Press Releases
House Democrats Release Updated Version of The Heroes Act
09.28.20 WASHINGTON - House Democrats today released an updated version of The Heroes Act, addressing needs that have developed since the House passed an earlier iteration and reflecting negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. The $2.2 trillion legislation protects lives, livelihoods and the life of our democracy. To address needs that have arisen since the House first acted, the updated legislation includes: Strong support for small businesses, by improving the Paycheck Protection Program t… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Education Department Finally Agreeing to Comply with the CARES Act
09.25.20 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education said it would not appeal three federal court rulings that found its formula for distributing CARES Act emergency education aid violated the law. “For more than four months, the Department of Education ignored the clear text of CARES Act in an attempt to unlawfully divert funding away from low-income students in … Continue Reading
Committee Advances Landmark Legislation to Expand Registered Apprenticeships, Invest in Our Nation’s Workforce
09.24.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor voted to advance the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, which would invest more than $3.5 billion to create nearly one million new apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years. The legislation - which would update the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 for the first time since its enactment in 1937 - makes historic investments in workforce training to confront the sharp rise in unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rece… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Opening Statement at Markup of National Apprenticeship Act
09.24.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today's markup of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020. "Today, we are marking up H.R. 8294, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, a comprehensive proposal to reauthorize and modernize the National Apprenticeship Act for the first time since its enactment in 1937. "Registered Apprenticeships are America's most successful workforce development initiative. According to the Department of Lab… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Calls on Secretary DeVos to Reinstate Obama-Era School Discipline Guidance, Address Systemic Racism in Education
09.23.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) called on the Department to reinstate critical Obama-era school discipline guidance, which was established in response to the disproportionate impact of school discipline practices on students of color and students with disabilities. In the letter, Chairman Scott notes that the Department's decision to rescind the discipline guidance failed to re… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Applauds Key Child Nutrition Provisions in Continuing Resolution
09.22.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the final text of the Continuing Resolution, which extended and expanded key child nutrition measures. "The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered several parallel crises for communities and industries across this country, but few are as urgent as the current child hunger crisis. Despite the two substantial COVID-19 relief packages that Congress passed in the early weeks of the pandemic, as many as 17… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Department of Labor Proposed Rule on Independent Contractors
09.22.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Labor released its proposed rule on the classification of workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). "The pervasive trend of employers misclassifying their employees as independent contractors has had severe consequences for workers and our economy. It strips workers of basic wage and hour protections, leaves law-abiding businesses at a competitive disadvantage, and robs state … Continue Reading
As Nation Faces Record Unemployment, Committee Democrats Unveil Legislation to Expand Apprenticeships, Invest in Workforce Training
09.17.20 The Committee will hold a markup of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 on Thursday, September 24. WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and Labor Democrats unveiled a proposal to reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act that would create nearly one million new Registered Apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship positions over the next five years. The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, introduced by Chair Susan Davis (CA-53), Subcommittee on Higher Education an… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
09.17.20 "Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2694, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. No one should have to choose between financial security and a healthy pregnancy. Unfortunately, our pregnancy anti-discrimination laws urgently need be updated to provide reasonable accommodations for workers. "Current federal law does not clearly guarantee pregnant workers' right to reasonable accommodations in the workplace - such as water, seating, bathroom breaks, and lifting restrictions. These basic prot… 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
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: What People Are Saying
09.17.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the House will vote to secure critical rights for pregnant workers. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) would clearly establish a pregnant worker's right to a "reasonable accommodation" so that no worker is forced to choose between financial security and a healthy pregnancy. Here's what some the leading organizations are saying about the bill: A Better Balance: "No one should have to choose between keeping their job and a healthy pregnancy-not during a pandemic, no… Continue Reading
Democrats Urge Trump Administration to Reject Georgia’s Illegal 1332 Waiver Request to Eliminate Healthcare.gov
09.16.20 "The elimination of Healthcare.gov access would be catastrophic for thousands of consumers who access Marketplace and Medicaid coverage through the site each year." According to one estimate, the waiver proposal would cause 35,000 to 90,000 people to lose coverage in the first year. WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Senate Healt… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act
09.16.20 "Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act-this legislation will restore the right of students and parents to address racial inequities in public education. "This legislation comes over 66 years after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case that "in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." "And this comes four years after the G… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Subpoenas NLRB Chairman for Documents Regarding Potential Conflicts of Interest
09.15.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) subpoenaed the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Chairman John Ring for internal ethics memos and other documents that could reveal Trump-appointed Board Members participated in major NLRB actions despite being instructed to recuse themselves due to conflicts of interest. The subpoena comes in response to the NLRB's refusal to provide relevant documents after nearly 18 months of lawful oversight requests. In a September 1 letter … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Strength in Diversity Act
09.15.20 "Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Strength in Diversity Act. "It has been 66 years since the Supreme Court unanimously struck down public school segregation in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. In that case, the Court declared that public education, 'where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.' "The Court went on to say that 'in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Strength in Diversity Act of 2020
09.15.20 WASHINGTON - More than 66 years after the landmark Supreme court decision in Brown v. Board, we have yet to fulfill the promise of equity in education. The Strength in Diversity Act of 2020 (H.R. 2639) provides funding and expertise to support school districts that are voluntarily developing, implementing, or expanding school diversity initiatives. Here's what the leading education and civil rights groups are saying about the bill: American Federation of Teachers (AFT): "As our country reckons … Continue Reading
Committee Democrats: Labor Department’s Joint Employer Rule Erodes Workers’ Most Basic Workplace Rights
09.10.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), Vice Chair of the Committee on Education and Labor, and Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, issued the following statement after a New York federal judge invalidated most of the Department of Labor's interpretative rule narrowing joint employment liability. "This ruling quashes yet another Trump administrat… Continue Reading
Pelosi Statement on Amicus Brief in District Court Case Protecting Education Funding for Students
09.10.20 WASHINGTON- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in the case of Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. v. Betsy DeVos, opposing the Department of Education's illegal attempt to divert CARES Act money from public schools to private schools: "Across the country, families have great angst about the health and well-being of their children, as students are going back to school and the coronavirus continues to rage. In the sprin… Continue Reading
Scott, DeLauro Call on Scalia to Support Extension of Contracts for Equity Intermediaries, the National Urban League and the Chicago Women in Trades
09.08.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Education and Labor Committee, and Chair Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia in support of the renewal of the Department's Equity in Apprenticeship contracts for equity intermediaries, the National Urban League (NUL) and the Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT). These contracts are necessary to effectively … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott: On Eve of Labor Day Weekend, August Jobs Report Demonstrates Need for Senate Action
09.04.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 1.4 million jobs in August with the unemployment rate at 8.4 percent. "As we approach Labor Day, the August jobs report shows that while the economy is slowly recovering, the pandemic is continuing to devastate workers, families, and communities. The absence of federal leadership has allowed this public health emergency to balloon into an economic crisi… Continue Reading