Press Releases
Chairman Scott Calls for Extension of Pandemic Food Assistance Program
07.31.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement calling for the extension of the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) program, which provides additional funding for struggling families with children who cannot access free or reduced-price school meals due to school closures. Yesterday, a Brookings Institution study found that P-EBT, which Congress passed under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, prevented at least 2.7 million children from going hungry in the week… Continue Reading
Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act: What People Are Saying
07.30.20 WASHINGTON - The Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act is House Democrats' plan to expand access to free school meals for all children during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prevent the collapse of school nutrition programs. Here's what the nation's leading anti-hunger and child nutrition organizations are saying about the bill. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND): "The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics believes that school meals are as important to learning as textbooks and pencils. In the… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats to Scalia: Stop Undermining Americans’ Ability to Make “Sustainable Investments”
07.30.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Secretary Eugene Scalia, 21 Committee Democrats expressed deep concern about the Department of Labor's (DOL) proposed rule to undermine workers' ability to invest responsibly when saving for retirement. The rule would needlessly restrict retirement plans for considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when making investment decisions. In the letter to Secretary Scalia, the Members said the DOL failed to provide an adequate justification for overtu… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Introduces Bill to Provide Free School Meals to All Students During COVID-19 Pandemic
07.30.20 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) introduced legislation to make all students eligible for free school meals during the 2020-2021 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act would allow all children to access breakfast, lunch, and afterschool snack programs either in school or through "grab and go" and delivery options. The Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act is co-led by Rep. Marc… Continue Reading
Alexander, Murray, Pallone, Walden, Scott, Foxx Joint Statement on White House Surprise Medical Billing Report
07.29.20 WASHINGTON - Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-Ore.), House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) today released the following statement on the White House's call for Congress to pass legislation ending the practice of surprise medical billing: "Patients have demande… Continue Reading
House Passes Child Care is Essential Act
07.29.20 WASHINGTON - The House today passed H.R. 7027, the Child Care is Essential Act, urgently-needed legislation to immediately address the problems child care providers have in staying open and covering their increased operating costs with limited revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Without child care, parents cannot return to work, business cannot reopen, and young children cannot access invaluable early learning opportunities. But at this moment our child care industry stands on the brink of c… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Remarks on Bill to Avert Looming Child Care Crisis
07.29.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), delivered the following remarks on the House floor on the Child Care is Essential Act, a proposal that would invest $50 billion in helping child care providers reopen and reducing the cost of child care for working families. "Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to my colleague and friend, Congresswoman DeLauro, for her work in support of children, families, and child care providers. I rise today in support of the Child Care is Essenti… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray: Republican K-12 Proposal is “a recipe for more chaos and illness”
07.28.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Education and Labor Committee, and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement on the Republican proposal to condition K-12 funds by requiring schools to operate in-person, and directing federal funding to unaccountable private schools. "Democrats want schools to re-open for in-person learning if it can be done safely-but the partisan Republi… Continue Reading
Committee Report Reveals Senior Education Department Official Aided For-Profit Higher Education Company in Misleading Students Using Taxpayer Dollars
07.28.20 WASHINGTON - A report released today by the Committee on Education and Labor reveals that a high-ranking official at the Department of Education quietly worked on behalf of a for-profit higher education company that was actively defrauding students and taxpayers. New documents published in the Committee's oversight report strongly suggest that Under Secretary Diane Auer Jones - a former for-profit education lobbyist - went to extraordinary lengths to aid Dream Center Education Holdings despite k… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott’s Video Message on 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities
07.26.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following video message on the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. "The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted on the basic principle that all people in this country have the right to full participation in their communities. The ADA broke barriers to accessing public spaces, established basic civil rights protections, and opened equal employment and educational opportunities for people with disabiliti… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Member Briefing on How the Administration’s Failed COVID-19 Response has Hurt Native Students
07.24.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee held a virtual briefing to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and tribally controlled schools, and how the federal government has failed to serve Native students. The federal government has a legal obligation to provide elementary and secondary education to Native American children associated with tribes. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Native American students were deprived of critical educational resources and support. … Continue Reading
Chairmen Scott, Serrano, Nadler Release Groundbreaking GAO Report on 30th Anniversary of ADA that Finds Two-Thirds of U.S. Public Schools Have Barriers That May Limit Access for Students with Disabilities
07.24.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Congressmen José E. Serrano (NY-15), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary, released a groundbreaking U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reportentitled "K-12 Education: School Districts Need Better Information to Help Improve Acces… Continue Reading
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist: There Should Be No Conditions on School Funding
07.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, during a Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Secondary and Elementary Education hearing on reopening schools, Dr. Sean O'Leary, Vice Chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), urged Congress to provide at least $200 billion in aid to K-12 schools that "must be available to all schools, regardless of their timeline for reopening." "Schools and areas with high rates of COVID-19 spread may need to consider delaying a return … Continue Reading
Reps. Cartwright, McKinley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Mine Workers from COVID-19 Health Risks
07.22.20 Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08) and David McKinley (R-WV-01) announced that they have introduced the COVID-19 Mine Worker Protection Act to implement safety guidelines for mine workers facing unique health risks due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Miners already have tough jobs as it is. But now, working in close quarters puts them at risk of contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to their loved ones," Cartwright said. "In Northeastern Pennsylvania, we know… Continue Reading
House Education Leaders Describe How Congress Can Help Schools Reopen Safely
07.21.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) held a press call with Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Congresswoman Donna Shalala (FL-27), and Dr. Nyree Washington, an educator from Miami Coral Reef Senior High School to discuss what must be included in the next COVID-19 response package to help schools reopen safely. The call highlighted the need for significant and immediate federal investment in education to ensure schools can follow the safely guidelines established by th… Continue Reading
National Health Organizations, Child Advocates Call on Congress to Provide At Least $200 Billion to Help Schools Reopen Safely
07.21.20 Yesterday, national health organizations and child advocates - led by the American Academy of Pediatrics - wrote to House and Senate leadership calling on Congress to pass at least $200 billion in K-12 education funding. Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy: On behalf of the undersigned organizations representing public health, medical providers, and advocates for children and families committed to advancing the health and well-being of children… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on White House Blocking CDC from Testifying on School Reopening
07.17.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Trump administration blocked the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention from testifying at a public hearing about safely reopening schools. "School reopening plans must be guided by the advice of public health experts. For that reason, we asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to testify in a public hearing to provide greater clarity on the steps we can take to help schools … Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Member Briefing on How the Trump Administration is Failing Retirement Savers
07.16.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee held a virtual briefing to examine how recent Department of Labor's actions have weaken retirement protections for workers. The briefing, entitled "Failing Retirement Savers: Examining Three Recent Labor Department Actions," focused on how the Trump administration has taken steps that will erode retirement security for future retirees by exposing them to bad advice and greater risk while undermining accountability for unethical retirement advisors. "In this … Continue Reading
House Chairs Question Secretary DeVos’s Delay Distributing COVID-19 Relief for Puerto Rico
07.16.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva (AZ-03) demanded an explanation for why the Department has delayed distributing emergency educational relief for Puerto Rico. Congress designated $400 million in the CARES Act to help Puerto Rico address immediate educational needs, and the Department has only disbursed $7 million, citing past pro… Continue Reading
Congressional Education Leaders to DeVos: Stop Robbing Vulnerable Students of Emergency Aid
07.15.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, congressional education leaders expressed deep concern about the Department's interim final rule to prevent millions of students from getting the emergency relief Congress provided under the CARES Act. The letter was sent by Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and Labor, Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Health, and Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)… Continue Reading