Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Child Safety
House Democrats Press ED on Negative Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Students
02.18.26 WASHINGTON - House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and 69 House Democrats are pressing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon again about the impact of immigration enforcement actions on students, families, and schools, and seeking a response to their prior oversight inquiry. This comes after an increased presence of federal immigration enforceme… Continue Reading
Education Leaders Propose Bill to Rebuild America’s Public Schools
02.04.26 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03), Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced the Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2026. The legislation invests more than $130 billion in our schools’ physical and digital infrastructure, and the resources are targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that pose health and safety risks to students and staff. “Chronic neglect of America’s public… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Delivers Opening Statement on the Importance of Congress Putting Guardrails on Artificial Intelligence
01.14.26 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks at today’s full committee hearing entitled “Building an AI-Ready America.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being with us today. “From chatbots to programming to grocery lists, artificial intelligence has rapidly integrated into the daily lives of millions of Americans, transforming how we interact with technology and the world around us. “Due to the rapid rise of AI technol… Continue Reading
House and Senate Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Students from Dangerous Seclusion and Restraint Practices
12.12.25 WASHINGTON - House and Senate education leaders reintroduced the bipartisan Keeping All Students Safe Act to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint practices in school. In the House, the bill is sponsored by Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08), and Representative Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ-08). And in the Senate, it is sponsored by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (… Continue Reading
Democratic Committee Leaders Introduce Legislation to Protect Free Vaccines for Americans
09.18.25 WASHINGTON - Bicameral Democratic Health Committee leaders introduced legislation today that would protect free vaccine coverage for Americans. The Protecting Free Vaccines Act would require private health insurance companies, Medicaid, and Medicare to continue covering recommended vaccines free of cost-sharing for Americans. The legislation was introduced in the House by Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pa… Continue Reading
Democratic Health Committee Leaders to Insurers: Protect Vaccine Coverage
07.17.25 WASHINGTON — Today, top Democrats on House and Senate health committees wrote to America’s largest health insurers and associations, raising serious concerns following Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’s unprecedented attacks on access to vaccines, including undermining the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The letters were signed by House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), House Energy and Commerce … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Speaks in Support of Jenna Quinn Law
12.17.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during the House debate of S. 1147, the Jenna Quinn Law, which will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants for evidence-informed child sexual abuse awareness and prevention programs. “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. “I rise in support of S. 1147, the Jenna Quinn Law. “The Jenna Quinn Law only considers one small part of the much broader C… Continue Reading
House and Senate Leaders Applaud Bipartisan Bill to Support Missing and Exploited Children Becoming Law
06.17.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT-02), House Education and the Workforce Committee Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (R-FL-04), Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05), and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee U.S. Senate Majority Whip, Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) applaud the signing of the Missing… Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Support Missing and Exploited Children
04.09.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the House passed S.2051, the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023. The House companion bill, H.R. 5224, was authored by Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (R-FL) and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT), a senior member of the Committee. This bipartisan legislation renews the Missing Children’s Assistance Act(MCAA) and makes critical updates to help the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Anti-Choice Bill and Bill to Reinforce DOL Response to Human Trafficking
01.10.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, and H.R. 443, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act. “Thank you, Madam Chair. Today, the Committee is marking up two bills. “The first bill we will consider is H.R. 6914, the so-called Pregnant Students’ Rights Act. “More than a year and a half ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which tri… 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
Committee Leaders Ask Republicans (Again) to Hold Hearing on Child Labor Violations
09.13.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) sent a second letter urging Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) to hold a hearing on the rise of child labor violations and legislative proposals to address abusive child labor. Ranking Members Scott and Adams sent the letter as Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Bob Good (VA-05) dedicates the Co… Continue Reading
Courtney, Bean Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Missing and Exploited Children
08.21.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (R-FL) introduced H.R. 5224, the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation renews the Missing Children’s Assistance Act (MCAA) and makes critical updates to help the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) better support youth who are missing, to reduce child sexual exploitation, and to preven… Continue Reading
NEW: As Republicans Refuse to Take Action on Resurgence of Child Labor Violations, Ranking Member Scott Hosts Briefing with Experts
07.14.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) hosted a briefing with experts on the resurgence of child labor violations as well as legislative solutions to address abusive child labor practices. Members and staff heard from Sally Greenberg, CEO of the National Consumers League and Chair of the Child Labor Coalition, and Margaret Wurth, Senior Researcher with the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. Watch an excerpt of the briefing on YouTube. Eighty-five years after… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce New, Bold Legislation to End Abusive Child Labor
06.29.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) announced their plans to introduce new legislation—the Protecting Children Act—to finally end child labor in America. The bill provides federal worker protections agencies with the tools and resources they need to deter violations and prevent harm to children from intensive work in dangerous jobs. Recent, high-profile n… Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Ask Republicans to Put Actions Behind Their Words and Hold Hearing on Child Labor Violations
06.08.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) sent a letter urging Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) to hold a hearing on the rise of child labor violations and legislative proposals to address abusive child labor. Nearly 85 years after the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), recent, high-profile news reports have underscored that children are continuing to be illegally employed in dangerous jobs a… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott, Rep. Beyer Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Students from Dangerous Seclusion and Restraint Practices
05.18.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08)—alongside Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Patty Murray (D-WA)—reintroduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, legislation to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint discipline practices in school. The Keeping All Students Safe Act would make it illegal for any school receivin… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Press Reports of Abusive Child Labor Practices
02.27.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to recent press investigations into exploitative child labor practices. “We should all agree, children should be focused on learning and growing - not putting their health and well-being at risk in unsafe and grueling workplaces. Regrettably, recent reports revealed that abusive child labor practices are a persistent and serious problem in America. While Republicans are proposing to roll bac… Continue Reading
House Passes Bill to Strengthen Domestic Violence Prevention Programs and Support Survivors
10.26.21 WASHINGTON - Today, the House passed landmark legislation that will strengthen domestic violence prevention programs and improve services for survivors. The Family Violence and Prevention Services Improvement Act (FVPSA) of 2021 - a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) - increases funding for crisis hotlines, emergency shelters, and other vital programs that have experienced a surge in demand during the pandemic. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, in j… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Calls on States to Stop Sabotaging Safe School Reopening Efforts
08.19.21 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in response to eight states banning schools from implementing mandatory mask policies to protect students, educators, and families from COVID-19. “As we begin another school year under the cloud of a pandemic, policymakers must be laser-focused on helping school districts reopen safely and stay open safely. Through the American Rescue … Continue Reading