Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
WATCH: Chairman Scott Leads House Debate of Bill Helping Domestic Violence Survivors Escape Abusers' Debts
09.20.22 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act. View Chairman Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “I’m pleased to rise in support of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, led in the Senate by my colleague from Virginia, Senator Mark Warner, and led in the House by the gentleman from North Carolina, Congressman David Price.… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act
09.20.22 WASHINGTON — On September 15, 2022, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Investments Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (FL-24) introduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act to lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. Specifically, the new legislation doubles the Pell Grant, improves the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and makes loans more affordable and accessible. … Continue Reading
Higher Education Leaders Introduce New Bill to Lower Cost of College
09.15.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (FL-24) introduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act, to lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. The new legislation builds on President Biden’s historic one-time student loan debt relief announcement last month to forgive up to $20,000 in outstanding federal student loan debt for millions… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Biden Student Loan Announcement
08.24.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden announced that the Department of Education is extending the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections through 2022, providing up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients, and capping the amount borrowers would pay monthly for undergraduate loans at 5 percent of their income. “President B… Continue Reading
New Watchdog Report: ED Needs to Streamline Process for Students Impacted by School Closures
08.10.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found that student loan borrowers whose schools close need more timely and complete information to know if they are eligible to have their loans discharged. Under closed school discharge, student loan borrowers—who suffer school closures and do not complete their education elsewhere—may be eligible to have their loans discharged. Unfortunately, the GAO found that, be… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Republican REAL Reform Act
08.05.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Republican House leaders proposed changes to the student loan system, including provisions to eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, tie the hands of the Department of Education in providing relief to borrowers, limit access to federal financial aid, and restrict the flexibility of loan repayment. “When President Johnson signed the Higher Education Act in 1965, he said the legisla… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Leads Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Reaffirm Race-Conscious College Admissions
08.02.22 WASHINGTON - On Monday, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), in addition to 64 House Democrats, filed an amicus brief—in the case of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College—urging the Supreme Court to uphold narrowly tailored race-conscious college admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In the brief, the Members describe the persistent need for race-conscious admissions policies … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Cost of Student Loan Program
07.29.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled, “Student Loans: Education Has Increased Federal Cost Estimates of Direct Loans by Billions due to Programmatic and Other Changes.” “A college degree remains the surest path to achieving the American Dream. The student loan program was originally created to ensure that all students—regardless of their family’s income—could afford t… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Leads Vote to Improve Mental Health Services for College Students
06.24.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) lead passage of two pieces of bipartisan legislation to strengthen mental health services for college students and help prevent suicide, drug, and alcohol abuse on campuses. The Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act (H.R. 5407) directs the Department of Education to encourage institutions of higher education to strengthen and expand mental health services, including suicide prevention plans, to … Continue Reading
ICYMI: On 50th Anniversary of Title IX, Chairman Scott Delivers Remarks at Unveiling of Portrait of Former Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink
06.23.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during a ceremony to unveil the portrait of former Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink in Statuary Hall. View more photos from the event here. “Congresswoman Patsy Mink has an unquestionable place among the portraits of this institution’s trailblazers. As you know, Congresswoman Mink became the first Asian-American woman, in fact, the first woman of color to serve in Congress at a time when the country was n… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Applauds New Proposed Changes to Title IX Rules
06.23.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education released new proposed Title IX regulations. “The Education Department’s new proposed Title IX regulations mark a monumental step in our fight to address sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination in K-12 and higher education—all while preserving the rights of the accused. By expanding the critical protections under this law, the new regulations would help ensure that … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Helped Hundreds of Constituents Apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
05.06.22 WASHINGTON— Last night, Office of Federal Student Aid and the Student Borrower Protection Center— where they provided constituents with the resources and information they needed to seek Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). The previous Administration did not faithfully implement PSLF and despite the Chairman holding hearings, sending letters, and making public statements, they never took meaningful action to address borrowers concerns. “The … Continue Reading
Chairs Scott, Murray, Colleagues Release Report Highlighting Need to Ensure Companies Managing Colleges’ Online Programs Aren’t Violating Ban on Abusive Recruiting Practices
05.05.22 WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Tina Smith (D-MN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighting the need for the Department of Education to collect more data to ensure online program managers (OPMs)—third-party companies that help colle… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott, Secretary Walsh Visited Local Community College, Apprentice School to Discuss Workforce Development Programs
05.02.22 WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh visited Thomas Nelson Community College and The Apprentice School and hosted a roundtable with students, higher education professionals, and local business leaders to discuss the importance of workforce development programs. Workforce development programs—like Registered Apprenticeships—are essential to ensuring workers can access better-paying jobs and busi… Continue Reading
New GAO Report: Income-Driven Repayment System in Urgent Need of Reform
04.20.22 WASHINGTON – A new report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that long-standing flaws in the Department of Education’s Income-Driven Repayment program that have left thousands of student loan borrowers without the loan forgiveness for which they may be eligible. Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans allow borrowers to reduce their monthly repayment amounts and extend repayment periods. Under IDR plans, the borrower’s remaining … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Education Department Plan to Support Student Loan Borrowers in Income-Driven Repayment
04.19.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education announced major fixes to improve the Income-Driven Repayment program. “The Department of Education’s announcement marks a key milestone toward ensuring that Income-Driven Repayment delivers on its promise to student loan borrowers. Just last week, Senate HELP Committee Chair Patty Murray and I urged the De… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Push Biden Administration to Fix Longstanding Failures with Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment System
04.18.22 WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, wrote to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to urge the Department of Education to extend the student loan payment pause until 2023 and use the intervening time to adopt meaningful and lasting reforms to the federal income-driven repayment (IDR) sy… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Applauds Biden-Harris Administration for Extending Student Loan Pause, Providing Second Chance to Struggling Student Borrowers
04.06.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement applauding the Biden Administration for today’s announcement that the Department of Education will extend the pause on student loans through August 31, 2022. In addition, the Department is putting currently defaulted federal student loan borrowers into good standing and erasing the default from their credit history. “Across the country, borrow… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Need to Extend Student Loan Payment Pause
03.16.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement urging the Biden administration to extend the pause on student loan repayment, collections, and interest accrual through 2022. “I am urging the Biden-Harris administration to extend relief for student loan borrowers through the end of this year. Throughout the pandemic, the pause on student loan payments has been critical to helping borrowers and families cope with… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Celebrates House Passage of Historic Government Funding Bill
03.09.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus spending package. “Today, the House passed a government funding package that makes historic investments in students, workers, and families. “I am particularly pleased that the omnibus takes key steps to address long-standing inequities in education. The package includes a $1 billion increase in fundin… Continue Reading