Press Releases
Scott Statement on FY16 Omnibus
12.18.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 2029, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which fully funds the federal government through September 30, 2016, provides a two year implementation delay of the excise tax on high-cost employer sponsored health insurance plans, makes important investments in students and does not hinder the Department of Labor's ability to enforce rules that protect workers. The… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Senate Agreement to Extend Federal Perkins Loan Program
12.17.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the Senate's amendment to H.R. 3594, the Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2015, a bill that would extend the Federal Perkins Loan program for two years: "At a critical time when many are questioning the affordability of a college education, the Senate's amendment makes accessing financial aid funds more expensive for some students. By requiring new students to exhaust both their subsidized… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind
12.09.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the 85-12 passage of S.1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act - a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind: "I commend Senator Alexander, Senator Murray, Chairman Kline and our respective staff for their earnest and diligent work to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind. The Every Studen… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Conviction of Don Blankenship, Former Chairman and CEO of the Massey Energy Company
12.04.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a federal jury found Don Blankenship, Former Chairman and CEO of the Massey Energy Company, conspired to violate mine safety and health standards at Massey’s Upper Big Branch Mine, where 29 miners died in an April 2010 explosion: “While I am pleased that there is some measure of justice for the miners and their families at Upper Big Branch mine - and commend the U.S. Attorney and his team for their … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind
12.02.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the 359-64 passage of S.1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act - a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind: "Today's bipartisan vote to reauthorize the ESEA affirms the principles of Brown v. Board of Education, which held that 'it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an e… Continue Reading
Scott, Kline Applaud House Passage of Every Student Succeeds Act
12.02.15 Bipartisan bill replaces No Child Left Behind, Improves K-12 Education WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott and Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statements today after the House passed a bipartisan, bicameral bill to replace No Child Left Behind and improve K-12 education. Known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (S. 1177), the bill passed the House by a vote of 359 to 64. "Today's bipartisan vote to reauthorize the ESEA … Continue Reading
House, Senate Education Committees Release Final Proposal to Replace NCLB
11.30.15 WASHINGTON - Today bipartisan leaders on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released the final legislative text for improving K-12 education and replacing No Child Left Behind. The final bill is being released after legislative proposals passed separately by the House and Senate in July and embodies the reforms agreed to by members serving on a joint conference committee earlier this month. The House-Senate confer… Continue Reading
House-Senate Conference Committee Approves Framework to Improve K-12 Education
11.19.15 WASHINGTON - Today, the House-Senate conference committee reached agreement on a proposal to improve K-12 education and replace No Child Left Behind. The agreement represents a compromise between the House-passed Student Success Act (H.R. 5) and the Senate-passed Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 (S. 1177). "No Child Left Behind has been failing students, parents, teachers, and state and local education leaders for far too long, and today we took an important step in replacing this flawed law,… Continue Reading
ADVISORY: House-Senate Joint Conference Committee on K-12 Education to Hold First Public Meeting
11.18.15 WASHINGTON - TODAY, November 18, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., a House and Senate conference committee to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will hold its first meeting in HVC-201 of the Capitol Visitor Center. At the first meeting, members of the conference committee are expected to deliver opening statements. WHAT: Meeting of a House-Senate joint conference committee on K-12 education WHEN: Wednesday, November 18, at 2:30 p.m. WHERE: HVC-201 of the Capitol Visitor Center … Continue Reading
ADVISORY: K-12 Education Joint Conference Committee to Reconvene, Consider Amendments
11.18.15 WASHINGTON - TOMORROW, November 19, 2015 at 10:00 a.m., the House and Senate conference committee to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will hold a second meeting in HVC-201 of the Capitol Visitor Center. At the conference committee’s next meeting, members are expected to consider amendments to the House-Senate proposed framework. WHAT: House-Senate joint conference committee on K-12 education to reconvene WHEN: Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. WHERE: HVC-2… Continue Reading
