Press Releases
Scott Statement on the President’s Budget
02.02.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), the ranking Democratic member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2016: "President Obama's budget proposal lays out a fiscally responsible blueprint to strengthen the middle class by investing in workers, students, children, and families. The President's budget would reverse the arbitrary, destructive spending cuts of the last fo… Continue Reading
Ed & Workforce Committee Democrats Announce Subcommittee Assignments and Ranking Members
01.27.15 WASHINGTON-Democrats on the Education and the Workforce Committee announced ranking subcommittee members and subcommittee assignments for the 114th Congress today. "We serve on a committee that affects everyone across this great country, from students and children to the elderly, from employers to working families," said Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the full committee. "What we do or don't do in this committee will have real implications for millions. I am confident th… Continue Reading
House Democrats introduce Federal Employee Paid Parental Leave Act to provide 6 weeks of paid leave
01.26.15 WASHINGTON - House Democrats today introduced the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (FEPPLA) legislation that would provide six weeks of paid leave to federal employees for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child. President Obama recently backed the legislation in his push for changes to leave policy - a message that was also highlighted in the State of the Union Address. The lead sponsor of the legislation, Joint Economic Committee Ranking Democrat Congresswoman Carolyn B. Ma… Continue Reading
Rep. Scott: Greater Access to Quality Child Care and Early Ed Critical for Country’s Future
01.22.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, ranking member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today after President Obama outlined his budget plan to increase access, affordability and quality of child care and early childhood education for working and middle-class families across the country: "Today, President Obama outlined a vital step we must take to give working and middle-class families with young children access to affordable, high-quality c… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Strengthen Support for Victims of Youth Sex Trafficking
01.22.15 WASHINGTON, D.C. - A bipartisan group of House members today introduced legislation that would improve support for youth who are victims of sex trafficking. It is estimated that each year 300,000 children become victims of sex trafficking. Many of these children were once involved in a state child welfare system, yet their experience with sexual exploitation may go undetected. Led by Reps. Joe Heck (R-NV) and Karen Bass (D-CA), members are introducing bipartisan legislation that will enhance oth… Continue Reading
Scott Welcomes New and Returning Committee Members, Calls for Bipartisan Action in 114th Congress
01.21.15 WASHINGTON-The House Education and the Workforce Committee held its first meeting of the 114th Congress today. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), the committee's ranking member, inaugurated the legislative session by laying out the Democratic priorities for the next two years, welcoming new members to the committee, and calling for bipartisan action on the most significant issues facing the country. "The Education and the Workforce Committee's jurisdiction touches everyone in this country, fr… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the President’s State of the Union Address
01.20.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, ranking member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama's 2015 State of the Union address: "In tonight's State of the Union, President Obama put forward concrete steps we must take to strengthen our economy and rebuild the middle class. Too many hard-working Americans are struggling to find success in this new economy and struggling to get their fair shot. … Continue Reading
Scott Calls on Obama Administration to Keep Fighting for Home Care Workers
01.15.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to yesterday's ruling by federal district court Judge Richard Leon in the case of Homecare Association of America v. Weil: "Yesterday's ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied nearly two million homecare workers their fundamental minimum wage and overtime protections. These are hard-working men and wom… Continue Reading
Scott Supports Call for Paid Sick and Family Leave
01.15.15 WASHINGTON-Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama's new proposals to expand paid sick leave and for new funding to help more states to create paid family leave programs: "Today, too many families are struggling to balance responsibilities at home and at work. The American workplace has simply not kept pace with the changing American family. "We must bring our w… Continue Reading
Rep. Scott: ESEA Reauthorization Must Support High-Quality Education for All Students
01.12.15 WASHINGTON-In response to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's new proposals for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), ranking member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today, the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the nation's cornerstone K-12 education law: "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act remains one of the most significant civil rights achievements of ou… Continue Reading
GAO Report Raises Questions about College Accreditation Process, Miller Says
12.21.14 WASHINGTON-College and university accreditation aims to ensure that schools are providing their students with a quality education, but a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) casts doubt about whether accreditors are adequately holding schools accountable for student success. GAO's analysis raises important questions about the current federal framework for accreditation, including whether accrediting agencies are effectively assessing academic quality and how the Department … Continue Reading
Miller: Final NLRB Rule Will Modernize Union Election Process
12.12.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in support of the National Labor Relation Board's (NLRB) final rule to update and streamline union election procedures. "Today, the NLRB took a step to modernize union elections and give workers a much fairer shake when deciding on union representation. The current process is broken and allows for unscrupulous employers to threaten, coerce, and int… Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Multiemployer Pension Reform
12.11.14 WASHINGTON—After a bipartisan agreement to reform the multiemployer pension plan system and protect millions of workers from financial catastrophe was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today, Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) and Senior Democratic Member George Miller (D-Calif.) issued the following joint statement: “Tonight a bipartisan Congress put workers and businesses one step closer toward having the tools they need to come together and save … Continue Reading
Miller: Guidance to Improve Education Services in Youth Correctional Facilities ‘Critical’
12.08.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in support of the new guidance package released by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice on providing quality education services to young people in juvenile justice facilities nationwide: "Every child in this country has the right to a high-quality education-and this includes students in the care of juvenile justice facilities. The Departme… Continue Reading
Bonamici Introduces Bill to Support High-Quality Assessments in Schools
12.08.14 WASHINGTON- States need additional support as they design and implement assessment systems that are aligned to high standards, so Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), a leading Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Jim Gerlach (R-Penn.) today introduced the Support Making Assessments Reliable and Timely (SMART) Act. The legislation will help states and school districts improve their use of assessments, better align testing with college- and career-ready standa… Continue Reading
Senior Lawmakers Introduce Sweeping Reforms to Black Lung Benefits Program
11.20.14 WASHINGTON-Senior Democrats from the House and Senate 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 over an extended period of time, but coal companies routinely deploy an array of unfair tactics to avoid paying miners the benefits they deserve. To help level the playing field for mine… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Election of Rep. Scott as Ranking Member of Committee on Education and the Workforce
11.19.14 WASHINGTON-House Democrats today elected Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) as the next Ranking Member for the Committee on Education and the Workforce, succeeding Rep. George Miller (D-CA), who is retiring at the end of this session of Congress. Rep. Miller released the following statement upon announcement of the election results: "I am thrilled that my Democratic colleagues have selected Congressman Bobby Scott as the next Ranking Member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. For the… Continue Reading
Miller, Harkin Press Education Department on Behalf of Struggling Borrowers
11.18.14 WASHINGTON-Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, today questioned the Department of Education (ED) about its new policies for calculating how many student borrowers at a given school have defaulted on their loans. The recent changes will allow poorly performing institutions to continue operating, putting more student borrowers a… Continue Reading
Kline, Miller Praise Senate Passage of Bill to Update Child Care Program
11.17.14 WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the committee, praised the Senate's passage of a bill to improve and reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant today. House and Senate leaders negotiated the bipartisan agreement in September, and the House approved the legislation shortly thereafter. The bill will now headed to President Obama's desk to be signed into law. "Today we mo… Continue Reading
Miller: Ahead of Open Enrollment Period, It’s Clear ACA is Working
11.14.14 WASHINGTON-Americans will once again be able to shop for health insurance tomorrow when the second annual open enrollment period in the Health Insurance Marketplace begins. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and co-author of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the law that created the Marketplace, released the following statement: "The Affordable Care Act is working today-and as we head into year two, it is more apparent than ever t… Continue Reading