Press Releases
Scott Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of ESEA
04.10.15 WASHINGTON- House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: "On April 11, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, providing schools with targeted federal dollars in order to offer equitable educational opportunities to all American children. The 1965 enactment was intended to address … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Senate Education Bill
04.07.15 WASHINGTON- House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today after Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray released details on their agreement on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: "I commend Senators Alexander and Murray for their efforts to bring forward a bipartisan Elementary and Secondary Education reauthorization bill in the Senate. While we recognize this as an important st… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on March Jobs Report
04.03.15 WASHINGTON- House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that 126,000 jobs were added to the economy last month and unemployment remains unchanged at 5.5 percent. To date, the economy has now had a record 61 consecutive months of private sector job growth. "Today's jobs report is further proof that our economy is growing and sustaining an upward trend. So far, 678,000 j… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the House Republican Budget
03.26.15 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement today after the House voted 219-208 on the Republican Fiscal Year 2016 Budget: "The Majority's budget would devastate our economy by trying to balancing the budget on the backs of students, workers, seniors, the disabled, and most vulnerable communities across the nation. It assumes that sequestration cuts will be enacted, and then adds an additional $759 billi… Continue Reading
Scott, DeLauro Reintroduce Paycheck Fairness Act to End Wage Discrimination
03.25.15 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) joined Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today in reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help close the wage gap between women and men working the same jobs. On average, women make just 78 cents for every dollar made by a man. Studies have shown that this wage disparity will cost a woman and her family more than $400,000 in lost wages over a lifetime. "If Congress is to get serious about… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Oppose Legislation That Would Undermine Civil Rights of American Workers
03.24.15 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce's Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a legislative hearing on four bills: the Certainty in Enforcement Act of 2015 (H.R. 548); the Litigation Oversight Enforcement Act of 2015 (H.R. 549); Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R. 550); and Preserving Employee Wellness Program Act (H.R. 1189). These bills - introduced by the Majority - would create roadblocks to EEOC enforcement of em… Continue Reading
Scott, Levin, Pallone: Five Years in, the ACA is Working
03.23.15 WASHINGTON- Today, the top Democrats from the Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce committees issued a joint statement marking the five year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI), and Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) are the head Democrats on the committees with jurisdiction over the Affordable Care Act: "Five years ago, our… Continue Reading
Scott and Hanna to Hold Bi-Partisan Early Childhood Education Briefing
03.23.15 WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Tuesday, March 24th, Rep. Robert "Bobby" Scott, Ranking Member for the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Richard L. Hanna, will host a bi-partisan expert panel addressing the importance of quality early childhood education. Tuesday's briefing, titled "Ensuring a Strong Start: The Importance of Early Childhood Programs," will focus on the proven return on investment when families devote resources to quality early childhood education programs. Research sh… Continue Reading
House Republicans Use Extreme Measure to Attack Workers’ Rights
03.20.15 WASHINGTON - Today, the House voted 232- 186 to weaken workers' rights by rejecting fair union elections in the workplace. Democrats remained united with Americans and all voted against S.J. Res. 8. "I am disappointed with today's vote in the House to take away the right of workers to form a union." said Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA). "This is an extreme measure aimed at turning back the clock on worker's rights." S.J. Res. 8 is the result… Continue Reading
Labor Secretary Perez Testifies Before House Committee
03.18.15 WASHINGTON - The Honorable Thomas E. Perez, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, appeared before the full Committee on Education and the Workforce today to testify on the Department's Fiscal Year 2016 budget. "The United States has emerged from the depths of the great recession, and job creation has resumed at a consistent pace," said Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA). "The choice before us now is whether we will choose to pursue prosperity economics or austerity economics. What will ne… Continue Reading
Sen. Murray, Rep. Scott, Democratic Lawmakers Defend Basic Protections for Home Care Workers
