Press Releases

House Democratic Health Leaders Blast Court Ruling Undermining ACA

12.14.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) issued the following statement after a U.S. District Court Judge struck down the Affordable Care Act (ACA): "This reckless court decision endangers the lives of millions of Americans who are going to lose their health care. It is an ideological decision in a case that has no legal merit. … Continue Reading

Scott Statement on the Passage of Bipartisan Juvenile Justice Bill

12.13.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after the passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (H.R.6964), which reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve juvenile offenders and at-risk youth. "Today is the culmination of a multi-year, bipartisan effort to improve our juvenile justice system. Rather t… Continue Reading

Committee Democrats Condemn Trump Administration Proposal to Undermine Nutrition Benefits for Immigrant Children and Families

12.10.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), were joined by all Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen opposing the Department's proposed rule on "public charge." The proposal would allow DHS to deny an immigrant's application for a green card or temporary status if they or their family uses public benefits, including the Supplemental Nutri… Continue Reading

Democratic Committee Leaders Reiterate Demand for Information on Administration’s Decision Not to Defend the ACA

12.07.18 WASHINGTON - Four House Democratic Committee Leaders sent a follow-up letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma today reiterating their request for answers on the Trump administration's decision to decline to defend protections for individuals with preexisting conditions in the Texas v. United States lawsuit. The letter was signed by Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), … Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s School Nutrition Rule

12.07.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Agriculture released its final rule on school nutrition standards. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture's final rule on school nutrition standards runs counter to accepted science about quality school nutrition. By rolling back previous standards that were designed to limit students' sodium intake and promote the consumption of healthier whole grains, USDA is threatening the progress we've made… Continue Reading

Scott Statement on November Jobs Report

12.07.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 155,000 jobs in November. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent. "Today's jobs report reveals the economic state of workers and middle-class families remains fragile despite a prolonged period of low unemployment. Wages have remained largely stagnant - particularly for low-wage earners - and too many workers are forced to work multiple j… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Joins Calls for DOJ to Review Handling of Child Sex Trafficking Case

12.06.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement supporting calls for the Department of Justice's Inspector General to investigate Secretary Alexander Acosta's handling of a child sex trafficking case during his time as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. "I join my House and Senate colleagues in calling for the Department of Justice to review Mr. Acosta's handling of a child sex trafficking case during his time as U.S. Attorney for the Southern D… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Statement on Education Corporation of America

12.05.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) statement on today's announcement that the Education Corporation of America (ECA) will close all of its more than 75 campuses, affecting roughly 20,000 students. ECA is accredited by ACICS and makes up about half of ACICS accredited schools. ECA's abrupt closure calls into question the Department's recent decision to reinstate ACICS as a recognized accreditor. "We have repeatedly warned about the risks low-quality, for-profit education companies a… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Echoes Call to Strengthen Protections for Pregnant Workers

12.04.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after his colleagues' asked the Committee on Education and the Workforce to investigate pregnancy discrimination and miscarriages at work. "I echo my colleagues' concerns about the New York Times' reporting that employers are failing to appropriately accommodate the needs of pregnant workers. I am eager to work with my colleagues to further investigate this issue and to strengthen pregnancy discrimination laws to e… Continue Reading

Top Democrats File Amicus Brief in Opposition to the Labor Department’s New Rule to Undermine Affordable Care Act

12.03.18 WASHINGTON ? Last week, House Democratic leaders filed an amicus brief in Sate of New York v. Department of Labor in opposition to the Department of Labor's new rule which loosens the existing criteria regarding association health plans (AHPs) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In June, the Department of Labor finalized a new rule to alter the definition of "employer" under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the federal law that governs employee group health plans. The rule … Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott on NAFTA 2.0

11.30.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement regarding the new trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. "The devastating impact of NAFTA on American workers demonstrates the importance of including strong and enforceable labor protections in trade agreements. Based on the details made available, this agreement fails to provide the credible enforcement mechanisms that ensure labor protections are more than just words on a page. As a r… Continue Reading

Democratic Health Leaders Respond to Latest Health Marketplace Enrollment Figures

11.28.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ways & Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA), and Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that 2.4 million Americans have selected health insurance plans through state and federal marketplaces, a drop from this point in 2017: "While there are still two weeks remaining in op… Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Decision to Recognize ACICS

11.21.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education restored federal recognition to the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), a for-profit accreditor with a record of accrediting poor performing schools. "College accreditors have a critical role in protecting students and taxpayers from low-quality schools. The Education Department's decision to restore ACICS' recognition disregards ACICS' failure to comply … Continue Reading

Scott, Bonamici to Secretary Azar: Refusing to Recognize the Transgender Community Violates Science, Civil Rights

11.20.18 WASHINGTON ? Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Vice Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alexander Azar expressing their concern over a recent report outlining the Trump administration's plan to redefine gender to exclude transgender identity. The report, published by the … Continue Reading

Support Grows For Keeping All Students Safe Act

11.19.18 WASHINGTON - Last week, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (VA-8) and Bobby Scott (VA-3), introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA), which would protect students from the dangers of seclusion and restraint. If enacted, the law would establish strong federal standards to prohibit the use of seclusion and to limit restraint in federally funded schools, improve the safety of students and school staff, and ensure parents are… Continue Reading

Courtney Introduces Legislation to Reduce Violence Against Health Care and Social Service Workers

11.16.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney, (CT-02), a senior member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, introduced legislation aimed at curtailing rising rates of on the job violence facing health care and social service employees such as nurses, physicians, emergency responders, medical assistants, and social service workers. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, H.R. 7141, directs the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA… Continue Reading

Democratic Health Leaders Tell Trump to End Attacks on Americans’ Health Care

11.16.18 WASHINGTON - Democratic leaders on health care committees in the House and Senate today called on the Trump administration to cease their continued attacks on affordable, comprehensive health care for Americans, following a proposed change to the interpretation of Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act that would further open the door to junk insurance plans and undermine health care for people with pre-existing conditions. "We write to express our serious concerns that the Administration's ne… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott: Title IX Proposal Would Be “Damaging Setback” for Efforts to Prevent Campus Sexual Misconduct

11.16.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Education Department's proposed rule, released today, which revises standards for schools' responsibility under the Title IX to respond to campus sexual assault and harassment. "The Title IX proposal released today would be a damaging setback for our efforts to prevent campus sexual harassment and assault. The bottom line is that by allowing schools to use this new process and evidentiary standa… Continue Reading

Top Democrats Unveil Bill to Protect Students from Seclusion and Restraint Practices

11.14.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act to protect students from the dangers of seclusion and restraint at school. The legislation would make it illegal for any school receiving ta… Continue Reading

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