Scott: Conference Framework “Lives up to the Promises of Brown and the Intent of the Original ESEA”
11.18.15 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) delivered remarks at a joint House and Senate conference committee meeting to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. At today's conference committee meeting, Ranking Member Scott emphasized the need to advance student-centered policy solutions that both fulfill the ESEA's civil rights legacy and move public education forward. Remarks by Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott: 2:30 P.M. EST Mr. Chairman, I would lik… Continue Reading
Pelosi Names Conferees to Elementary and Secondary Elementary School Act Bill Conference
11.17.15 WASHINGTON - Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today named seven House Democratic Members to serve on a conference committee to complete a final ESEA agreement. "Fifty years ago, we enacted into law the landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act because, as Americans, we recognized that education is the single most important investment a nation can make in its future and a family can make in its children," Leader Pelosi said. "Nothing returns more money to the Treasury than investments in … Continue Reading
Workers’ Rights Stripped at Indian-run Casinos and Other Tribal Enterprises by Anti-Labor Bill
11.17.15 WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 511, the “Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015,” by a vote of 249 to 117. This legislation would strip hundreds of thousands of workers employed at Indian-owned tribal enterprises—such as casinos, hotels and mines—of their voice in the workplace and the protections under the National Labor Relations Act. Although tribal casinos employ upwards of 600,000 people, approximately 75 percent of the employees are non-Indians. In a Statem… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on ACA Challenge Reaching the Supreme Court under the Guise of Religious Freedom
11.06.15 WASHINGTON - Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement today after the Supreme Court granted certiorari to hear arguments in seven consolidated cases. The cases question whether the contraceptive accommodation for some religiously affiliated organizations who wish to avail themselves of the preventive services mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the 50th Anniversary of the Higher Education Act
11.06.15 WASHINGTON - Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement today celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 8, 1965: "Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Higher Education Act (HEA) into law. HEA was a key component of the 'Great Society', and its goal was and is to provide a pathway to the midd… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on October Jobs Report
11.06.15 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 October, 271,000 jobs were added to the economy while the unemployment rate fell to 5.0 percent. This marks the 68th consecutive month of private sector job growth: “Today’s jobs report shows that the unemployment rate fell to 5.0 percent, continuing the longest streak on record. Despite this great gain, families across th… Continue Reading
Cummings, Issa, Scott Build Bipartisan Momentum for Fair Chance Act
11.05.15 WASHINGTON—Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Darrell Issa (R-CA) hosted a bipartisan briefing on fair chance hiring policies, including the Fair Chance Act, legislation they introduced to require the federal government and its contractors to wait to ask about the criminal histories of job applicants until they receive conditional offers of employment. Cummings and Issa were joined by Reps. Bobby Scott, Ranking Member… Continue Reading
Chu, Scott Introduce Bill to Protect Immigrant Workers
11.05.15 WASHINGTON - Today, Reps. Judy Chu (CA-27) and Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, introduced the Protecting Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation (POWER) Act. This legislation will provide U Visa eligibility for immigrant workers who report unsafe or unfair labor practices. The bill will also strengthen labor agencies’ investigative powers and allow a stay of removal and work authorization for workers who file a workplace claim. These … Continue Reading
Scott, Hinojosa Lead Democrats in Filing Fisher II Brief
11.03.15 85 Members of Congress signed onto brief in support of the University of Texas at Austin’s affirmative action program WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) - along with Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) - led a group of Democratic lawmakers in filing an amicus brief in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, No. 14-981 (Fisher II) U.S. Supreme Court case examining whether state educators can consider race and ethnicity among the many factors in admissions to institutions of highe… Continue Reading
House Democrats Introduce Working Families Resolution
10.29.15 WASHINGTON - In honor of hardworking families across the nation, today, 108 House Democrats introduced H. Res. 506, the Working Families Resolution. This resolution calls on Congress to take up the responsible policy solutions working families need to make a better life for themselves and their families. Earlier this week, in commemoration of National Work and Family Month, Members came together for a Working Families Day of Action to highlight the many ways Congress can continue to support our … Continue Reading