Press Releases
Scott, Murray, Casey Unveil New Report Showing Need to Protect Meat & Poultry Workers
12.07.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) released the findings of a Government Accountability Office report (GAO) calling for federal agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), to do more to protect w… Continue Reading
Scott, Committee Democrats Introduce Bill to Protect Freedom to Join Unions
12.06.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Congressman Gregorio Sablan (MP-AL), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), and Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) introduced H.R. 4548, the Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act of 2017, or the … Continue Reading
Democrats Promote Paid Sick Leave and Paid Family and Medical Leave Proposals at Hearing
12.06.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing to examine workplace leave proposals. Millions of working people across the country lack access to the flexible workplace policies that help them balance work and family. In 2016, only 13 percent of private industry employees had access to paid family leave through their employers, 37 million workers did not earn a single paid sick day, and approximately 41 percent of hourly workers received their work… Continue Reading
Top Democrats Urge Departments to Rescind Harmful Actions Taking Away Coverage for Preventive Services for Women
12.06.17 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01), and Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Eric Hargan, Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, and Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to share their comments on the Interim Final Rules (IFRs) that allow employers and institutions of … Continue Reading
Representatives David Price and Susan Davis Introduce Reauthorization of Title VI of the Higher Education Act
11.30.17 WASHINGTON (Nov. 30, 2017) - On Thursday, November 30, Congressman David Price (D-NC) and Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA) introduced legislation to reauthorize Title VI of the Higher Education Act. HEA-Title VI supports foreign language and international education programs at colleges and universities which help to educate citizens as they engage with diverse cultures both at home and around the globe. The 'Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act' will increase and expand ex… Continue Reading
Scott, Takano, Brown, Murray Introduce Bill To Expand Overtime Pay For Millions Of Workers
11.30.17 WASHINGTON- U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Patty Murray (D-WA), along with U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Mark Takano (D-CA), today introduced legislation to make at least four million American workers newly eligible for overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week, providing economic security to millions of working families. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act (H.R. 4505) would increase the overtime salary level from $23,660 per year to $48,412 per year, making at least four mi… Continue Reading
Scott, Butterfield, Lee Unveil New Report on Diversity in the Tech
11.30.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce was joined by Reps. G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) and Barbara Lee (CA-09) to release a Government Accountability Office report entitled, "Diversity in the Technology Sector: Federal Agencies Could Improve Oversight of Equal Employment Opportunity Requirements." The report found that the environment and access to these opportunities have not improved in more than a decade, for women, Black an… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the 42nd IDEA Anniversary
11.29.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in recognition of the 42nd anniversary of the landmark PL 94-142, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "Following the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, parents of students with disabilities pointed out that separate settings for students with disabilities were, and continue to be, unequal and discriminatory. Twenty-one years later, in 1975, Congress recognized the rights of… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Fight for Bipartisan Solution to PBGC Multiemployer Pension Program Crisis
11.29.17 TODAY, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing entitled, "Financial Challenges Facing the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC): Implications for Pension Plans, Workers, and Retirees." The multiemployer pension system is facing a looming collapse, threatening Americans' retirement security. Without updates to the current law, the PBGC multiemployer program will run out of money by the end of 2025, if not sooner. "I believe we should be guided by the simp… Continue Reading
Top Democrats Raise Concerns about Roll Back of Civil Rights Under Guise of Religious Freedom
11.21.17 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (MD-07), Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06), and Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey (NY-17) sent a letter to Acting Secretary Eric Hargan in response to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Request for Informatio… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Closed-Door Meeting at Ed to Discuss Undermining Civil Rights Protections for Students
11.17.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a private meeting was held at the Department of Education discussing the "harmful effects" of school discipline guidance from teachers who experienced violence in the classroom. Enacted under the Obama administration, the guidance encourages schools, districts, and states to reassess their policies for and use of suspensions and expulsions that are disproportionately used on students of color and students with d… Continue Reading
Joined By Retired Teamsters & Miners, House & Senate Democrats Unveil New ‘Better Deal’ Proposal To Ensure 1.5 Million Retired Workers Across Country Keep Their Earned Pensions In Full
11.16.17 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democrats today unveiled the latest tenet of their economic agenda, "A Better Deal," which would ensure the pensions that American workers have earned over a lifetime of work are safeguarded and protected into the future. The Democrats' "Better Deal to Save Our Pensions" proposal includes new legislation to ensure Teamsters, miners, and thousands of other American workers can keep the retirement they have earned so their families and livelihoods are not put at risk.… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Introduce Bill to Simplify the FASFA
11.16.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-01) introduced H.R. 4416, the Simple FASFA Act of 2017, co-led by Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, Congressman Gregorio Sablan (NMI-AL), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, and Congressman Ami Bera (CA-07). Simplifyi… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Hold Trump Administration Accountable for Anti-Worker Agenda
11.15.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary R. Alexander Acosta testified before the full Committee on Education and the Workforce. As the Secretary, Mr. Acosta is the steward of the laws that govern our nation's workplaces and promote a fairer economy for all. Secretary Acosta's testimony comes at a critical time for America's working people. Despite low levels of unemployment, millions of workers are still struggling to make ends meet and get ahead in the workplace. Rather tha… Continue Reading
Members of Congress Demand Secretary DeVos Provide Full Relief for Students Who Were Cheated Out of Their Education and Savings
11.14.17 Secretary DeVos has proposed only providing partial relief for students who were defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges In new letter, Members of Congress express concern that Secretary DeVos may block full debt relief for student loan borrowers who were cheated out of their savings and education Members of Congress: "The Department should not punish borrowers who overcome the odds and happen to succeed at finding work despite the failings or fraud of their schools or programs" … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Job Killing GOP Tax Proposal
11.09.17 "New analysis from the NEA estimates that if Republicans succeed in eliminating much of the state and local tax deduction, as proposed in H.R. 1, it would likely have a devastating effect on state and local public education budgets. According to the analysis, H.R. 1 puts nearly 250,000 education jobs at risk and could result in $250 billion in cuts to public education over the next 10 years. In Virginia alone, the GOP's proposed changes to SALT would mean a potential loss of 9,264 public educati… Continue Reading
Hearing Testimony Shows More Funding is Required to Address Opioid Crisis
11.08.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee (ECESE) and the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development (HEWD) held a joint subcommittee hearing on how opioids are impacting communities across the nation. In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose, and more than 2 million individuals had a prescription opioid use disorder. Congress must address a crisis of this magnitude - and treatment alone is not enough to stem th… Continue Reading
House Passes Anti-Worker Bill that Weakens Workplace Protections
11.07.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3441, the so-called "Save Local Business Act", by a vote of 242-181, largely on party lines. The vote today was a blow for working people and their legal right to negotiate for higher pay and to secure the money they have earned. In recent years, employers have increasingly moved away from directly hiring employees in favor of using permatemps or subcontracting to reduce labor costs and liability. This means for many workers, the name… Continue Reading
Scott and Conyers: Report Raises Concerns about Organizations Being Given a Blank Check to Discriminate
11.07.17 WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and House Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers (MI-13) released the findings of a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) they requested on how federal agencies are implementing the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel June 29, 2007 memorandum on the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) to federal grant programs. Specifically, GAO analyzed the extent to… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on October Jobs Report
11.03.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 261,000 jobs in October, with the unemployment rate at 4.1 percent. "Today's jobs report shows that our economic recovery remains strong and resilient, but our work in Congress is far from over. The reality is that too many families and individuals are still struggling to make ends meet, and lack some semblance of economic security. A substantial… Continue Reading