Press Releases
Following Ranking Member Scott’s Call, MSHA Proposes New Rule to Protect Coal Miners from Cancers, Silicosis, and Black Lung Disease
06.30.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) commended the Mine Safety and Health Administration for its proposed rule to improve the respirable crystalline silica standard. “Silica dust inhaled on the job is a grave threat to miners’ health. When it is inhaled and becomes trapped in lung tissues, silica dust causes scarring and inflammation. It can then cause silicosis, a progressive and incurable disease characterized by a reduction in the lung’s capacity to take in oxyg… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on SCOTUS Ruling in Groff v. DeJoy
06.29.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the case of Groff v. DeJoy. “Religious freedom is a fundamental American value. Our civil rights laws protect workers from religious discrimination and proactively require employers to provide accommodations for religious exercise. Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy clarified employers’ obligation to provide these reasonable accommodations when a… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on SCOTUS Ruling on Affirmative Action
06.29.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC. “The Supreme Court has long held that our nation has a compelling interest in fostering racially diverse campuses. Holistic college admissions practices that narrowly tailor the use of race as one of many factors in evaluating prospective stud… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce New, Bold Legislation to End Abusive Child Labor
06.29.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) announced their plans to introduce new legislation—the Protecting Children Act—to finally end child labor in America. The bill provides federal worker protections agencies with the tools and resources they need to deter violations and prevent harm to children from intensive work in dangerous jobs. Recent, high-profile n… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Bobby Scott, Protect Our Care Virginia, and Health Care Advocates Discuss Republicans’ Latest Effort to Weaken Protections for Virginians with Pre-Existing Conditions
06.26.23 *Watch the event here* WASHINGTON — In case you missed it, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Friday joined Protect Our Care Virginia and health care storytellers to discuss House Republicans' vote to weaken protections for Virginians with pre-existing conditions and undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The call is a response to a legislative package House Republicans passed on Wednesday evening that includes several measures to… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Condemns MAGA Republican Resolution to Threaten Education Funding, Fuel Culture Wars
06.22.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Republicans voted to pass H.Res. 461, a mean-spirited resolution—authored by extreme MAGA Republicans—that threatens to take federal funds from public schools if any of their facilities are used to temporarily house refugees or migrants. Republican politicians falsely claim this resolution is intended to keep students safe and address learning loss. Regrettably, this resolution does neither of those things. View Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. Ranki… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing on Skills-Based Hiring
06.22.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing on equitable, skills-based hiring practices. “Thanks to the leadership of President Biden and Congressional Democrats, our economy is thriving. “In the span of 29 months, President Biden has created more jobs than any previous president has created in a single, 48-month term. And the past two years, respectively, were the first and second largest job growth y… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Leads Opposition to Bill that Undermines Affordable, Quality Health Care for Workers and Families
06.21.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Republicans voted to pass H.R. 3799, which undermines the Affordable Care Act and jeopardizes essential consumer protections for health care consumers. This legislative package includes H.R. 2813, which prevents critical consumer protections from being applied to stop loss insurance, and H.R. 2868, which erodes consumer protections and increases costs for older and sicker Americans. View Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. Ranking Member Robert C. “Bob… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Sends Letter in Support of Biden Proposal to Protect Students, Taxpayers from Low-Quality Education Programs
06.21.23 WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) commended the Biden administration for its proposed rule to hold career programs that receive federal financial aid accountable for ensuring their graduates can secure gainful employment after completing a degree. “Two fundamental principles drive these proposed rules: protecting students and taxpayers and holding institutions accountable,” Ranking Member Scott wrote. “The Department’s proposed rule makes great strides to pr… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Vote (Again) to Undermine Affordable Care Act and Fuel Culture Wars in Schools
06.13.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced two bills—H.R. 824 and H.R. 3941—that would undermine access to affordable and high-quality health care coverage and further politicize education by threatening badly-needed funding for schools and colleges. “I am disappointed that, yet again, we’ve decided to take up two bills that do nothing to support students or improve access to affordable, quality health care for workers and families,” said Ranking Member Scott. “Our constituents are coun… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Legislation to Undermine Affordable Care Act and Fuel Culture Wars
06.13.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 824 and H.R. 3941. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx. “I am disappointed that, yet again, we’ve decided to take up two bills that do nothing to support students or improve access to affordable, quality health care for workers and families. “In fact, so far this Congress, Committee Republicans’ priorities for K-12 education have focused entirely on culture wars. Leg… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing with HHS Secretary Becerra
06.13.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Health and Human Services” with Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Secretary Becerra, good morning and thank you for being with us today. It is always a pleasure to welcome you back to the Committee. “You are familiar with this room. You and I began our congressional careers in this room 30 years ago, and i… Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Ask Republicans to Put Actions Behind Their Words and Hold Hearing on Child Labor Violations
06.08.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) sent a letter urging Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) to hold a hearing on the rise of child labor violations and legislative proposals to address abusive child labor. Nearly 85 years after the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), recent, high-profile news reports have underscored that children are continuing to be illegally employed in dangerous jobs a… Continue Reading
Scott Opening Statement at Hearing with DOL Acting Secretary Su
06.07.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Labor” with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Acting Secretary Su, good morning and thank you for being with us. “You’re here with us now and we have had problems getting previous administration officials to the committee but thank you for being with us today. “We have an opportunity to discuss t… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Vote to Undermine Health Care Protections, Fuel Culture Wars, and Make School Meals Unhealthy
06.06.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced four bills that would further politicize our classrooms, undermine essential health care coverage protections, and make school meals unhealthy. “Ultimately, these four bills fall short of our promise to protect students, strengthen child nutrition, and ensure access to affordable, quality health coverage,” said Ranking Member Scott. “If we are serious about fulfilling our promise of helping students, we can work together to end gun violence in… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement at GOP Markup of Bills to Undermine Health Care, Fuel Culture Wars, and Make School Meals Unhealthy
06.06.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.Res. 461, H.R. 1147, H.R. 2868, and H.R. 2813. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx, and good morning. “I had hoped that we would be able to start this Congress by passing bipartisan priorities that support the American people. But, regrettably, today, Committee Republicans are calling up another set of bills that neglect our responsibilities to students, workers, and fa… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on May Jobs Report
06.02.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 339,000 jobs in May, as the unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 3.4 percent to 3.7 percent. Since taking office, President Biden has created 13.1 million jobs, which is more jobs created in 28 months than any previous President has created in a single term. “Under President Biden our economy continues to thrive, despite Congress… Continue Reading
Extreme MAGA Republicans Vote to Deny Debt Relief for More Than 20.6 Million of Their Own Constituents
05.24.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Republicans advanced H.J. Res. 45, which would deny student debt relief for43 million student loan borrowers debt relief, including more than 20.6 million of their own constituents. The resolution could also create chaos for student loan borrowers by potentially forcing them to repay the last four months’ worth of student loan payments. This would trigger a wave of delinquencies and defaults for our most vulnerable borrowers. View Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Protect Older Job Applicants
05.19.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, reintroduced the bipartisan Protect Older Job Applicants (POJA) Act. The POJA Act protects older job applicants from employment discrimination at the application phase. This year, the POJA Act is co-led by Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Congresswoman Maria Salazar (FL-27), and Congressman Jay Obernolte (CA-33). Age discriminatory hiring practices are widespread. Derogatory ster… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott, Rep. Beyer Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Students from Dangerous Seclusion and Restraint Practices
05.18.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08)—alongside Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Patty Murray (D-WA)—reintroduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, legislation to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint discipline practices in school. The Keeping All Students Safe Act would make it illegal for any school receivin… Continue Reading