Press Releases
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
Scott Statement on New Verizon Contracts for Nearly 40,000 Working People
06.17.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in support of Verizon's new contract agreement with Communication Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. On May 19, 2016, Reps. Scott, Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), and 86 Members of Congress issued a statement urging the parties to negotiate in good faith and agree to fair contracts. "I applaud the Communication Workers of America, the Inter… Continue Reading
Scott, Wilson, Maloney and Schakowsky Introduce Legislation to Update the Family and Medical Leave Act
06.16.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), introduced a legislative package to update the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to help workers balance work and family life. FMLA was enacted more than 20 years ago to provide workers with job-protected leave to care for themselves or a family member. Since its enactment, the FMLA has been used more than 200 million times and ensured that those workers did… Continue Reading
Scott, Waters Commend Education Department for Proposed Steps to Improve Borrower Defense Process for Students
06.13.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Rep. Maxine Waters, Ranking Member on the House Committee on Financial Services, issued the following joint statement in response to the Department of Education's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on borrower defense policies and procedures. "We are pleased to see that in crafting their proposed rule on borrower defense, the Department of Education followed many recommendations we have made over the … Continue Reading
Murray, Scott Push for Ambitious Pre-K Plans in ESSA Implementation
06.13.16 (Washington, D.C.) - Today, 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 Workforce Committee, voiced their support for "ambitious actions and comprehensive coordination" to fulfill the promise of the preschool program in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA marks the first time that the nation's primary elementary and secondary education law i… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Bill to Address the Debt Crisis in Puerto Rico
06.09.16 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement today on his "Yes" vote on H.R. 5278, the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, or PROMESA. "Today, the Puerto Rican government is struggling to meet its obligations and provide critical services to residents, with funding for schools, hospitals, and infrastructure being neglected and Puerto Ricans facing increasing austerity and economic hardship. It … Continue Reading
The Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule Gives Hardworking Americans a Long Overdue Raise
06.09.16 WASHINGTON- Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing entitled, "The Administration's Overtime Rule and Its Consequences for Workers, Students, Nonprofits, and Small Businesses." The hearing focused on the Department of Labor's (DOL) new rule that strengthens overtime protections for millions of workers nationwide. An estimated 4.2 million workers will directly benefit from the new overtime rule which raises the salary level under which most salaried workers automatical… Continue Reading
Scott, Hinojosa, Congressional Tri-Caucus Statement on Cuts to Pell Grants
06.07.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15), and the Congressional Tri-Caucus-which is comprised of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)- released the following statements regarding cuts to the Pell Grant program in the 2017 Senate Labor, H… Continue Reading
Scott, Conyers Statement on New Civil Rights Data from Department of Education
06.07.16 WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) unveiled new data from the 2013-2014 school year showing gaps that remain in educational equity and opportunity for students. Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) released the following statement on the release of the new data by OCR: "The report released today from the Department of Education is a dis… Continue Reading
May: Scott Statement on Jobs Report
06.03.16 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement today after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that during the month of May, the economy added 38,000 jobs and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 percent: "Today's job report represents the 75th consecutive month of private sector job growth. This extends the longest streak of job growth on record, which was previously set in April 2000 at 51 months. However, considering the drop off from previous… Continue Reading
Ranking Members Cummings, Waters, and Scott Criticize Lawsuit to Undermine Conflict of Interest Rule
06.02.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Maxine Waters, and Bobby Scott, Ranking Members of the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, and Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement on news that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and other industry groups have filed a lawsuit to overturn the Department of Labor's conflict of interest rule: "Quite simply, the Department of Labor's new rule h… Continue Reading
Scott, Hinojosa Urge Appropriations Subcommittees to Protect Pell Grants for Students
06.02.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Ranking Member Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) sent a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) expressing concern with proposals that would weaken the Pell Grant program in the FY 2017 LHHS bill, and supporting an increase in the maximum Pell Grant award. Committee Democrats believe that students should have access to a higher education that… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Education Department’s Proposed Rule to Enhance Equity and Excellence in Schools
05.26.16 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement provisions of the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) regarding school accountability, data reporting, and consolidated state plans. Earlier this week, ranking members Scott and Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Secretary of Education John King, requesting that the Department use… Continue Reading
New GAO Report: Workers in Meat and Poultry Industry Face High, Persistent Rates of Injury and Illness
05.25.16 WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), released the findings of a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on actions needed to address continued hazards in the meat and poultry industry. The report found that workers in meat and poultry plants continue to face unsafe working conditions, and confirms that many injuries and illnesses go underreported as workers may fear for their jobs if they repor… Continue Reading
Murray, Scott Urge Education Department to Hold States, School Districts, and Schools Accountable for Effectively Implementing New K-12 Education Law
05.24.16 WASHINGTON - Today, 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 a letter to Secretary of Education John King, requesting that the Department use its full authority to issue strong accountability regulations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to help ensure schools and states provide a quality education to every s… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Report Confirming Lack of Racial and Gender Diversity in the Tech Industry
05.20.16 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) released its "Diversity in High Tech" report. The EEOC conducted this study at the request of Ranking Member Scott. "I am pleased that the EEOC conducted this analysis on race and gender representation in the high tech sector nationally, with a special focus on Silicon Valley. I requested this report from the … Continue Reading
Scott, Nadler, Nearly 90 Members Issue Joint Statement on Verizon Labor Negotiations
05.19.16 WASHINGTON - TODAY, House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and 86 Members of Congress issued the following joint statement regarding the Verizon strike and ongoing labor negotiations: "We applaud Verizon's success and its ability to be profitable throughout the changes that have taken place in the telecommunications industry, but are deeply concerned about the ongoing Verizon strike." "Verizon workers build, install and… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Pass Harmful Bill Restricting Access to Healthy School Meals
05.18.16 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Committee Republicans voted (20-14) to turn back the clock on the evidence-based nutritional standards of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The Majority's bill - H.R. 5003, the so-called "Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016" - contains many harmful provisions that would make it more difficult for low-income schools to feed their students. Despite the innocuous title, H.R. 5003 threatens to eliminate and weaken the nutrition safety net for our nation's… Continue Reading
Republicans Vote to Keep Workers in the Dark During Union Organizing Campaigns
05.18.16 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Workforce Republicans voted to keep workers in the dark by approving a Congressional Review Act to overturn the Department of Labor’s (DOL) final persuader rule. The rule requires employers and “union avoidance consultants” to report their persuader arrangements to DOL, pursuant to the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) of 1959. “This resolution of disapproval harms workers’ free choice in deciding whether to be represente… Continue Reading
Scott, Kennedy Introduce Amendment to Religious Freedom Restoration Act
05.18.16 WASHINGTON - Joined by leaders from the civil rights, social justice and faith communities, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Congressman Joe Kennedy III (MA-04) today introduced 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 across the … Continue Reading