Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Civil Rights in Employment
Bipartisan Group of House Members Introduces Bill to Protect Older Workers from Age Discrimination
12.04.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Representative Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12), and Representative Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02) introduced H.R. 6581, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA), a bipar… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds HHS Action to Ensure Robust Protections for People with Disabilities
09.08.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Scott applauded the Biden-Harris administration after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule to update regulations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that ensure access to health and human services programs. “We have come a long way toward ending discrimination against people with disabilities in America since pioneering advocates—like the late Judy Heumann—fought to secure some of the first federal antidiscri… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on SCOTUS Ruling in Groff v. DeJoy
06.29.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the case of Groff v. DeJoy. “Religious freedom is a fundamental American value. Our civil rights laws protect workers from religious discrimination and proactively require employers to provide accommodations for religious exercise. Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy clarified employers’ obligation to provide these reasonable accommodations when a… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Protect Older Job Applicants
05.19.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, reintroduced the bipartisan Protect Older Job Applicants (POJA) Act. The POJA Act protects older job applicants from employment discrimination at the application phase. This year, the POJA Act is co-led by Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Congresswoman Maria Salazar (FL-27), and Congressman Jay Obernolte (CA-33). Age discriminatory hiring practices are widespread. Derogatory ster… Continue Reading
Civil Rights Leaders Reintroduce Bill to Strengthen Protections, Restore Intent of Federal Religious Freedom Law
04.19.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House and Senate civil rights leaders reintroduced the Do No Harm Act, to address the increasing use of religious freedom to undermine civil rights protections. The bill restores the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to its original purpose, which is to protect religious exercise while ensuring religious freedom is not used to erode civil rights protections. The legislation is sponsored by House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby”… Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Applaud Biden for Combatting Taxpayer-Funded Religious Discrimination
03.15.23 WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39), Oversight and Accountability Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (NY-12) applauded the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rules for nine federal agencies—including the Departments of Education (ED), Agriculture (USDA), Justice (DOJ), Labor (DOL), Veterans Affa… Continue Reading
Scott, Casey, McMorris Rodgers, Daines to Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Help Workers with Disabilities Find Good-Paying Jobs
02.27.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chair of the Senate Committte on Aging, and Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), announced that they will reintroduce the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide states and employers with the res… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Release New Report Documenting Weaponization of Religious Freedom in Federal Policy at Expense of Americans’ Civil Rights
01.16.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released a new report—Religious Liberty? The History of Religious Liberty in Federal Policy from 1990 to 2022—that examines how, in recent decades, the federal government has advanced religious freedom interests at the expense of others’ civil rights and access to critical services. “The balance between protecting religious liberty—a fundamental American value—and protecting the civil rights of others has been essential to our d… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Praises Biden Admin Efforts to Combat Taxpayer-Funded Religious Discrimination, Protect Civil Rights
01.13.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Biden administration released proposed rules for nine federal agencies—including the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (ED), Labor (DOL), and Agriculture (USDA)—that would restore key civil rights protections for beneficiaries and students in federally funded social service programs. “No one should be forced to pass a religious test to access federally funded social servi… Continue Reading
House Chairs Write in Strong Support of the Biden Administration’s Health Nondiscrimination Rule
10.03.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra in support of the Biden Administration’s proposed health care nondiscrimination rule. “The proposed rule reflects evolving judicial precedent, technological developments affecting patient access to care, and is part… Continue Reading
Democratic Leaders File Amicus Brief in Case that Could Curtail the Ability of Individuals to Enforce Their Rights to Federal Programs in Court
09.23.22 WASHINGTON - On Friday, House and Senate leaders submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County v. Talevski. The Democrats wrote in support of the ability of individuals to use federal courts to enforce the requirements of certain federal programs, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Fair Housing Assistance Program, the Children's Health Insurance Progr… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on EEO-1 Form Compensation Data Report
07.28.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) released a report assessing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) historic pay data collection efforts from certain private sector employers and federal contractors for reporting years 2017 and 2018. The report found that the pay data the EEOC collected, which provided establishment-level data on the earning… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Praises Executive Order to Protect LGBTQI+ Americans
06.15.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of executive actions to promote equality for LGBTQI+ Americans. “I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for its continued commitment to protecting LGBTQI+ individuals against discrimination. Specifically, today’s executive order marks a critical step toward providing LGBTQI+ students with safe and supportive classrooms, safeguarding LGBTQI+ children … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Applauds Biden Administration for Defending Civil Rights Protections
11.18.21 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) announcement that it is revoking previously issued waivers that allowed discrimination against prospective foster families with federal funding and reversing a Trump-era policy that improperly handed the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) broad authority to promote discrimination under the guise of religious liberty. "I applaud the Biden Administr… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Applauds Biden Administration for Protecting Workers’ Civil Rights
11.08.21 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration proposed rescinding a Trump-era rule that gutted nondiscrimination protections for employees of federal contractors. “I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for taking this important step to restore civil rights protections for federal contractor employees. The Trump Administration’s religious contractor rule gave comp… Continue Reading
House Passes Protect Older Job Applicants Act
11.04.21 WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan H.R.3992, The Protect Older Job Applicants Act of 2021, introduced by Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29) and co-led by Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott. The bill will clarify that older job applicants can challenge disparate impact claims about discriminatory hiring practices under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The bill will codify and clarify protections for older job applicants in the current A… Continue Reading
Committee Advances Four Bills to Support Survivors of Domestic Violence, Older Americans, Students of Color
07.15.21 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor advanced four bills to support survivors of domestic violence, protect older job applicants from age discrimination, help communities desegregate their schools, and strengthen efforts to fight discrimination in education. The Family Violence and Prevention Services Improvement Act (FVPSA) of 2021 modernizes and adequately funds FVPSA to support survivors of domestic violence and increases prevention efforts to ensure no American experien… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Bills to Address Intimate Partner Violence, Protect Older Workers, and Promote Equity in Education
07.15.21 WASHINGTON – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s markup of H.R. 2119, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021, H.R. 3992, the Protect Older Job Applicants Act, H.R. 729, the Strength in Diversity Act of 2021, and H.R. 730, the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act of 2021. “Today, the Committee is marking up four bill… Continue Reading
President Biden Signs Bicameral Resolution to Protect Victims of Workplace Discrimination
06.30.21 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden signed a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval (S.J.Res. 13) to nullify the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) conciliation rule. Chairman Scott introduced the House version of this resolution (H.J.Res. 33). "Today, Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration took a significant step to restore access to justice for victims of workplace discrimination. The EEOC… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Praises Final Passage of Bicameral Resolution to Restore Workplace Civil Rights Protections
06.24.21 WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives passed a resolution introduced by Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) that will protect victims of workplace discrimination. The Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval (S. J. Res 13) repeals a Trump-era rule that forced the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to meet new burdensome requirements affecting workers who bring allegations of discrimination. The resolution, which the Senate passed on May 19, now heads to Pre… Continue Reading