02.27.15 (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) led a bicameral group of Democratic lawmakers in filing an amicus brief opposing the District Court ruling that would maintain the outdated exclusion of home care workers from basic worker protections like minimum wage and overtime. "Home care workers, including tens of thousands in my home state of Washington, have demanding jobs that provide families in need with critical, deeply personal support,"… Continue Reading
Scott Lauds President's New Proposal to Strengthen Retirement Security
02.23.15 WASHINGTON--Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement today after President Barack Obama announced that the Department of Labor will lay out new standards to ensure retirement advisors act in the best interest of their clients when giving investment advice: "Today's announcement by the President is another critical step toward improving every American family's retireme… Continue Reading
Republicans Pass Bill to Rob Funds from Poor, Give to Rich Schools
02.11.15 WASHINGTON-House Republicans today voted to turn back the clock on American public education and harm our nation's neediest children. Along strict party lines, Republicans on the Education and the Workforce Committee pushed through a bill that reduces funding, eliminates and weakens protections for disadvantaged students, fails to provide a quality education for all children, and neglects our public school teachers. Committee Democrats offered several amendments to fix the legislation's glaring … Continue Reading
Scott and Polis Statement on Senate Republican Resolution to Repeal NLRB Union Election Rule
02.09.15 WASHINGTON-House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) and Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee Ranking Member Jared Polis (D-CO) released the following statement today after Senate Republicans invoked a rarely used legislative tool to launch an attack on the National Labor Relations Board. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) filed a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval to prevent the NLRB from modernizing union election processe… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on January Jobs Report
02.06.15 WASHINGTON-House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that employers added 257,000 jobs last month. January's employment figures means the economy has now had a record 59 consecutive months of private sector job growth, resulting in the addition of 11.8 million new jobs. "Today's jobs report is a sign that our economy is maintaining momentum and continuing to grow. J… Continue Reading
ESEA Rewrite Must Ensure World-Class Education for All Students, Committee Learns
02.06.15 WASHINGTON-Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Ranking Democratic Member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a forum to hear from teachers, researchers and other education experts to inform the committee's work on rewriting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Committee Democrats believe any ESEA reauthorization must reflect current research and best practices, and must protect students' rights in the process. The forum follo… Continue Reading
***MEDIA ADVISORY***: Ed and Workforce Committee Dems to Hold Forum on ESEA Reauthorization
02.03.15 WASHINGTON-Rewriting No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), is one of the most significant challenges before this Congress. Unfortunately, the Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce have chosen to move forward with their reauthorization process without holding a single committee hearing or seeking any input from Democrats. The Republican majority has introduced legislation that would dismantle … Continue Reading
Scott Criticizes GOP’s ESEA Bill and Partisan Process, Announces Forum to Examine ESEA Reauthorization Issues
02.03.15 WASHINGTON-House Republicans today began a hasty, partisan push to rewrite one of the nation's most important education laws by introducing H.R. 5, legislation that would undermine equity and accountability in public schools. Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) criticized the bill and the scheduling of no related hearings. For that reason, Rep. Scott announced he will be holding a forum to more thoroughly examine the issues and policy solutions per… Continue Reading
Strong Federal Investment in Workforce and Education Critical to Economic Growth, Committee Learns
02.03.15 WASHINGTON-Congress must do more to help every Americans enjoy current and future economic growth and keep our workforce globally competitive, witnesses testified before the House Education and the Workforce Committee today. By investing more in our workforce and providing greater resources for our most disadvantaged students, the federal government can stem the growing income inequality and widening education gap harming families nationwide, and ensure the U.S.'s economic growth, members learne… Continue Reading
Levin, Pallone, Scott: GOP Trying to Rob Health Care from Millions of Americans (again)
02.03.15 WASHINGTON - The Ranking Members of the House Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce decried today's attempt by House Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - the 56th such attempt since the law's enactment - and the Republicans' sustained attack to undermine access to quality, affordable health care for millions of hard-working Americans. Ranking Members Sander Levin (D-MI), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) re… Continue Reading