Press Releases

Murphy, Kaine, Mceachin, Bonamici Write Letter Demanding Answers After DeVos, Whitaker End Civil Rights Guidance for School Discipline

01.24.19 WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a letter on Thursday with U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and U.S. Representatives A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and 62 colleagues to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker on the Trump administration's decision to rescind Obama-era guidance on school discipline. The guidance was issued t… Continue Reading

Democratic Leaders Condemn Trump Administration Move to Allow Discrimination in Foster Care

01.23.19 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) released the following statement regarding the Trump administration's decision to allow foster care placement agencies to discriminate using federal funds: "Through today's decision, the Trump administration is endorsing discrimination by giving taxpayer money to foster care entities that discriminate against foster parents based on religious beliefs. Even worse, thi… Continue Reading

The Raise the Wage Act of 2019: What People Are Saying

01.17.19 Here's what experts are saying about the Raise the Wage Act, which gradually increases the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2024. Letter of Support of 362 Organizations, including civil rights advocates, worker advocates, economists, anti-poverty organizations, food banks, faith-based organizations, and others groups across the country: "At a time when wage stagnation and income inequality pose serious threats to our families and our economy, the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 will begin t… Continue Reading

Top Democrats Introduce Bill Gradually Raising Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024

01.16.19 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, joined House and Senate leadership to introduce the Raise the Wage Act of 2019. The bill would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in 2024, index future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and ensure all workers are paid at least the full federal minimum wage by phasing out the subminimum wages for tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities. The Raise the Wage A… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott Welcomes New Committee Members for 116th Congress

01.15.19 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, welcomed the new Democratic Members who will serve on the Committee during the 116th Congress. "The Committee's Democratic Members reflect a broad cross-section of America. They include health care providers, labor advocates, educators, small business owners, and a former cabinet secretary. The expertise and experience they bring to this Committee will be invaluable in our efforts to ensure Am… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott Statement on Injunction to Protect Women’s Access to Contraception

01.14.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a federal court in Pennsylvania granted an injunction to freeze Trump administration rules that would allow employers and institutions of higher education to deny women coverage of contraception based on "religious or moral" objections. "By issuing a nationwide injunction, the court has taken the necessary and immediate step of shielding workers and students from a harmful and discriminatory policy that would restric… Continue Reading

Democratic Health Leaders Warn of the Threat of Premium Increases, Coverage Losses Due to Trump Shutdown

01.14.19 WASHINGTON -Top Democrats from health care committees in the House and Senate today called on the Trump administration to ensure there are no premium increases or coverage losses due to the president's reckless, unnecessary ongoing shutdown. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department have been left unfunded by the shutdown and are responsible for paying Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) and other matters that make health care more affordable for American families. "Families a… Continue Reading

Democratic Health Leaders Question Trump Administration’s Use of ACA Marketplace User Fees

01.10.19 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democratic health leaders sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma today requesting detailed information on the Trump administration's spending of user fees generated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace exchanges, including HealthCare.gov. The letter was signed by Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Chairman Fran… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott: GOP’s Latest Legal Challenge to ACA Could Have “Devastating Impact” on All Americans

01.09.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks on the House Floor in support of H. Res 6, Intervention in Affordable Care Act Litigation. "Thank you, Madame Speaker, and I thank the gentle lady from Florida for her distinguished service as a secretary of Health and Human Services, and I thank her for yielding. "I rise in strong support of this resolution. "Legal scholars from across the ideological spectrum agree that this latest challenge to Affordable Care Act i… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott Statement on Butch Lewis Act Reintroduction

01.09.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Chairman Richard Neal (MA-01) reintroduced the Rehabilitiation for Multiemplyer Pensions Act (Butch Lewis Act). "Americans who worked hard their entire lives and planned for secure retirements should not have the rug pulled out from under them. The Butch Lewis Act of 2019 is a bipartisan proposal that ensures retirees receive the pension benefits they have earned. This legislation, in addition to the work of the Joi… Continue Reading

Bicameral Democratic Health Leaders Demand Answers on Trump Administration’s Short-Term Insurance Plans

01.08.19 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democratic health leaders sent a letter to the Trump administration today renewing their requests for information on the Administration's Final Rule expanding the availability of junk Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance (STLDI) plans, which jeopardize Americans' ability to get quality, affordable health care. The letter was signed by Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ways and Means Chairman R… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott and Senator Warren Lead Request for Inspector General Audit of DOL's Controversial Child Labor Rule

01.08.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (D- Va.), Committee on Education and Labor and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to the Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General (IG) Scott Dahl requesting an audit of DOL to determine whether the agency deviated from agency regulatory and data quality requirements when it developed a proposed rule relaxing child labor standards in health care occupations. Joining Chairman Scott and Senator Warren in sending the letter are Representati… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott Statement on December Jobs Report

01.04.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 312,000 in December and the unemployment rate increased to 3.9 percent. "Despite the gains shown in today's job report, the reality is many Americans are still struggling. Wages have remained largely stagnant - particularly for low-wage earners - and too many workers are forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. By undermining our health care … Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Election as Chairman of Education & Labor Committee

01.04.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after he was elected the next Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor by the House Democratic Caucus. "I am honored to have the support of my colleagues and grateful for the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor in the 116th Congress. As Chairman, I will work to expand access to the building blocks of a strong middle class - a quality education, a rewarding job, and affordable … Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Statement on Secretary DeVos Rescinding Guidance that Protect Students’ Civil Rights

12.21.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education announced that it is rescinding the 2014 ED-DOJ Discipline Guidance. "The Department's decision to rescind the 2014 discipline guidance will undermine access to a quality education for students of color and students with disabilities. The guidance was issued to help schools address the troubling and undeniable evidence that Black students, boys, and students with disabilities receiv… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Statement on the School Safety Commission Report

12.18.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the release of the Trump administration's school safety commission report. "The Federal School Safety Commission Report is not a serious or good-faith effort to make schools safer for students and educators. The report's recommendations ignore both the research consensus and the demands of students and parents for tougher gun laws. Instead, the report promotes a longstanding, conservative agenda to undermine … Continue Reading

Top Democrats Call for Investigation into Education Department’s Decision to Re-Recognize For-Profit Accreditor ACICS

12.18.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, requested the U.S. Department of Education Office of the Inspector General to investigate the Department's decision to re-recognize the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). In 2016, the Obama administration withdrew ACICS' federal recognition as an accrediting agency followi… Continue Reading

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