 Relief
12.21.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the House passage of the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Omnibus spending package and coronavirus relief proposal. "Today, the House passed a bold spending package and coronavirus relief bill that reflects the priorities of House Democrats: Advancing equity in education, supporting America's workers, and expanding access to affordable health care. "I am particularly pleased with the inclusi… Continue Reading
Education Leaders Celebrate Higher Education Agreement in FY21 Omnibus
12.20.20 WASHINGTON - Today, following the release of the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Omnibus bill text, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment Chair Susan Davis (CA-53), and Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Chair Alma Adams (NC-12) celebrated the major Democratic priorities for higher education included in the spending bill. The bill expands the Pell Grant program, which will result in hundreds of thousands of students becoming newly eligi… Continue Reading
Scott and Murray: Trump Administration’s Weak Fiduciary Rule Will Hurt Families, Benefit Unscrupulous Financial Advisors
12.15.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement in response to the Department of Labor announcing its final fiduciary rule. "This weak rule will hurt workers, retirees, and families across the country by letting unscrupulous financial advisors put their own interests ahead of t… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott: Government Watchdog Confirms DOL Broke the Law
12.15.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (OIG) released the findings of its investigation into the Department's rulemaking process for its 2017 proposed tip rule. The report found that, among other errors, the Department improperly withheld information regarding the expected impact of the rule on tipped workers. The 2019 proposed tip rule places no limitation on the amount of time a tipped empl… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott to EEOC Chair Dhillon: Removing Litigation Authority from Agency Attorneys Will Delay the Administration of Justice
12.15.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) expressed deep concern to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Janet Dhillon regarding the plan to limit the EEOC attorneys' authority. Under this proposal, all lawsuits must first be subject to a Commission vote before they can be filed, which could significantly delay and hinder the enforcement of civil rights laws. The Commission attempted the vote in July 2019, but it was ultimately withdrawn. "This change will s… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Final Rules Supporting Taxpayer-Funded Religious Discrimination
12.14.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services - along with several other agencies - finalized a sweeping set of rules that would allow broad religious discrimination against employees, beneficiaries, and students in federally funded programs. "The finalization of eight department rules to undermine the rights of employees and beneficiaries of federally funded programs undersc… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Announces Bipartisan Congressional Committee Surprise Billing Agreement
12.12.20 WASHINGTON - Key House and Senate Committee leaders announced a bipartisan agreement on legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills and establish a fair framework to resolve payment disputes between health care providers and health insurance companies. The deal was agreed to by House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ranking Me… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on 5th Anniversary of the Every Student Succeeds Act
12.10.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). "Five years ago, we came together to pass the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) with the intent of bringing our country one step closer to achieving equity in education - the promise enshrined in the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The decision declared that: 'In these days, it … Continue Reading
New “Future of Work” Report Details How Congress Can Support Workers in the Modern Economy
12.08.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor released a report on the "future of work," exploring how a flood of new technologies and business models is shaping the American workforce. In the report, the Committee identifies three key challenges Congress must tackle to protect, promote, and prepare American workers in the coming decades. Informed by expert testimony and stakeholder input, the report offers detailed recommendations for how Congress can support workers in the modern… Continue Reading
VIDEO RELEASE: Chairman Scott Delivers Remarks in Support of HBCU PARTNERS Act
12.07.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the during the floor debate for the HBCU PARTNERS Act (H.R. 1054), Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) delivered remarks in support of the bill. "Despite this outsized role in expanding access to high-quality education, HBCUs continue to be under-resourced compared to other institutions of higher learning," said Chairman Scott. "Now, this historic lack of support is being further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as HBCUs dispropo… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Final Rule to Weaken Anti-Discrimination Protections in Federal Contracting
12.07.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) finalized a rule to gut nondiscrimination protections by vastly expanding religious exemptions to Executive Order 11246, which prohibit discrimination in hiring by federal contractors. "Today, the Trump administration finalized a rule to weaken anti-discrimination protections in federal contracting. The new rules gives taxpayer… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on the Nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for Secretary of Health and Human Services
12.07.20 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President-elect Biden nominated California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "I applaud President-elect Biden's nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. Becerra has an extensive career from serving in the California General Assembly, the U.S. H… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on November Jobs Report
12.04.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statisticsannounced that the economy added 245,000 jobs in November with the unemployment rate at 6.7 percent. "Today's report signals that economic recovery is continuing to slow as our nation faces one of the worst economic and public health crises in history. As COVID-19 cases and deaths skyrocket in nearly every state across the country, we continue to confront the disastrous impacts of the Tr… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Re-Election as Chairman of Education & Labor Committee
12.03.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after he was elected the next Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor by the House Democratic Caucus. "I am grateful to my colleagues for providing me the opportunity to continue my role as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. It has been an honor to lead this Committee during a critical time in our nation's history, and to work alongside a diverse coalition of Members representing the … Continue Reading
Democratic Health Leaders Blast Trump Administration for Latest Attempted Sabotage of the Affordable Care Act
12.01.20 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) released the following statement opposing the Trump administration's Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for … Continue Reading
Scott, Murray: Moral Imperative to Measure Scope of Learning Loss Remains, Despite Postponement of NAEP
11.25.20 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement after Education Department Secretary Betsy DeVos sent letters to the Members announcing the Department's decision to postpone the 2021 administration of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). "As a result of nationwide school closures, existing achievement gaps are widening… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Responds to USDA Proposal to Resurrect Overturned Child Nutrition Rule
11.25.20 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture re-proposed a rule to weaken standards in child nutrition programs: "As more than a quarter of our nation's households with children head into the Thanksgiving holiday struggling to put food on the table, the Department of Agriculture's rule to undermine nutrition standards for child nutrition programs will only make it harder for childr… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott to GSA: Delayed Support for Biden Transition Team Will Have “Devastating Consequences”
11.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Emily Murphy urging the GSA to grant the Biden-Harris Transition Team access to critical information, services, and resources. "Our country is facing an unprecedented global pandemic that is killing 2,000 Americans per day, and any further delay in an effective government response will have devastating consequences," wrote Chairman … Continue Reading
Government Watchdog: DOL’s Lack of Service Contract Act Enforcement Costs Workers Millions
11.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report revealing lapses in the Department of Labor's enforcement of the Service Contract Act (SCA), which requires contractors and subcontractors performing services on prime contracts in excess of $2,500 to pay service employees in various classes no less than the wage rates and fringe benefits found prevailing in the locality. The GAO found that from 2014 to 2019, the Department of Labor found wage or benefit violatio… Continue Reading
Chairs Maloney and Scott Issue Statement After Department of Education Suspends Tool to Help Defrauded Student Borrowers
11.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Robert C. "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, issued the following statement after the Department of Education suspended a new web tool designed to simplify the Borrower Defense application process for individuals who were ripped off by their schools: "We are troubled that the Department of Education removed a new web tool from its website that was desi… Continue Reading