Press Releases
Ranking Member Scott Statement on ILA and USMX Agreement
10.04.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement after International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance reached a tentative agreement to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports. In sum, ILA workers will receive a 62 percent pay raise over six years. “I am grateful that the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) we… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the September Jobs Report
10.04.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 254,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate ticked down from 4.2 to 4.1 percent. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, 16.2 million jobs have been created, and workers have seen their hourly earnings grow by 18.1 percent on average. “Four years ago, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. Today, the unemployment rate is 4.1 p… Continue Reading
ICYMI: New Report Shows Investments in School Infrastructure Benefits Students, Economy and the Environment
09.25.24 WASHINGTON - Renovating school buildings will benefit students, the economy, and the environment according to a report released today by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats. Improvements including modern ventilation systems and retrofitted electric school buses are proven to have benefits for students’ school attendance, test scores, and health. U.S. school buildings are on average roughly 49 years old and 53 percent of buildings have never undergone any major renovations. Research shows th… Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act to Protect Students and Combat Hazing
09.24.24 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA), Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC), issued the following statements after the House passed H.R. 5646, the bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act, a critical measure aimed at combating hazing and enhancing student safety across college campuses nationwide. “Since the year 2000, there have been more than 100 hazing-related deaths on colleg… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Questions Government Watchdog about FAFSA Missteps
09.24.24 WASHINGTON - Today at a Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) questioned Government Accountability Office investigators about the Department of Education’s implementation of the Simplify FAFSA Act. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s questioning on YouTube. Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott: “I think our witnesses have outlined a total mess and we didn't need to hear that. I think all of us have heard that from our coll… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report on Discipline Disparities for Black Girls
09.19.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a groundbreaking report on school discipline. The report revealed that Black girls face disproportionately severe discipline compared to other girls. Moreover, they often received harsher punishments than their white peers for similar behaviors. Nationally, the disparity in exclusionary discipline rates is striking, with Black girls facing exclusionary discipline at rates three to 5.2 times higher than those of white girls. … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Votes “NO” on Extreme Bill to Roll Back Students’ Rights and Undermine Quality Education
09.19.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in opposition to House Republicans’ H.R. 3724. This extreme Republican messaging bill that combines two measures and serves as a thinly veiled attack on diversity and academic freedom in college curricula. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. “I rise to oppose H.R. 3724, what my Republican colleagu… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report Highlights Urgent Need for Improved Access to Domestic Violence Services for People with Disabilities
09.19.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report highlighting critical deficiencies in access to domestic violence services for people with disabilities. The report was requested by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01). The report shows that disabled people experienced domestic violence at o… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Led Opposition to Extreme Republicans’ H.R. 5339
09.18.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in opposition to House Republicans’ H.R. 5339. The so-called “Protecting Americans’ Investments from Woke Policies Act” combines four Republican bills that perpetuate a misguided attack on ESG investing and undermine retirement professionals’ abilities to make investment decisions on behalf of workers. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself … Continue Reading
Committee Votes on Six Bills that Impact Students’ Safety and Workers’ Health Care Costs
09.11.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce marked up six bills: H.R. 5646, H.R. 7533, H.R. 736, H.J. Res. 181, H.R. 3120, and H.R. 945. “Some of the bills the Committee will take up today would take us backward by putting nonsense, unreasonable regulations, and bureaucracy in the paths of schools and government agencies and raising costs for Americans,” said Ranking Member Scott. The Stop Campus Hazing Act, H.R. 5646, would protect students from hazing on college campu… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Six Bills
09.11.24 Amendments and letters of opposition for today’s markup can be found here.* WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 5646, H.R. 7533, H.R. 736, H.J. Res. 181, H.R. 3120, and H.R. 9457. “Thank you, Madam Chair, and good morning. “On September 11, I would like to say a brief word in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people who tragically lost their lives 23 years ago on this day after four commer… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Praises Biden-Harris Administration for Historic Final Rule to Expand Access to Mental and Behavioral Health Care
09.09.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) released the following statements after the Biden-Harris Administration and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury released a final rule to strengthen mental health parity. Ranking Member Scott: “I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for taking historic action to improve mental health care coverage … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the August Jobs Report
09.06.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 142,000 jobs in August, and the unemployment rate ticked down from 4.3 to 4.2 percent. Four years ago, under the Trump Administration, the unemployment rate was double the current rate at 8.4 percent. This report also marks 43 consecutive months of job growth. “Last week, Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su visited my distr… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Questions Timing of Republican’s Subpoena to Governor Walz
09.04.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) issued a subpoena to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “The timing of the Republican’s subpoena to Governor Walz is weird.” BACKGROUND: Starting in 2021, the Biden-Harris Department of Justice investigated, charged, and convicted individuals involved in the Feeding our Future fraud scheme. Here is a brief timeline of Con… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Report Underscores the Importance of Supporting English Learners and Charting the Path Forward
08.30.24 WASHINGTON - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on the academic achievement of English learners in public schools. The report was requested by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). The report sheds light on the diverse challenges and opportunities facing these students, who speak over 400 languages and come from a wide array of cultural and socioeconomic backgrou… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Highlights Risk of “Conflicts of Interest” to Retirement Savers
08.28.24 WASHINGTON - Today a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) further exposes how common “conflicts of interest” are when financial professionals offer investment advice to workers on investing their hard-earned retirement savings. The report was requested by Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Pre… Continue Reading
House Education Leaders Applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for Expanding Summer Meal Programs to Children
08.28.24 WASHINGTON - House education leaders applauded the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack for the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed rule on implementation of the new Summer-EBT program, including a streamlined certification process to ease burden for both states and families. The letter was sent by House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Su… Continue Reading
Scott Supports ED’s New Proposal for Stronger Protections for Students
08.23.24 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) voiced support for the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) proposed regulations regarding distance education, return of Title IV funds, and federal TRIO programs. In a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Ranking Member Scott praised ED’s efforts, including their effort to ensure that online education programs deliver quality instruction and help protect students from predatory practices… Continue Reading
As Students Return to Campus, Ranking Member Scott Urges Schools to Share Plans to Foster Safe, Welcoming Campuses
08.23.24 WASHINGTON - Today, in an open letter to schools, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) urged campus leaders to ensure that they are equipped to create safe and healthy learning environments for students and faculty ahead of the upcoming academic year. The letter comes nearly a year after many college campuses became the site of intense protests and heightened antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents. Following these incidents, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (O… Continue Reading
House Leaders Seek Information on DOL Efforts to Protect Workers from Self-Dealing by Health Plan Service Providers
08.20.24 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier wrote to the Department of Labor (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Assistant Secretary Lisa M. Gomez regarding recent reports of opaque and self-dealing compensation practices by service providers of employer-sponsored health plans. As revealed in a recent New York Times inves… Continue Reading