Press Releases
Committee Democrats Call on OSHA to Prioritize Worker Safety
02.27.18 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing entitled, "A More Effective and Collaborative OSHA: A View from Stakeholders." Congressional Republicans and this Administration have taken numerous actions that are jeopardizing worker safety and health protections. Under the current administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has terminated or suspended work on nearly half of the proposed safety and health standards that were under develop… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Urges Majority to Hold Hearings on Member Emanuel’s Conflict of Interests
02.23.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, sent a letter Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05), chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce Committee, requesting that the Majority hold a hearing regarding the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) Inspector General's seven-day letter. The Inspector General's letter notified Committee leadership of "a serious and flagrant problem and/or deficiency in the Board's administration of it… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Appointment to Special Congressional Committee Addressing Multiemployer Pension Crisis
02.23.18 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after being appointed by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to the Joint Select Committee on the Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans (Joint Select Committee). Ranking Member Scott is one of only 16 Members of Congress to be appointed to it. Established by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the Joint Select Committee is responsible for putting forward solutions to Congress be… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott on DOL Insufficient Response to Tip Theft Regulation
02.21.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor provided an inadequate response to a February 2, 2018, oversight letter requesting more information on the DOL's proposed harmful tip rule. The Department's response came after Ranking Member Scott transmitted a second letter calling on Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to respond to outstanding inquiries from the Committee. "I am disappointed that the DOL has failed to turn over informat… Continue Reading
Scott, Pallone, Neal Blast Trump Administration’s Short-Term Insurance Plans Expansion
02.20.18 WASHINGTON- Education and the Workforce 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) released the following joint statement today in response to the Trump administration's release of a proposed rule that would allow health insurance companies to offer short-term plans that do not comply with Affordable Care Act (ACA) consumer protection standards: "The Trump administration's proposal t… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Urge Majority Hearings Examining School Shootings
02.16.18 WASHINGTON - All 17 Democratic Members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a letter to Chairwoman Virginia Foxx requesting hearings before the full Committee to examine school shootings. This request comes after Wednesday's preventable tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where at least seventeen students and faculty died as a result. In response Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has called on Congress to hold hearings on this issue. "[Secreta… Continue Reading
Bonamici: Kids are Being Murdered in Schools, Prayers are Not Enough
02.15.18 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Bonamici (D-OR) made the following remarks during the beginning of an Education committee hearing. You can download video of her remarks here. "We've all been praying in our own ways. We prayed after Sandy Hook. We prayed after Pulse. We prayed after Umpqua Community College. We prayed after Las Vegas. We prayed after the church shooting in Texas. And of course the nation is all praying in [our] own way after [the school shooting in Florida]. "But kids ar… Continue Reading
Scott and Dem Leadership Hold Forum on Administration’s Harmful Proposed Tip Rule
02.15.18 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05), Congressional Progressive Caucus Labor Liaison, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), vice ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce hosted a forum on the Department of Labor's (DOL) proposal to allow employers to pocket their emp… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Combat Effects of Opioid Epidemic in the Workplace
02.15.18 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittees on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions and Workforce Protections held a joint hearing entitled, "Opioids Epidemic: Implications for America's Workplaces." American workplaces are feeling the effects of substance use disorders. Studies show that more than 70 percent of employers are feeling the direct impact of prescription drug misuse in their workplaces, ranging from absenteeism and reduced productivity to higher health care costs. "It is no surprise t… Continue Reading
Bonamici: Opioid Crisis Affects Everyone Including Workers, Employers
02.15.18 WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) joined a Congressional hearing on the affect of the opioid crisis on America's workplaces, workers, and employers. Bonamici has hosted community discussions in each of the five counties she represents to hear about the opioid crisis directly from health care providers, social service providers, law enforcement, and people in recovery. You can watch Bonamici's questions at today's hearing here. Studies show that more than 70 percent of emplo… Continue Reading
