Press Releases
Chairman Scott Statement on December Jobs Report
01.08.21 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy lost 140,000 jobs in December with the unemployment rate at 6.7 percent. "Lost in the news of the violent mob incited by the president was the single deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic and 42 consecutive weeks of record-high unemployment claims. Due to the disastrous leadership of this administration, Americans are struggling … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on the Nomination of Marty Walsh for Secretary of Labor
01.07.21 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President-elect Biden nominated Marty Walsh to lead the Department of Labor (DOL). "I congratulate Marty Walsh on his nomination to be the next Secretary of Labor. With Mr. Walsh's experience in the Laborers' Union, Massachusetts' House of Representatives, and most recently as the mayor of Boston, I am confident that he will restore the mission of the Department to ensu… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott: Final DOL Rule Will Rob Workers of More than $3 Billion a Year
01.06.21 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Labor announced its final rule on the classification of independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Department's rule would narrow its interpretation of who is considered an employee under the FLSA. The rule creates a new test that effectively rejects the inquiry into whether a worker is economically dependent on a potential employer and instead makes employee… Continue Reading
Democratic Health Leaders Call on Trump to Abandon Proposed Rule Changes Making Health Care More Expensive and More Difficult to Access
01.05.21 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democratic health care leaders called on the Trump administration to rescind policies in a proposed rule that would allow states to end the use of Healthcare.gov and state exchanges to enroll consumers in coverage. House Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray, (D-WA), House Ways and Means Committee Chairm… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on the Nomination of Dr. Miguel Cardona for Secretary of Education
12.22.20 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President-elect Biden nominated Dr. Miguel Cardona to lead the Department of Education (ED). "I congratulate Dr. Miguel Cardona on his nomination to be the next Secretary of Education. Dr. Cardona has over two decades of experience serving in America's public schools- first as an elementary school teacher and then as a school principal, assistant superintendent, and mos… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Department of Labor’s Harmful Tip Rule
12.22.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor (DOL) finalized a tip rule that would repeal the 80/20 rule, which prohibits employers from paying subminimum wages to tipped workers who spend more than 20 percent of their time performing tasks where they cannot earn tips. "Today's final tip rule from the Department of Labor (DOL) strips tipped workers of a critical protection against wage theft at a time when they need it most. … Continue Reading
Education Leaders Celebrate Repeal of Last Provision in Federal Law Banning Use of Federal Funds for Desegregation
12.22.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Labor, and Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Subcommittee on Appropriations, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) released the following statement after the House voted to repeal Section 426 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). The provision was first included in the Fiscal Year 2021 House Labor-HHS Bill and maintained in the final Omnibus Package. This action … Continue Reading
Committee Democrats to USDA: The Pandemic is Not an Excuse to Provide Children Unhealthy Food
12.22.20 WASHINGTON - Today, led by Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Committee Democrats wrote in opposition to a Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposal to roll back nutrition standards that have significantly improved the nutritional quality of school meals. The proposal resurrects and expands a 2018 rule that was ultimately vacated by a district court. The Members note that under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, it is the responsibility of the Departme… Continue Reading
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