Press Releases
Chairman Scott Statement on House Passage of the Heroes Act
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House passed a fifth legislative relief package-the Heroes Act-in response to the COVID-19 crisis. "By passing the Heroes Act today, the House of Representatives took an important step toward confronting the full scale of this pandemic. "The Heroes Act dedicates nearly $1 trillion in emergency relief to help states and local government avert devastating cuts, particularly to education, public safety,… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on 66th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement ahead of the 66th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. "This year's anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education comes at a pivotal and perilous moment in the fight for educational equity. Last month, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that students have a constitutional right to a basic education. But the COVID-… Continue Reading
Heroes Act: What People Are Saying
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - The Heroes Act, introduced on May 12, is Congress' fifth COVID-19 pandemic response package aimed at protecting students' access to education, supporting workers and their families, and ensuring access to affordable health care. Here's what the nation's leading organizations are saying about the bill. American Council on Education (ACE): "This bill contains significant new funding for higher education institutions that will help alleviate the crippling financial impact posed by th… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Demands Education Department Abandon Plan to Use COVID-19 Relief Money to Fund Private School Voucher Scheme
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) called on the Education Department to abandon its plan to divert emergency education funding, which was intended to provide COVID-19 relief for public schools, toward private school vouchers. The letter comes after the Department announced its intention to use a vast majority of the $300 million it received for discretionary grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, a… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Member Briefing on Worker Safety
05.14.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a virtual Member briefing to examine the worker safety crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing, entitled "Protecting Workers from COVID-19," focused on how, despite rising death tolls among workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - the only agency in the federal government with the authority to enforce safe working conditions - has not taken meaningful action to protect workers from COVID-19… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Calls for the Passage of the Heroes Act
05.13.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement after House Democrats introduced a fifth legislative package-the Heroes Act-in response to the COVID-19 crisis. "As result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our students and schools are facing unprecedented educational and financial challenges, our workers are experiencing unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression, and our public health care system is straining to meet the demand for testing and treatment of this … Continue Reading
House Health Chairs Highlight Key Health Provisions in The Heroes Act
05.12.20 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) applauded the introduction of H.R. 6800, The Heroes Act, in the House of Representatives today. The Chairmen of the three Committees worked together to draft the health care provisions in the bill, which continue the House's work of providing the necessary resources and support to respond to the ongoing coronavirus… Continue Reading
Scott, Fudge Introduce Legislation to Protect Access to Food Assistance for Displaced College Students
05.08.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH-11) introduced the End Pandemic Hunger for College Students Act to ensure low-income college students can access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during school closures due to COVID-19. The bill comes as widespread campus closures are exacerbating the financial challenges facing students across the country. A 2019 survey released by Temple University … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on April Jobs Report
05.08.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April with the unemployment rate at 14.7 percent. "Today's jobs report reflects the devastating economic reality facing students, workers, and families across the country. The share of workers facing unemployment has risen to heights not seen since the Great Depression. Unless our federal response matches the scale of this unpreceden… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Member Briefing on Remote Learning, Educational Equity
05.07.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor held a virtual Member briefing to examine the learning challenges schools are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing, entitled "Remote Learning in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic," focused on the abrupt closure of schools due to COVID-19, and how these closures have exacerbated longstanding inequities in K-12 education and underscored disparities in school funding, curricular resources, school facilities, and teacher quality. … Continue Reading
Scott, Nadler Statement on Education Department’s Final Title IX Rule
05.06.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) issued the following statement after the Department of Education finalized a rule to revise standards for schools' responsibility under the Title IX to respond to campus sexual assault and harassment. "It is alarming that instead of focusing on helping students, educators, and institutions cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department wasted valuable time finalizing a rule that will erode … Continue Reading
House, Senate Democrats Warn DeVos Against Changing Distance Education Rules Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
05.04.20 WASHINGTON - Today, in a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Senate HELP Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) called on the Department to delay changes to distance education rules as students and schools adapt to virtual classrooms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a public comment letter, the Democratic education leaders wrote that the history of fraud and abuse in distance education programs and the massive sh… 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
Committee Democrats Call on Secretary DeVos to Fix Borrower Defense Application Process
05.04.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and Labor Democrats sent a comment letter to Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos opposing some of the Department's proposed changes to the application to the Borrower Defense program. The Members expressed serious concerns that some of Department's proposed changes are unnecessary and may deter applicants. The Borrower Defense program allows student loan borrowers to seek debt relief if they are defrauded by their institution. In the letter, the Memb… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Remarks at First Full Committee Virtual Forum on COVID-19 Response
05.01.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott delivered the following remarks at the first full Committee virtual forum on COVID-19. "Today, we're gathered to provide all Members the opportunity to share how the spread of COVID-19 is affecting their districts and discuss what the Committee can do to provide urgently needed relief. "The COVID-19 emergency is disrupting nearly every facet of our society. More than 30 million people have filed unemployment claims; students and families ar… Continue Reading
In Response to Rising Unemployment, Democrats Introduce Legislation to Invest $15 Billion in Workforce Training Needed to Relaunch the Economy
05.01.20 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) led House and Senate Democrats in introducing legislation to invest $15 billion in America's workforce training infrastructure as well as career and technical education. The Relaunching America's Workforce Act authorizes funding to help workers sharpen their skills and quickly re-enter the workforce a… Continue Reading
House Health Leaders Oppose Rule to Roll Back ACA Nondiscrimination Protections
05.01.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairs of the House Committees that oversee the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) voiced their strong opposition to a harmful Trump administration rule that would roll backAffordable Care Act (ACA) nondiscrimination protections. In a letter, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman 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), and House Oversight and R… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on President Trump Ordering Meat Processing Plants to Stay Open Despite Rising Worker Deaths
04.28.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in response to President Trump's plan to order meat processing plants to stay open and shield companies from liability for the health and safety of their workers. "There is clear evidence that without proper protections from COVID-19, workers in meat processing plants and other workplaces will continue to fall ill and die from this disease. It is profoundly disturbing that President Trump is using his authorit… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Workers’ Memorial Day
04.28.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in honor of Workers' Memorial Day. "As we mark Workers' Memorial Day this year, we remember the workers who have lost their lives and recommit to making workplaces safe. This year's remembrance comes at a particularly poignant time as our nation experiences its worst worker safety crisis in recent history. The Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 22,000 health care workers have been infecte… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on House Passage of Interim COVID-19 Response Bill
04.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement after the House passed the Senate's interim funding package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The interim funding legislation passed by the House today will provide urgent relief to vulnerable small businesses and their workers. Thanks to the efforts of Democratic leadership, this funding package sets aside $60 billion for small lenders, such as community-based banks and credit unions, so that small business… Continue Reading