Press Releases
Committee Chairs to Secretary Azar: Abandon Proposal to Undermine Civil Rights Protections Under Federal Programs
12.20.19 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (MA-01), and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar asking the Department to abandon its proposal to weaken civil rights protections for Americans served by a wide array of feder… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Fifth Circuit Court’s Ruling in Texas Case
12.18.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement released the following statement regarding the Fifth Circuit Court's decision in Texas v. United States. "Today, Republican attorneys general and the Trump administration took another step toward stripping access to affordable health care from millions of Americans. The latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act is legally frivolous. The argument that the absence of a monetary penalty for failing to purchase coverage inva… Continue Reading
Education and Labor Committee 2019 Accomplishments
12.17.19 By the Numbers 60 Hearings and markups 16 Bills passed out of Committee 9 Bills passed by the House Bills Passed out of the House Paycheck Fairness Act Addresses pay inequity by holding companies accountable for gender-based wage disparities, strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and protecting the rights of workers to challenge systemic pay discrimination. Raise the Wage Act Gradually increases the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2025, giving up to 33 million workers a ra… Continue Reading
Scott Statement: Changes to DeVos’ Flawed Partial Relief Formula Focused on Optics, Not Students
12.17.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education revised its plan to provide only partial relief to student borrowers defrauded by predatory institutions. "At Thursday's hearing, Secretary DeVos refused to acknowledge serious flaws in her plan to provide only partial relief to some defrauded borrowers while outright denying relief for others. A day later, the Department quietly took the plan off of its website and issued a revised versio… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on NLRB’s Proposed Rule to Stall Union Elections
12.13.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a final rule rescinding key portions of the 2014 Election Rule, which prohibits employers from delaying or obstructing union elections. "In 2014, the Obama administration delivered a major victory for American workers by protecting their right to hold fair and timely union elections. Five years later, the Trump administration is erasing that victory by restoring employ… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott: McDonald’s Decision Reflects Serious Issues at Trump NLRB
12.12.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) approved a settlement with McDonald's and franchisees involving numerous unfair labor practices committed by its McDonald's and its franchisees. The settlement was previously rejected by an administrative law judge, who found that the remedies were not reasonable compared to the scope of the violations alleged. "The NLRB's decision to force a settlement with McDonald's - des… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Praises Passage of Landmark Bill to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
12.12.19 "By passing H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, House Democrats are delivering on our promise to provide the American people long-awaited relief from skyrocketing prescription drug costs. This legislation will cut the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, families, taxpayers, and businesses across the country. This bill not only saves $500 billion by preventing drug companies from overcharging American consumers, it reinvests that money into expanding Medicare benefits, st… Continue Reading
House Democrats to Labor Secretary Scalia: Uphold Protections for Tipped Workers
12.11.19 WASHINGTON - Today, led by Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41), House Democrats sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia condemning the Department's proposed changes to tip regulations that the Economic Policy Institute estimates could cost workers more than $700 million annually. For nearly three decades, the Department of Labor enforced guidance, commonly referred to as the "80-20 r… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Department of Education’s New Formula for Denying Defrauded Borrowers Full Debt Relief
12.10.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education released a revised formula for providing partial loan relief to defrauded borrowers under the Borrower Defense rule. "Under the Borrower Defense rule, the Department of Education has the clear authority to provide full debt relief to students defrauded by their college. Rather than simply exercising that authority and providing life-changing relief to defrauded borrowers, the Department… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Praises Passage of FUTURE Act
12.10.19 WASHINGTON - Today, the House voted to pass the FUTURE Act, a bipartisan proposal to authorize permanent funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The legislation, which comes after months of negotiation between House and Senate leaders, provides more than $250 million in mandatory funding per year for these institutions. It also facilitates stronger cooperation between … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on November Jobs Report
12.06.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 266,000 jobs in November with the unemployment rate at 3.5 percent. "Today's jobs report illustrates the central challenge facing our economy. Even as the unemployment rate hits a 50-year low, wage growth for American workers remains modest. It is notable that after a decade of consistent economic expansion, working families across the country are still … Continue Reading
Scott, Pallone, and Neal Announce Lower Drug Costs Now Act’s Historic Investment in Medicare and Search for New Cures
12.05.19 WASHINGTON- Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (NJ-06), and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (MA-01) released the following joint statement today announcing the historic investments in Medicare and the search for new cures that will be included in H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act when it goes to the House floor for a vote next week. "When the House of Representatives takes up the… Continue Reading
New GAO Report Shows Significant Income, Racial Barriers to Accessing Rights for Students with Disabilities
12.03.19 WASHINGTON - A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today reveals the dramatic effect of income and race on access to legal protections for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report, which collected new data on dispute resolution under IDEA-a process that provides parents with the opportunity to raise due process complaints with their child's education-found that parents of low-income students and students of color are f… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Praises Passage of Legislation to Protect Health Care and Social Service Employees from Workplace Violence
11.21.19 WASHINGTON - Today, the House voted to pass H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a proposal to protect health care and social workers from workplace violence. The bipartisan legislation forces the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a standard requiring employers to implement violence prevention plans, which are proven to reduce workplace violence. In 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that health care … Continue Reading
H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act: What People Are Saying
11.21.19 H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, is a bipartisan proposal to protect health care and social workers from workplace violence by forcing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a standard requiring employers to implement violence prevention plans, which are proven to reduce workplace violence. Here's what health care providers, worker safety advocates, and labor unions are saying about H.R. 1309: American Coll… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Department of Labor Abandoning Proposed Changes to Child Labor Laws
11.20.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor abandoned its proposed rule to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to operate patient lifts in health care settings. "The Department of Labor's decision to abandon its rollback of child labor protections is a victory for the safety of workers and patients. This proposal ignored expert warnings about the danger of allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to use patient lifts without supervision. Instead, the Depar… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on HHS Rule to Undermine Civil Rights
11.19.19 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a rule to undermine nondiscrimination provisions in federally funded health and social service programs. "This proposal to remove some of the nondiscrimination standards for both secular and religious HHS grantees is the Administration's latest attempt to weaken civil rights protections in federally funded programs. Under … Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Condemn Education Department Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Critical Civil Rights Data
11.19.19 WASHINGTON - Committee Democrats sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos condemning the Department's proposed changes to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which would eliminate collection of data that are critical in addressing the inequities in America's education system. The proposal to limit collection of data by race, gender, and disability status would also hinder the ability of the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to enforce civil rights laws, leaving children of … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Secretary DeVos Agreeing to Provide Documents Regarding Refusal to Provide Debt Relief to Defrauded Students
11.14.19 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education agreed to provide documents - which had first been requested in November 2018 - regarding its refusal to provide debt relief to defrauded students under Borrower Defense. "For the past year, we have been asking the Department to explain why they are refusing to provide debt relief to more than 210,000 defrauded borrowers. Late tonight, the Department fi… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott: Partial Relief for Dream Center Students “Falls Well Short” of What Defrauded Borrowers Deserve
11.08.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education agreed to expand eligibility for closed school discharge to only a small portion of students defrauded by Dream Center, a defunct for-profit college chain. "Over the past several months, the Committee presented clear evidence that the Department of Education and Dream Center schools knew that the for-profit chain was on the verge of closure but failed to notify existing and potential Dream… Continue Reading