Press Releases
Members of Congress to Secretary DeVos: Stand Up for Students and Families, Reverse Delay of Protections for Defrauded Students
06.30.17 (Washington, D.C.) –Led by Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Susan Davis (D-CA), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), 48 Members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos slamming her recent decision to delay the “borrower defense” rule that would provide defrauded students with debt relief and hold predatory institutions accountable… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Denounce Republican Proposals to Roll Back Working People’s Right to Bargain for Better Wages
06.29.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Republicans on the Education and the Workforce Committee voted unanimously to advance three anti-union bills that sabotage workers' ability to organize and collectively bargain for better wages. At the same time, they blocked Democrats' efforts to enact legislation that would give 22 million workers a raise through the enactment of an increase in the federal minimum wage. "Rather than considering anti-labor bills that strip workers of their ability to bargain for better wag… Continue Reading
Subcommittee Highlights Support For Data, Research to Improve Teaching And Learning
06.28.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing titled "Exploring Opportunities to Strengthen Education Research While Protecting Student Privacy." Educational data serves as an invaluable research tool that is necessary to improve teaching and learning when it is collected, stored, and used responsibly. There is a need for greater investment in education research and Congress must incentivize state and local leaders to develop data sys… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on CBO Score of Senate Republicans’ Trumpcare Bill
06.26.17 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office released an initial analysis of the Senate's version of Trumpcare. "Analysis from the Congressional Budget Office again confirms that the Republicans' efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will be devastating for millions of Americans. The Senate Republicans' changes to Trumpcare makes a markedly bad bill no better. Instead… Continue Reading
Scott Commemorates Olmstead Anniversary, Denounces Impact of Trumpcare on Americans with Disabilities
06.22.17 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement today marking the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C.which held that people with disabilities have the right to live in their communities under the Americans with Disabilities Act: "Today we mark the anniversary of the Olmstead decision - a tremendous civil rights victory for Americans with disabilities. In its ruling 18 years ago, the Suprem… Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Career and Technical Education
06.22.17 WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act by voice vote. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen and improve career and technical education (CTE). Thanks to legislative improvements to increase program accountability, including increased federal oversight and monitoring, the bill passed today is an improvement over the bill passed by the House in the 114th Congress. "Each and every student should have ac… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Senate Republicans’ TrumpCare Bill
06.22.17 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Senate Republicans released their version of Trumpcare: "Last month, House Republicans passed their bill, Trumpcare, without a Congressional Budget Office score detailing the legislation's impact on coverage, cost, and the economy. Now, the Senate is rushing to pass a bill in secret in just one week. Today, we got our first glimpse of the Senate's new Trumpcare. This… Continue Reading
Democrats Reinforce the Need for Student Safety in the Job Corps Program
06.22.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on student safety in the Job Corps program. Job Corps is the nation's largest residential education and vocational training program, providing opportunities for about 60,000 disadvantaged youth annually at nearly 130 centers. For these young people, Job Corps is a ticket to achieving their educational goals, obtaining a well-paying job, serving in the military, and building a better future for themselves. "We must w… Continue Reading
Democrats Unveil Legislation to Boost College Completion
06.20.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, joined Reps. Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Grace Meng (NY-06) and other House Democrats in introducing the Remedial Education Improvement Act and the Community College Student Success Act. These two bills will help ensure students complete their higher education … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Apprenticeship Initiative
06.15.17 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order that would eliminate oversight of apprenticeship programs: "Today's executive order from the Trump Administration is further evidence of broad bipartisan support for expanding access to apprenticeship programs. Registered apprenticeship programs offer on-the-job training and skills development that results in a nationally-recognize… Continue Reading
Bonamici Condemns Education Department’s Decision to Reverse Student Loan Borrower Protections
06.15.17 WASHINGTON, DC [06/15/17] - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Vice Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the Department of Education suspended protections for student loan borrowers: "Secretary DeVos's decision to dismantle protections for students and taxpayers is deeply troubling. The Department of Education's Borrower Defense to Repayment and Gainful Employment regulations were put in place to prevent students from being misled … Continue Reading
Trump Budget Cuts Harm America’s Workforce Development System, Committee Learns
06.15.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing on the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Passed with strong bipartisan support in 2014, WIOA is the cornerstone of efforts to put Americans back to work and prepare workers for better jobs. The drastic cuts proposed in the Trump Administration's budget would harm the implementation of WIOA by shifting costs onto states, localities, and employers while denying wor… Continue Reading
House Republicans Continue to Sabotage Working Americans Right to Form Unions
06.14.17 WASHINGTON- TODAY, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on three bills that deny workers' of their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions. These bills undermine the union election process, a critical step towards workers joining together for a stronger voice in the workplace. "When working Americans are empowered to collectively bargain with their employers over wages and conditions of employment, productivity gains can be… Continue Reading
Scott, Bonamici, Murray, Warren Urge Secretary DeVos to Protect Students, Reverse Student Loan Decisions
06.12.17 (Washington, D.C.) - Led by Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), over 150 Members of Congress sent a letter today to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos highlighting concerns surrounding the U.S. Department of Education's decision to make changes to the student loan servicing contract procurement process and remove key requirements that were intended to support and protect student loan borrowers and help them repay their … Continue Reading
Democrats Introduce New Legislation to Improve Access to College, Make College More Affordable
06.08.17 WASHINGTON- TODAY, Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and Susan Davis (CA-53), ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, joined Reps. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Dan Kildee (MI-05) to introduce the Jumpstart on College Act. Reps. Scott and Davis also joined Rep. Jared Polis (CO-02), ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education, to introduce the … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the Introduction of $15 Minimum Wage Legislation
05.25.17 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after he joined Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to introduce H.R. 15, the Raise the Wage Act of 2017. The bill has more than 150 cosponsors in the House. "It's been ten long years since we last raised the minimum wage. While 29 states ha… Continue Reading
Civil and Human Rights Coalition Welcomes Legislation to Raise Federal Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024
05.25.17 WASHINGTON-Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the introduction of the Raise the Wage Act of 2017 by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.). The bill incrementally raises the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024: "We welcome the introduction of the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum wage in eight steps t… Continue Reading
Scott, Sensenbrenner Celebrate Older Americans Month By Introducing Bipartisan Bill to Protect Older Workers
05.25.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-05) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen anti-discrimination protections for older workers. The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act is a companion to a Senate bill of the same name, introduced by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Congressman Mark T… Continue Reading
Subcommittee Members See Need for Better Data in Higher Education
05.24.17 WASHINGTON - Today the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing entitled "Empowering Students and Families to Make Informed Decisions on Higher Education." Through witness questioning and testimony, it became clear that students, institutions, and policymakers need better information about how students are faring in our higher education system. Improvements to the postsecondary data infrastructure must provide information in ways that better serve students while … Continue Reading
Scott, Cummings, Waters on Trump Administration’s Decision to Temporarily Halt Repeated Attempts to Undermine Fiduciary Rule
05.23.17 WASHINGTON - Bobby Scott (VA-03), Reps. Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07), and Maxine Waters (CA-43), ranking members of the House Committees on Education and the Workforce, Oversight and Government Reform, and Financial Services, issued the following statement on today's announcement that the Department of Labor's (DOL) fiduciary rule will be initially implemented after the conclusion of the current 60-day delay. "For years, Democrats have championed this common sense rule because it simply ensures … Continue Reading