Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Wage and Hour Issues
Committee Republicans Pass Labor Bills That Harm Workers
11.20.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced three labor bills that would further burden employees and their ability to earn fair wages. “The consistent theme across these bills appears to be one message, and that is: ‘How do we, as Congress, further tip the scales in favor of corporations to harm workers and their ability to earn a decent wage?,’” said Ranking Member Scott. “These bills are particularly egregious, given this morning’s announcement that the economy continues to slow, and … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott’s Opening Remarks at Markup of Labor Bills That Harm Workers
11.20.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 2870, H.R. 2312, and H.R. 2299. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. “Today, we are here to mark up three labor bills. The consistent theme across these bills appears to be one message, and that is: ‘How do we, as Congress, further tip the scales in favor of corporations to harm workers and their ability to earn a decent wage?’ “These bills are particularly egreg… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on August Jobs Report
09.05.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 22,000 jobs in August, and the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.2 percent to 4.3 percent. “Today’s jobs report confirms what millions of working families already know: that today’s economy is not working for them. For the first time since the pandemic, there are more unemployed Americans… Continue Reading
Bipartisan, Bicameral Group of Lawmakers Introduce Bill to End Subminimum Wages for Workers with Disabilities
07.24.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX-17), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), andSenator Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act.This is a bipartisan, bicameral proposal, which would phase out the use of subminimum wages for workers with disabilities and help transition them into fully integrated, competitive employment. Under Section 1… Continue Reading
Scott Demands Briefing on DOL Alarming Deregulatory Agenda
07.07.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Workforce,sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer requesting a staff briefing on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) plans following revelations that the agency is moving forward with a sweeping deregulatory agenda. Amid the Department of Labor’s “aggressive deregulatory efforts,” Ranking Member Scott is concerned about proposals that appear to undermine core worker protections. According to the… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on April Jobs Report
05.02.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 177,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate remained the same at 4.2 percent. During President Biden’s first 100 days in office, the economy created 1.7 million jobs. In President Trump’s first 100 days in office, he created less than half a million jobs, and the economy shrank at a rate of 0.3 percent. Under President Biden, the… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage
04.08.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2025. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the Raise the Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise. After more than fifteen years with no increase in the fede… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on March Jobs Report
04.04.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 228,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate rose from 4.1 percent to 4.2 percent. During President Biden’s first two months in office, the economy created 1.3 million jobs, so far Trump has created 345,000. Over the course of President Biden's term, seasonally adjusted job creation averaged 336,000. Under President Biden, the ec… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on January Jobs Report
02.07.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 143,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate slightly ticked down to 4.0 percent from 4.1 percent. Under President Biden, the economy added 16.2 million jobs. That is more jobs in four years than any President on record. And more jobs than any Republican President, whether they served four or eight years. He has also made hist… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Honors Black History Month
02.03.25 WASHINGTON - In honor of Black History Month, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, House Education and Workforce Committee, released remarks on the powerful connection between labor unions and civil rights movements. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Hi, I am Congressman Bobby Scott, and I represent the third district of Virginia and serve as the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and Workforce. “This Black History Month, we are reminded that the la… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on December Jobs Report
01.10.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after theBureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 256,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate slightly ticked down to 4.1 percent from 4.2 percent. Over the past four years, the Biden-Harris Administration has ushered in historic job growth and steadily grown the economy. Since President Biden took office, the economy has added 16.6 million jobs. More jobs in four years than an… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the October Jobs Report
11.01.24 WASHINGTON -Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 12,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent. To date, President Biden is the first President on record without a month of job loss in the seasonally adjusted data. Every other administration has seen at least one month of job loss. “Without question, Americans are better off today, then they were… Continue Reading
ICYMI: 42 Percent of Working Single Parents in the U.S. Earn Less than $17 an hour, New Oxfam Study Shows
07.11.24 WASHINGTON -Oxfam, the global organization fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice, released new research on the low wage workforce in the United States, finding that 23 percent of U.S. workers currently earn low wages (less than $17 an hour), with the data revealing even deeper disparities along lines of race and gender. Working single parents bear a particular burden in the crisis of low wages, with a shocking 42 percent earning less than $17 an hour, compared to only 12 percent of p… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement at Hearing with DOL Acting Secretary Su
05.01.24 WASHINGTON -Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Labor” with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Acting Secretary Su, good morning. “I think it is important to note that your service as acting Secretary has been verified as constitutionally proper by the Government Accountability Office. So, there is no question as to whether or not you are serv… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds President Biden for Strengthening Overtime Pay Protections for Workers
04.23.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration issued a final rule that would raise the salary threshold for salaried workers to automatically qualify for overtime compensation. According to the Department of Labor, the rule would guarantee overtime pay for most salaried workers earning less than $58,656 per year, extending overtime protections for roughly an additional 4 million Americans. “Workers deserve fai… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Votes for First FY24 Government Funding Bill
03.06.24 WASHINGTON- Earlier today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, voted for H.Res. 1061, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, a legislative package that includes six of the twelve fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills. This package includes the following funding bills: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Introduces Bill to Crack Down on Labor Rights Violations
12.07.23 WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) introduced the Workers Protecting Our Wage Earners’ Rights Act, or Workers POWER Act, alongside Representative McGarvey (D-KY-03), Congressional Labor Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01), and Representative Greg Casar (D-TX-35). The bill will equip the Department of Labor with the resources needed to tackle federal labor law violations including child labor, wage theft, a… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Praise DOL Proposed Rule to Update Overtime Standards for Salaried Employees
11.07.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (D-NC), Representative Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Representative Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Higher Education and Workforce De… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray, DeLauro, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Stop Wage Theft and Ensure Workers Get the Pay They’ve Earned
09.12.23 WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, and colleagues in both chambers reintroduced their Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, comprehensive legislation to put hard-earned wages back in workers’ pockets and c… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on August Jobs Report
09.01.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 187,000 jobs in August as the unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent to 3.8 percent. Notably, this rise in the unemployment rate was driven by an increase in labor force participation rather than a decline in employment. The number of jobs created in August is higher than the 182,000 jobs created each month, on average, under the Tr… Continue Reading