Press Releases
Scott Statement on NLRB Decision in Browning-Ferris Industries
08.27.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) praised today's 3-2 decision by the National Labor Relations Board in Browning-Ferris Industries, which returned to the traditional test for determining whether two or more entities are joint employers under the National Labor Relations Act. "Today's NLRB decision will help ensure that the National Labor Relations Act continues to protect the rights of employees to bargain with their employers - whether those employers individually… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on D.C. Circuit Court Home Health Workers Decision
08.21.15 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) praised the unanimous decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Home Care Association of America v. Weil, in support of the U.S. Department of Labor's rule to cover home healthcare workers under minimum wage and overtime protections. This decision will extend these protections to nearly two million workers. "Today's decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals will benefit home healthcare workers and attract… Continue Reading
Murray, DeLauro, Scott Urge President Obama to Expand Access to Paid Sick Days through Executive Order
08.10.15 Executive Order could guarantee access to paid sick days to 28 million federal contractors WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who has introduced the Healthy Families Act in every Congress since 2004 and whose home state of Connecticut was the first in the nation to ensure service workers had access to paid sick days, and Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), … Continue Reading
Murray, Scott Applaud New Worker Protections Limiting Harmful Beryllium Exposure
08.06.15 WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), the ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, praised a new standard to reduce workplace exposure to beryllium, a mineral that has been linked to lung disease and, in some cases, been fatal. In addition to limiting beryllium exposure, the proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupati… Continue Reading
House, Senate Education Leaders Discuss Efforts to Replace No Child Left Behind
07.30.15 Agree to recommend House Chairman John Kline to chair the conference committee to reconcile House- and Senate-passed bills WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), House Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Senate Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today met to discuss proceeding with a conference committee to resolve differences in the House- and Se… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, Urges Medicaid Expansion
07.30.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the 50th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid: "On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law and made access to affordable, quality health care a fundamental American value. Medicare and Medicaid have helped millions of Americans - particularly seniors, people with disabilities, and low income families - live with economic security and dignity. The Affordable… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 2015
07.29.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement today after Representative Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, introduced the Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 2015. The bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to require employers to accurately classify their workers and provide employees with notice of that classification: "Workers who are misclassified as independent contractors are denied the wages they… Continue Reading
Democrats Emphasize the Need for Robust Funding of Health and Human Services Programs
07.28.15 WASHINGTON - Today the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing entitled, "Reviewing the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." Committee Democrats focused on efforts to expand health care coverage, improve education, and enhance economic security for American families. "Budgeting requires tough choices and a responsible budget should be a reflection of priorities," said Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA). "I am pleased that the Pres… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Ideas to Strengthen Higher Education
07.24.15 As summer comes to a close and college-goers begin preparing for the fall semester, students and families face tough challenges fulfilling the dream of a higher education that will prepare them to succeed in the workforce: College costs continue to rise. Over the past decade, the average costs at four-year public and private nonprofit institutions increased by 42 percent and 24 percent, respectively. National student loan debt has eclipsed the $1 trillion mark. The average borrower ac… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
07.24.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement commemorating the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990 - 25 years ago this Sunday. As a member of the Virginia Senate, Ranking Member Scott was involved in the passage of the Virginians with Disabilities Act of 1985. The Virginia law preceded the federal statute, and demonstrated how persons with disabilities could effectively… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the Introduction of the Equality Act
07.23.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement on the introduction of the Equality Act of 2015, a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other key laws to ensure that LBGT Americans receive the same legal protections afforded to other Americans. The bill was announced at a press conference today by Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, and Rep. John Lew… Continue Reading
Subcommittee Hearing Examines Proposed Overtime Time Rule
07.23.15 Scott and Committee Democrats voice support for proposed overtime rule that would give workers fair day’s pay for fair day’s work WASHINGTON – Today, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing on “Examining the Costs and Consequences of the Administration’s Overtime Proposal.” The hearing addressed the U.S. Department of Labor’s responsible effort to update and strengthen the federal regulations determining which workers recei… Continue Reading
Fudge, Rokita Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Update Student Privacy Protections
07.22.15 Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) today introduced the Student Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 3157), bipartisan legislation to update student privacy protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. The bill will modernize privacy protections, improve communication between parents and school officials, and hold schools, states, and independent entities accountable for their … Continue Reading
Workers’ Rights Stripped at Indian-run Casinos and Other Tribal Enterprises by Anti-Labor Bill
07.22.15 WASHINGTON - Today the Committee on Education and the Workforce reported H.R. 511, the "Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015," legislation that would strip hundreds of thousands of workers employed at Indian-owned tribal enterprises-such as casinos-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. This legislation would override Nat… Continue Reading
Leading Democratic Lawmakers Throw Support behind Rule to Protect Retirees and Investors
07.22.15 WASHINGTON - Today, a broad and diverse group of House Democrats expressed their strong support for a rule proposed by the Department of Labor (DOL) that seeks to ensure those providing investment advice are actually working in the best interest of retirement savers. In a letter led by Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee and Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Education and Workforce Committee, the lawmakers praised the DOL's efforts, led by … Continue Reading
Over 100 Democrats in House, Senate Send Letter to President Obama in Support of New Overtime Rule
07.20.15 Change will help reduce income inequality, jump start local economies WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama announced last month that the Department of Labor (DOL) intends to raise the salary threshold below which workers must receive overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week. Today, nearly 150 Democrats across both chambers of Congress-led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03)-sent a letter to the President in strong support of the rule. Ra… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Senate Passage of ‘No Child Left Behind’ Update
07.16.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015, the Senate bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965: "While today's Senate passage of the Every Child Achieves Act (S.1177) moves us one step closer toward our collective goal of fixing No Child Left Behind, the bill remains unworthy of the President's signature. The Every Child Achieves Act fails to require stat… Continue Reading
Scott, Warren, Delauro, Murray, Murphy Introduce Schedules That Work Act to End Unstable Scheduling Practices
07.15.15 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 15, 2015 Contacts: Lacey Rose (Warren), 202-224-2292 Sara Lonardo (DeLauro), 202-225-3661 Helen Hare (Murray), 202-224-5398 Kiara Pesante (Scott), 202-226-0853 Laura Maloney (Murphy) 202-228-1056 Legislation Supported by Women, Labor and Civil Rights Groups Would Provide Greater Stability to Hourly and Low-Wage Workers Fact Sheet Washington, DC - Today, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.),… Continue Reading
Scott to Join Members of Congress, Advocates to Announce Introduction of Schedules that Work Act
07.14.15 Legislation Would Provide Stability to Hourly Workers, Enact Scheduling Practices that Protect Workers' Rights WASHINGTON - Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 15th at 2 p.m., United States Representatives Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Al Franken (D-Minn.), and women's and labor groups will hold a press conference to mark th… Continue Reading
Scott Expresses Concern over Continued Threats to Preventive Health Benefits for Women
07.10.15 WASHINGTON -Today the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of the Treasury finalized regulations that allow closely held for-profit corporations with religious objections to opt out of providing coverage for some or all contraceptive services to their female employees. These regulations were issued following the 2014 Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., that the owners of closely-held, for-profit corporations cannot be force… Continue Reading