Press Releases
Democrats Oppose Republican Attempts to Dismantle Worker Protections
09.13.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a joint subcommittee hearing on the so-called "Save Local Business Act" (H.R. 3441). Labor and employment laws have long held, where more than one employer controls terms and conditions of employment, an employee may hold multiple or joint employers accountable for violating wage and hour laws or refusing to collectively bargain. By creating a new, narrow defin… Continue Reading
Norcross Named Co-Chair of House Democrats’ ‘Jobs for America’ Effort
09.13.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) - member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce - announced he will serve in a leadership role in the House Democratic Caucus Jobs for America task forces, a unified effort from the House Democratic Caucus to craft a legislative agenda that will benefit hardworking Americans. Norcross will serve as co-chair of the Rebuilding America Task Force. "Working families in New Jersey and across the country are struggling to make… Continue Reading
Blunt Rochester Named Co-Chair of House Democrats’ Jobs for America Task Force to Create Aggressive Jobs, Economic Agenda
09.13.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL) announced that she will serve in a leadership role in the House Democratic Caucus Jobs for America Task Forces, a unified effort from the House Democratic Caucus to craft a real legislative agenda that will benefit hardworking Americans and middle-class families. Congresswoman Blunt Rochester will serve as co-chair for the Access to Jobs Task Force. "I've spent my career working to expand opportunity for all people, and I'm excited to contin… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Sabotage of the Affordable Care Act
09.13.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration still has not made September's outreach payments to enrollment assistance groups. "Over the past few months, we have seen repeated attempts by the Trump Administration to sabotage the Affordable Care Act - from refusing to commit to paying the cost-sharing reduction payments that help make insurance affordable f… Continue Reading
Senator Franken and Representatives Davis and Krishnamoorthi Lead Effort to Help Foster and Homeless Youth Succeed in College
09.12.17 WASHINGTON -- On September 12, 2017, Senator Al Franken (D-MN), Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL), and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) introduced the Fostering Success in Higher Education Act of 2017 to provide robust support to help foster and homeless youth succeed in college. Congressman Bobby Scott, Ranking Member of the Education and Workforce Committee, and Congresswoman Susan Davis, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, join as original … Continue Reading
Clark Bill Makes College More Accessible to Homeless and Foster Youth
09.12.17 WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA) introduced the Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2017. Clark's bill lifts barriers to college entrance often experienced by homeless and foster youth facing questions about their independent status and financial eligibility. In U.S. public schools, more than 1.3 million students are homeless and nearly 428,000 are in foster care. These students often lack the support network they need to navigate a complicat… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Judiciary Committee Passing Bill Attacking Civil Rights For People with Disabilities
09.07.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee passed, on a party-line vote, H.R. 620 the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017, legislation that attacks the civil rights of Americans 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, schools, as well as public buildings and … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Rollback of Protections for Sexual Assault Survivors
09.07.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Secretary Betsy DeVos announced the Department of Education is seeking to replace guidance regarding Title IX's protections against campus-based sexual assaults: "Secretary DeVos' decision to roll back the 2011 Obama guidance on Title IX protections against campus-based sexual assaults is deeply disappointing. The Title IX guidance issued by the Obama Administration has been key to helping colleges and universi… Continue Reading
Democrats Introduce Bold Legislation to Broadly Expand Access to Higher Education
09.07.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Representative Susan Davis (CA-53), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, and Representatives Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Seth Moulton (MA-06), and Anthony Brown (MD-04), introduced the America’s College Promise Act of 2017, which would make two years of community college free and provide an affordable pathway to a four-year college degr… Continue Reading
Scott Statement On Optima Health's Decision To Scale Back Marketplace Participation
09.07.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce issued the following statement after Optima Health announced it will pull out of parts of Virginia. "In a move that only hurts families and working people, Optima Health has announced that it would no longer sell health insurance plans in some areas of Virginia. This is yet another consequence of the Trump Administration's irresponsible actions - actions such as refusing to commit to offe… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Champion Innovation and Worker Protections at Sharing Economy Hearing
09.06.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Education and the Workforce Committee held a full committee hearing on "The Sharing Economy: Creating Opportunities for Innovation and Flexibility." At today's hearing Committee Democrats explored when it is fair, appropriate, and legal for sharing economy companies to classify workers as independent contractors. Committee Democrats also considered whether the independent contractor paradigm prevailing in the sharing economy and other industries reflects what the future … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on President Trump Ending DACA
09.05.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement after Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirmed that President Trump is ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. "I am deeply disappointed President Trump is ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In 2012, we asked undocumented immigrants who were brought here at a young age, through no fault of their own… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Latest Attack on ACA
09.01.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced enormous cuts to critical funding that supports outreach efforts to ensure people get coverage in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces for the upcoming enrollment season: "This latest effort by the Trump Administration to weaken enrollment by significantly cutting funding for advertising and outreach efforts for the ACA is deeply troubling and will only cause chaos and u… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Latest Decision Dismantling the Overtime Rule
09.01.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce issued the following statement after a federal judge in Texas ruled against the Obama Administration's rule to ensure millions of working people are paid adequately for the hours they work. "A Texas district court judge recently declared the Department of Labor's (DOL) 2016 overtime final rule invalid. The court's decision is a setback for hundreds of thousands of working people who will … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on August Jobs Report
09.01.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 156,000 jobs in August, with the unemployment rate at 4.4 percent. "Today's jobs report shows that job growth under President Trump has slowed in comparison to the last six months of the Obama Administration. While some states are experiencing stagnant job growth and even job loss, the Trump Administration has still not offered a plan to increase… Continue Reading
Bonamici Responds to Hiring of For-Profit Official to Lead Enforcement Unit
08.30.17 WASHINGTON, DC [08/30/17] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Vice Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, spoke out on behalf of students after the Department of Education announced it hired Julian Schmoke Jr., a former official from DeVry University, to lead the Student Aid Enforcement Unit. The unit is tasked with policing fraud and deceptive practices in higher education. "American students deserve to know that the Department of Education is going to be… Continue Reading
Rep. Takano: Trump Administration is Turning Education Department into an Accomplice in For-Profit Fraud
08.30.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif) released the following statement after the Trump administration tapped Julian Schmoke Jr., a former for-profit college executive, to lead the Education Department's Student Aid Enforcement unit, which is responsible for policing fraudulent and deceptive practices at colleges and universities. Schmoke Jr.'s previous employer, DeVry University, recently reached a $100 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in response to allegations of … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Roll Back of Workplace Civil Rights Protections
08.29.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement after the Administrator at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has halted the collection of pay data under the expanded EEO1 survey. "Today, the Trump Administration has taken another step to roll back workplace civil rights protections. Since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEO… Continue Reading
House, Senate Democratic Leaders Push Trump Administration for Answers on Affirmative Action
08.21.17 Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), ranking member of the House Committee on Judiciary, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Education … Continue Reading
Bonamici to DeVos: Stop Putting Interests of For-Profit Colleges Over Interests of Students
08.18.17 BEAVERTON, OR [08/18/17] - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Vice Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, spoke out on behalf of students after the Department of Education announced it would further delay requirements that colleges comply with a rule protecting student loan borrowers. The Gainful Employment rule protects students attending career colleges from being burdened by student loan debt that they cannot repay. The Gainful Employment regulation prohibits … Continue Reading