Press Releases
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
Committee Democrats Reject Republican Bill That Undermines Workers’ Rights to Bargain with Joint Employers
10.28.15 Democrats Offer Solutions to Strengthen the National Labor Relations Act, Boost Wages, Level the Playing Field WASHINGTON - At an Education and the Workforce Committee markup today, the Majority reported legislation that would weaken collective bargaining efforts and suppress wages for workers employed by joint employers. Committee Democrats, however, offered a series of alternatives that would strengthen working families by boosting wages, helping workers better balance work and family lif… Continue Reading
Leading Democrats Commend Department of Education on Rule Protecting Students, Taxpayers from Abusive Financial Practices
10.28.15 WASHINGTON - Following the release of a new Department of Education rule, Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) joined Committee on Financial Services Ranking Member Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) in expressing their support for critical protections that would put an end to financial companies steering college students to abusive, predatory financial products. In 2009, President Obama signed the CARD Act into law, banning the m… Continue Reading
Democrats Urge Congress to Strengthen Safety and Health Protections for Miners at Oversight Hearing
10.21.15 Issue a Call to Level the Playing Field for Coal Miner Claims under the Black Lung Benefits Act WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing entitled "Protecting America's Workers: Reviewing Mine Safety Policies with Stakeholders." Subcommittee Democrats called for strengthening health and safety protections for miners to help prevent black lung disease, providing the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) with additional tools to enforce safety standard… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray, Sanders Urge Stronger Oversight of State Workers’ Compensation Programs
10.21.15 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), wrote a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez urging him to strengthen oversight of state workers' compensation programs. In the letter, the members of Congress noted that state workers' compensation laws have eroded and are no longer providing adequate levels of support and compensation for those who are injured on the job, leaving workers to turn to… Continue Reading
Committee Hears from Judge, Advocates on Need to Update Juvenile Justice Law
10.08.15 WASHINGTON - Today, the full Committee on Education and the Workforce held a legislative hearing on “Reviewing the Juvenile Justice System and How It Serves At-Risk Youth.” Committee Members came together in a bipartisan way to address the need to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, which has not been reauthorized by Congress in over a decade. “In the 13 years since we last reauthorized the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, there ha… Continue Reading
Democrats Call for Adequate Funding, New Enforcement Tools for OSHA
10.07.15 WASHINGTON - At a hearing entitled "Protecting America's Workers: An Enforcement Update from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)," Democratic members of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections learned from the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Dr. David Michaels, that OSHA has very limited resources to inspect the typical job site. In fact, at the agency's current funding levels, they would only able to inspect a site once every 140 years. Th… Continue Reading
Committee Holds First Head Start Hearing of the 114th Congress
10.07.15 WASHINGTON - Research shows that investing in programs like Head Start leads to better educational outcomes, stronger job earnings, and lower crime rates. Research also shows a return of $7 in future avoided costs for every dollar spent on high quality Head Start programs. At today’s Full Committee hearing, Democrats and Republicans agreed on taking action to invest in quality, early learning programs, to ensure that all children enter kindergarten with the building blocks to succeed in schoo… Continue Reading
Committee Releases New Report Highlighting Union Membership Impact on Country’s Economic Stability
10.06.15 "Stronger Together: How Unions Help Strengthen Families and the Nation" includes data-driven analysis, worker stories WASHINGTON - The Committee on Education and the Workforce's Democratic Staff - led by Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) - has released a new report entitled Stronger Together: How Unions Help Strengthen Families and the Nation. The report makes a renewed case that unions are essential to restoring the American Dream for millions of hardworking people in our countr… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Secretary Arne Duncan’s Announcement
10.02.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that he will be stepping down from his post in December: "Just this morning, I joined Secretary Duncan at an area elementary school to announce a $237 million federal investment in high quality, early learning for three and four-year-olds in 18 states. This work is at the heart of why Arne has made an outstanding public servant and Education Secret… Continue Reading
Scott asks Committee to shift focus to important, bipartisan legislation
09.30.15 Remarks come after Committee vote on partisan reconciliation proposal that defunds Planned Parenthood and guts the Affordable Care Act WASHINGTON - Following today's markup in the Education and the Workforce Committee of a reconciliation proposal that will gut the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood, Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) made the following statement: "I am deeply disappointed that the Committee saw fit to report this proposal today. The sole aim of t… Continue Reading
Reps. Cartwright, Scott, Senator Casey Introduce Sweeping Reforms to Black Lung Benefits Program
09.29.15 Legislation aims to prevent coal companies from unfairly denying benefits to deserving miners and families WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Matt Cartwright (PA-17), Bobby Scott (VA-03) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (PA) today proposed sweeping reforms to the federal program that provides benefits to coal miners suffering from black lung disease. Federal law requires that coal companies compensate disabled miners who contract black lung, which is caused by inhaling coal dust ov… Continue Reading
Republicans’ Joint-Employer Legislation Scored by Labor Law Experts as “Harmful”
09.29.15 Democrats promise fight to block legislation that would undermine workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act WASHINGTON – Today, the HELP Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on H.R. 3459, the Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act—a bill that would overturn the recent National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) decision regarding the definition of a “joint-employer”. Democratic Members of the HELP Subcommittee and witnesses with expertise in la… Continue Reading