Press Releases
Scott Statement on Republicans’ Vote to Proceed with Trumpcare
07.25.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Senate voted on a motion to proceed on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. "The Affordable Care Act made great progress in improving access to health coverage. It did not solve every problem in health care, but regardless of what you think about the ACA, the Republicans' alternatives only make things worse. Every proposal they have offered results in less coverage and higher costs. If Congress is go… Continue Reading
Scott: Defrauded Students Deserve Their Day In Court
07.25.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives during debate on H.J. Res. 111, which would repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule that bans forced arbitration which protects consumers, many of whom are private student loan borrowers: "Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.J. Res. 111 which will overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule prohibiting forced arbitration clauses in many… Continue Reading
Rep. Takano: Overtime Rule Needs to Be Implemented, Not Rewritten
07.25.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, released the following statement after the Department of Labor filed a Request for Information, which is intended to delay, weaken, and eventually repeal the updated overtime rule. The rule, finalized under the Obama administration, would restore overtime protections to millions of middle-class American workers. "In an administration defined by chaos and instability, President Trump's betray… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Urge GOP to Hold Hearing on Raise the Wage Act
07.25.17 WASHINGTON - MONDAY, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) led a request with all of the Committee on Education and the Workforce Democrats to Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05), urging her to hold a full committee hearing on H.R. 15, the Raise the Wage Act. This legislation would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 over a seven year period. It also indexes future minimum wage increases to the median wage growth of all workers to ensure that low-wage workers are not left behind when the economy… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Republicans’ Repeated Attempts to Repeal the ACA
07.20.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office released a new score of the Republicans' bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA): "Yet again, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has released another report on Republicans' ongoing attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act - each report just as devastating than the last. Today, the CBO found that the Senate's latest Trumpcare bill would leave 22 mil… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on CBO Score of Republicans’ Latest Attempt to Repeal the ACA
07.19.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office released a new score for the Republicans' bill to partially repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA): "After multiple unsuccessful attempts at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, Republicans are promising to dismantle the progress of the last seven years by repealing the ACA-with no alternative. All of their proposed 'solutions' result in fewer people with insurance and… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Pass Flawed Bill Eliminating Key Protection for Workers and Retirement Savers
07.19.17 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup on H.R. 2823, the so-called The Affordable Retirement Advice for Savers Act. This legislation repeals the fiduciary rule that simply ensures workers are not ripped-off when investing their hard-earned retirement savings and proposes an alternative full of loopholes that would drastically weaken consumer protections. “The bill being marked-up today repeals the fiduciary rule and proposes a far weaker, loophole-ridden … Continue Reading
115 House Democrats Demand Stronger Investments in Teachers
07.19.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and 114 House Democrats sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee expressing strong opposition to the elimination of the of the Supporting Instruction State Grant Program (Title II-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)) in the FY 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations bill. "In 2015, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the bipartisan reauthorization of the ESE… Continue Reading
More Than 120 House Democrats Slam Proposed Cuts to Pell Grant Program
07.19.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and 121 House Democrats sent a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations expressing extreme disappointment in the proposed cuts to the Pell Grant Program in the FY18 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) funding bill. "This proposed cut imperils the affordability of college for low-income students both now and in the future," the Members wrote. "The Committee on Education and the Workforce is poised to consider a comprehensi… Continue Reading
Scott, Foxx Hear From Business Leaders, Advocates, and Youth About Importance of Employing Opportunity Youth
07.18.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), along with Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) hosted a bipartisan panel discussion with business leaders, advocates, and youth on the return on investment in hiring opportunity youth, barriers to hiring opportunity youth, and employer-led solutions to youth unemployment. Nearly 5 million young people, aged 16 to 24, are out of school and work. Many of these young people-whether they have personal barriers, such as involvement in the juveni… Continue Reading
ESSA Preserves Critical Role of Federal Government, Hearing Confirms
07.18.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Passed in 2015, ESSA was the long-awaited replacement for No Child Left Behind, and reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). ESEA is a civil rights law that governs public K-12 education and directs states and school districts to take action to close persistent achievement gaps. When Congress passed ESSA, it ensured the civil… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Collapse of Senate Trumpcare Bill
07.18.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced plans to vote on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement: "After multiple unsuccessful attempts at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Republicans are promising to dismantle the progress of the last seven years by repealing the ACA-with no alternative. When Republicans say 'repeal and replace,' the only thing you can be sure … Continue Reading
Bonamici, Harris Call on Education Department to Help Struggling Student Loan Borrowers
07.14.17 WASHINGTON, DC [07/14/17] - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), and 42 members of Congress urged the Department of Education to strengthen services for people who have defaulted on their student loans. The letter follows a federal court's injunction barring the Department of Education from assigning newly defaulted student loans to private collection agencies, which give borrowers options for curing their default. The lawmakers asked the Secretary of Education to… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Updated Trumpcare Legislation
07.14.17 "Over the past few weeks, Senate Republicans have continued to scramble to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with Trumpcare. During this time, they have done nothing to fix the underlying damage that Trumpcare will cause - the erosion of protections for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions and a crippling age tax on seniors. While a Congressional Budget Office assessment is necessary to determine the full impact of the legislation, the new version only tinkers around the e… Continue Reading
Subcommittee Discusses Importance of Investing in High-Quality Early Childhood Education
07.13.17 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing focused on ways to expand access to high-quality early childhood learning programs. The federal government must increase its investment and commitment to early education programs while ensuring program quality. "The lack of availability and the rising cost of childcare hits working families especially hard," said Subcommittee Ranking Member Jared Polis (CO-02). "Many parents can't afford … Continue Reading
Kennedy, Scott Reintroduce Amendment to Religious Freedom Restoration Act
07.13.17 WASHINGTON - With the support of leaders from the civil rights, social justice and faith communities, Congressman Joe Kennedy III (MA-04) and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, today reintroduced legislation to amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The Do No Harm Act would clarify that no one can seek religious exemption from laws guaranteeing fundamental civil and legal rights. It comes in response to continued efforts… Continue Reading
Democrats Unveil Legislation to Expand Access to Higher Ed for Students With Disabilities
07.12.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Representative Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) joined Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Ranking Member Susan Davis (CA-53), Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD-05), and Representatives James Langevin (RI-02) and Jared Huffman (CA-02) to introduce the Improving Access to Higher Education Act. This bill would amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) to improve college access and completion for students with disabilities. This legisla… Continue Reading
At Hearing, Democrats Support Worker Protections to Hold Employers Accountable
07.12.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing on worker protections that allow employees to hold multiple entities accountable for wage theft, unfair labor practices or workplace safety violations. Labor and employment laws have long held, where more than one employer controls terms and conditions of employment, an employee may have multiple employers. This is referred to as "joint employment." A growing number of Americans are taking contingent work through tempo… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on June 2017 Jobs Report
07.07.17 Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added a total of 222,000 jobs in June, with the unemployment rate at 4.3 percent. "Today's jobs report is encouraging and shows that the economic gains that were made in the aftermath of the Great Recession remain strong. While President Trump complained about similar economic data during last year's campaign, I am pleased that he has now accepted that the efforts of… Continue Reading
Cicilline, Top Dems to Sessions: Don’t Attack Workers’ Rights
07.06.17 WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, today called on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to stop taking away the rights of working people to collectively hold their employers accountable for wage theft, employment discrimination, and other unlawful workplace conduct. Cicilline was joined by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI),… Continue Reading