Press Releases
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
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