Press Releases
Scott, Cummings Applaud Final Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Rule
08.24.16 WASHINGTON - Ranking Members Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Elijah Cummings (MD-07) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council today announced final regulations and guidance implementing the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order. “We commend the Department of Labor and the Obama Administration’s diligent and deliberative process in developing the final Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule. This rule will ensure that hardworking … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on July Jobs Report
08.05.16 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 255,000 jobs during the month of July. "Today's job report shows that the economy added 255,000 jobs while unemployment holds steady at 4.9 percent. Under President Obama and his Administration, we have experienced consistent economic gains, and this progress serves as a great foundation to continue the work needed to support working people across… Continue Reading
ESSA: Murray, Scott Continue Push to Ensure New Education Law Works for Every Student, Strengthens Equity of Educational Opportunity
08.02.16 WASHINGTON - Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, sent the following letter to the U.S. Department of Education ("the Department") regarding their proposed regulation on the accountability provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Murray and Scott applauded the Department for "balancing ESSA's strong and cl… Continue Reading
Democrats Push For New Standards to Protect Workers from Violence on the Job
07.18.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Members Bobby Scott (D-VA), of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Patty Murray (D-WA), of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions led a bicameral letter to Department of Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez requesting protections against violence for working Americans. On April 14, 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report outlining actions needed to reduce and mitigate the incidence of workplace violence in h… Continue Reading
Scott Introduces Bill to Simplify the Federal Student Aid Application for Dependent Pell Grant Recipients
07.15.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03) introduced H.R. 5784, the File Once FAFSA Act of 2016. The legislation simplifies the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for low-income students by requiring dependent Pell Grant recipients to file just once before going to college and forgo burdensome refiling in subsequent years. If enacted, this bill will make it easier for nearly 3.5 million low-income students to obtain critical P… Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Bills to Help More Americans Pursue Higher Education
07.11.16 WASHINGTON - Today, the House passed five bipartisan bills to help improve access to higher education for students, parents and taxpayers. Collectively, this legislative package includes measures to empower students and families to make informed decisions; simplify and improve the financial aid process; and enhance existing support and accountability for institutions serving minority students. "The bills we passed today are necessary improvements to the Higher Education Act," said Ranking Membe… Continue Reading
Scott, More Than 100 Members of Congress Aim to Make Higher Education More Accessible and Affordable
07.08.16 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Friday, July 8, 2016, one year after the introduction of the America's College Promise Act of 2015 (ACP), there are more than 100 House Democrats support the need for action on legislation that would benefit millions of American students in their pursuit of a more affordable college education. The America's College Promise Act of 2015 makes two years of community college free and provides an affordable pathway for low-income students to earn a four-year college degree. The l… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on June Jobs Report
07.08.16 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement today after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 287,000 jobs during the month of June. "Today's job report represents the 76th consecutive month of private sector job growth - extending the longest streak on record which was previously set in April 2000 at 51 months. Despite these economic gains, too many working families are still struggling to make ends meet. "Unfortunately, just yester… Continue Reading
Scott, Takano, House Democrats Urge Veteran Affairs to Protect Student Veterans from Unscrupulous Learning Institutions
07.07.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Subcommittee on Veterans' Economic Opportunity Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-41), and other House Democrats wrote a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) about setting a federal interagency strategy to identify unscrupulous programs of education that employ deceptive practices to recruit student veterans in order to access their GI Bill benefits. Veterans planning to use the GI Bill to purs… Continue Reading
Committee Unanimously Approves Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Career and Technical Education
07.07.16 WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Education and the Workforce today approved H.R. 5587, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. Introduced by Reps. Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA), the legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to help more Americans enter the workforce with the skills they need to compete for high-skilled, in-demand jobs. The bill passed the committee by a vote of 37 to 0… Continue Reading
Scott, Hinojosa, More Than 100 Democrats Urge Appropriations Committee to Protect Pell Grant Funding
07.06.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee Ranking Member Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) and 120 House Democrats sent a letter to Chairman Hal Rogers and Ranking Member Nita Lowey of the House Committee on Appropriations, and to Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Subcommittee, urging them to protect Pell Grant funding in the Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriati… Continue Reading
Congressional Democrats Urge GAO to Investigate Financial Barriers Facing HBCUs
07.06.16 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) wrote a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) urging them to investigate any barriers that might be facing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) when financing capital projects. "Hist… Continue Reading
Clark, Langevin, Nolan Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Career and Technical Education
06.28.16 WASHINGTON - Led by Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-05) on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, policymakers from across the aisle today introduced the Strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the 21st Century Act. Introduced by Reps. Clark, Jim Langevin (RI-02), Co-Chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, and Rick Nolan (MN-08), and Republican Reps. Glenn 'GT' Thompson (PA-05), Carolos Curbelo (FL-26) and Bradley Byrne (AL-01), the legislation reauthorizes an… Continue Reading
Members Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Career and Technical Education
06.28.16 WASHINGTON - Led by Republican and Democratic members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, policymakers today introduced the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. Introduced by Reps. Glenn 'GT' Thompson (R-PA) and Katherine Clark (D-MA), the legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and will help more Americans enter the workforce with the skills they need to compete for high-skilled, in-demand j… Continue Reading
Hoyer, Scott Hold Forum on the Working Families Agenda
06.27.16 BOWIE, MD - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) hosted a Working Families Field Forum with Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03) as a special guest. Local elected leaders, policy experts, and workers joined Congressmen Hoyer and Scott in a discussion on House Democrats' Working Families Agenda, which includes policy solutions to raise the federal minimum wage, ensure pay equity, and provide paid leave for all workers. "I was pleased to join Rep. … Continue Reading
Scott, Young Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Older Workers
06.24.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, was joined by Representative David Young (R-IA) to introduce bipartisan legislation to strengthen anti-discrimination protections for older workers and other persons discriminated against in the workplace. The Protecting Older Workers against Discrimination Act is a companion to the Senate bill of the same name that was introduced last October. Today, Americans are working mor… Continue Reading
Scott, Hinojosa Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Affirmative Action Case
06.23.16 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Ranking Member Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court's 4-3 decision upholding the constitutionality of affirmative action initiatives in the case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (Fisher II), No. 14-981 (U.S. June 23, 2016). "Today the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed affirmative action as a … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Full Committee Hearing on ESSA Implementation
06.23.16 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a full committee hearing entitled "Next Steps in K-12 Education: Examining Recent Efforts to Implement the Every Student Succeeds Act." U.S. Secretary of Education John King testified before the committee. "Thanks to the enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act, states and school districts now have more flexibility to carry out this law and make sure all students are… Continue Reading
New Oxfam-EPI Report: Working People Need Responsible Solutions That Boost Wages & Level the Playing Field
06.22.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) highlighted the findings of a new report by Oxfam and the Economic Policy Institute. The report entitled "Few Rewards: An Agenda to Give America's Working Poor a Raise" illustrates the struggles of millions of low-wage working people across the nation. The report highlights the need to: increase the federal minimum wage; provide access to earned sick leave; protect overtime pay … Continue Reading
Committee Advances Bipartisan Bills to Help More Americans Pursue Higher Education
06.22.16 WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Education and the Workforce today approved a number of bipartisan bills that will help strengthen higher education for students, parents, and taxpayers. The legislative proposals-all approved by voice vote-include measures to empower students and families to make informed decisions, simplify and improve the financial aid process, and enhance existing support and accountability for institutions serving minority students. "I am pleased that Members of the Commi… Continue Reading