Press Releases
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
Scott, Baldwin Introduce Bill to Make Higher Education More Accessible and Affordable
07.08.15 WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to announce America's College Promise Act of 2015 (ACP). The legislation would make two years of community college free and provide an affordable pathway to a four-year college degree for low-income students. Under the America's Colle… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Passage of Partisan Bill to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
07.08.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement on the 218-213 passage of H.R. 5, the bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): "Sixty one years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which established state-funded public education as 'a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.' Recognizing that funding education through local property taxes meant that p… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on June Jobs Report
07.02.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor announced that the economy added 223,000 jobs during the month of June, while the unemployment rate dropped to 5.3 percent: "Today's jobs report shows that our economy is still improving, growing and heading in the right direction. With the sixty-fourth consecutive month of private sector job growth, and the unemployment rate down to 5.3 percent, our nation continues to rec… Continue Reading
New overtime salary floor will mean more workers can earn overtime pay
06.30.15 Rule change will help reduce income inequality WASHINGTON - President Obama announced this morning 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. The current salary threshold is $23,660, and today’s proposed rule would raise it to $50,440. Following this morning’s announcement, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott expressed his strong support for the increase. “Today’s announc… Continue Reading
Speier, Scott Welcome Release of GAO Report on Sexual Abuse in Youth Sports
06.29.15 WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) made the following statement on the release of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report Youth Athletes: Sports Programs' Guidance, Practices, and Policies to Help Prevent and Respond to Sexual Abuse. The House Education and the Workforce Committee is entrusted with oversight and legislative jurisdiction over student safety. "Youth … Continue Reading
Scott, Pallone, Levin: The ACA is Working
06.25.15 Today, the top Democrats from the House Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means committees issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a core tenet of the Affordable Care Act in King v. Burwell. Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) are the lead Democrats on the committees with jurisdiction over … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the 43rd Anniversary of Title IX
06.23.15 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), issued the following statement on 43rd anniversary of the enactment of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972: "Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, landmark legislation that was enacted to remove barriers to educational opportunities on the basis of one's sex. "The law states: 'No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from particip… Continue Reading
Joint Statement by Co-Sponsors of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Responding to Rep. Walberg’s Pregnant Workers Bill
06.19.15 "No woman should have to choose between a healthy pregnancy and a paycheck… Under the guise of helping women, the Walberg bill simply creates more confusion for employees and exposes employers to additional litigation risk." WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-3), Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53), and Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11), co-spon… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on 'Fast Track' Vote
06.18.15 WASHINGTON — House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement on stand-alone legislation to grant the President Trade Promotion Authority, commonly known as Fast Track: “As I did last week, I again opposed Trade Promotion Authority because it lacks sufficient safeguards to ensure that labor standards, environmental standards, and consumer protections are respected in partner countries and here at home. I remain conce… Continue Reading
HELP Subcommittee Addresses the DOL’s Proposed Conflicts of Interest Rule
06.17.15 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing on the "Restricting Access to Financial Advice: Evaluating the Costs and Consequences for Working Families and Retirees." The hearing addressed the U.S. Department of Labor's proposed standards to ensure retirement advisors act in the best interest of their clients when giving investment advice. "Families look to financial advisors and institutions for trusted advice, and should not need a fi… Continue Reading
Democrats Fight to Safeguard Healthy Meal Standards for Nation’s Children
06.16.15 WASHINGTON - The Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee hearing today entitled, "Child Nutrition Assistance: Are Federal Rules and Regulations Serving the Best Interests of Schools and Families," to discuss the continued implementation of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA). Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) discussed the importance of safeguarding the healthier standards for child nutrition programs. "The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act has giv… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Trade Votes
06.12.15 WASHINGTON- House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement on today's trade votes: "While I am a strong supporter of Trade Adjustment Assistance that provides needed support to workers who have had their jobs shipped overseas, I was unable to vote for today's TAA title of the Trade Act. When taken into context, this TAA authorization fell woefully short in our duty to support American workers. It lacked adequate f… Continue Reading
Scott Introduces Bill to Reauthorize Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
06.11.15 WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) today announced the introduction of H.R. 2728, The Youth Justice Act of 2015. The legislation would reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, which has not been reauthorized by Congress in over a decade. The bill reinforces federal safeguards for state juvenile justice systems, by renewing education, safety, and prevention standards for our nation’s youth. The legislation is… Continue Reading
Scott to Introduce Bill to Reauthorize Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
06.10.15 Scott to Introduce Bill to Reauthorize Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) will hold a press conference to preview the Youth Justice Act of 2015. The legislation would reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, which has not been reauthorized by Congress in over a decade. The bill reinforces federal safeguards for state juvenile justice systems, by renewing education, safety, and preven… Continue Reading
Education and Workforce Committee Democrats Call on Republicans to Support Legislation to Address Growing Income Inequality and Stagnant Wages
06.10.15 WASHINGTON - The Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing today, entitled, "Reviewing the Rules and Regulations Implementing Federal Wage and Hour Standards." At the hearing, Democratic Members of the Education and the Workforce Committee called for Congress and the Department of Labor to continue standing up for working families by raising the minimum wage, and improving overtime protections for low-wage workers through the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Ranking Member Robert C. "… Continue Reading
Scott, Kline Issue Joint Statement on Education Department’s Corinthian Colleges Announcement
06.08.15 Scott, Kline Issue Joint Statement on Education Department's Corinthian Colleges Announcement WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) issued the following joint statement in response to today's announcement from the Education Department regarding Corinthian Colleges: "A lot of men and women have been hurt by this unfortunate situation, including low-income and minority students. Helping those eligible stude… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on May Jobs Report
06.05.15 WASHINGTON- House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today after the release of the monthly jobs report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS announced that during the month of May, 280,000 jobs were created - the strongest month this year. The private sector has now added 12.6 million jobs over 63 straight months of job growth, extending the longest streak on record. "Today's employment report s… Continue Reading
Scott Joins Colleagues in House, Senate to Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Pregnant Workers from Discrimination
06.04.15 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), joined Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Susan Davis (D-CA) and Marcia Fudge (D-OH), along with U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Dean Heller (R-NV), to unveil new legislation that would protect pregnant workers from workplace discrimination. "Women continue to face unnecessary obstacles in the workplace- whether it is the lack of suitable paid … Continue Reading
Democrats Emphasize Need for Stronger Unions to Sustain Growing Middle Class
06.03.15 WASHINGTON - The Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing today entitled, "Compulsory Unionization through Grievance Fees: The NLRB's Assault on Right-to-Work." At the hearing, Ranking Member Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott highlighted evidence-based research that shows stronger unions are essential to building and sustaining our nation's middle class. A recent International Labour Organization report found that countries with collective bargaining coverage rates under 15 percent, su… Continue Reading