Scott: House Passes Bill that Undermines Civil Rights for People With Disabilities
02.15.18 Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 [225-192]. The legislation attacks the civil rights of Americans with disabilities. "Passage of H.R. 620 is the latest attack on the rights of individuals with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a bipartisan civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and ensures access to places of employment… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Push for Stronger Supports for Native American Schools
02.14.18 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education (ECESE) held a hearing entitled, "Examining the Government's Management of Native American Schools." Native families are disproportionately low-income, and the challenges facing tribal communities are immense and well-documented. The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a woefully underfunded agency and the students served by schools under its jurisdiction lack the educational opportunities and outcomes … Continue Reading
Courtney Leads Ed & Workforce Dems Seeking Clarification on DOL Association Health Plans Proposal
02.12.18 WASHINGTON- Rep. Joe Courtney, joined by members of the Education and the Workforce Committee, recently wrote to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta seeking further information about the Department of Labor's (DOL) recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding Association Health Plans (AHPs). The notice was the result of President Trump's October 2017 executive order calling for the expansion of health insurance plans that lack a guarantee of comprehensive coverage and have a history of financi… Continue Reading
Scott: Trump’s Budget Proposal Shortchanges Students and Workers
02.12.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the White House released an outline of its Fiscal Year 2019 budget priorities. "The administration's budget proposal does not prioritize America's students and workers. President Trump's budget hurts students by eliminating vital early childhood and K-12 education programs to divert $1 billion to private school vouchers; slashing federal grant aid to make coll… Continue Reading
House Democrats Unveil A Better Deal to Rebuild America
02.08.18 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, House Democrats announced a bold, new, comprehensive infrastructure plan - A Better Deal to Rebuild America. This historic $1 trillion federal investment to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure is five times larger than President Trump’s rumored plan and will create more than 16 million jobs. A Better Deal to Rebuild America will boost local economies and generate billions of dollars in new economic activity without adding to the deficit. The infrastructure plan will inv… Continue Reading
Scott, DeLauro Statement on Republicans’ Paid Parental Leave Proposal
02.07.18 WASHINGTON -- Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released the following statement in response to the paid parental leave proposal announced today by Senate Republicans: "This proposal would put pressure on Social Security's already strained resources," said Ranking Member Bobby Scott. "While I'm encouraged there's bipartisan support for paid family and medical leave, we should not shortc… Continue Reading
Scott: CBO Confirms GOP Higher Education Bill is a $15 Billion Raid on Student Aid
02.06.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released cost estimates for H.R. 4508. "The CBO's score of H.R. 4508 confirms what we already knew to be true - this bill makes college more expensive for America's students and working families. According to the CBO, H.R. 4508 would send $9.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to for-profit schools and low-quality programs, but fails to provide any substantial support to help l… Continue Reading
Democrats Urge Labor Board Member William Emanuel to Explain Conflicts of Interest on Decision to Weaken Workers’ Rights, Shield Corporations from Responsibility
02.06.18 WASHINGTON- Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP), and Donald Norcross (D-NJ), and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), sent a letter asking National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member William Emanuel to clarify whether he violated federal regulations and the Trump Administration ethics pledge by participating in an eleventh-hour decision involving the "joint employer" standard. In a December vote, the NLRB wea… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Hold Administration Accountable for Miners' Health and Safety
02.06.18 WASHINGTON - Today, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Assistant Secretary David G. Zatezalo testified before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. Assistant Secretary Zatezalo's testimony comes as rates of pulmonary massive fibrosis (PMF) -- the most advanced form of black lung disease -- are surging among Appalachian miners. Committee Democrats raised concerns that, under the Trump administration, MSHA is not taking the necessary steps to address this public health crisis. … Continue Reading
More than 120 Democrats Urge Department of Labor to Withdraw Harmful Proposed Tip Rule
02.06.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member on the Education and the Workforce Committee, Senator Patty Murry (D-WA), ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and 122 Democrats submitted a public comment to Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta urging the Department of Labor (DOL) to withdraw its proposed change to the tip rules. DOL is considering changing existing rules to allow employers to pocket tips of workers, which could result in the… Continue Reading