Press Releases
Higher Education Leaders Introduce New Bill to Lower Cost of College
09.15.22 WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (FL-24) introduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act, to lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. The new legislation builds on President Biden’s historic one-time student loan debt relief announcement last month to forgive up to $20,000 in outsta… Continue Reading
Starbucks Worker, Michelle Eisen: “It should not take an act of bravery to ensure you have a voice at work.”
09.14.22 WASHINGTON – At today’s Education and Labor Committee hearing, “In Solidarity: Removing Barriers to Organizing,” Michelle Eisen, a Starbucks barista, explained what it was like to organize at her workplace. View Michelle Eisen’s full remarks on YouTube. “It should not take an act of bravery to ensure that you have a voice at work. We need Starbucks to recognize our desire to organize, which the NLRA explicitly states is our right. We need St… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Opening Statement at Labor Organizing Hearing
09.14.22 WASHINGTON – House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing, “In Solidarity: Removing Barriers to Organizing. “One week and a half after the nation celebrated Labor Day, this Committee is meeting to discuss the growing popularity of unions among the American people and the steps Congress must take to ensure every worker has an opportunity to reap the bene… Continue Reading
Scott Statement After Texas Federal Court Rules Employers Are Not Required to Cover Lifesaving Health Services
09.07.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after a District Court judge ruled to invalidate several provisions of the Affordable Care Act that govern which forms of preventive care—such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, cancer screenings, and other lifesaving health services—must be covered by health insurers. “For more than a decade, the Affordable Care Act has provided … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on August Jobs Report
09.02.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 315,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate rose to 3.7 percent. “Today’s jobs report shows that the economy is continuing to exceed pre-pandemic job levels and returning to a steady and stable position. Just over 9.7 million jobs have been created since January 2021, exceeding the pre-… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Biden Student Loan Announcement
08.24.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden announced that the Department of Education is extending the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections through 2022, providing up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients, and capping the amount borrowers would pay monthly for undergraduate loans at 5 percen… Continue Reading
Scott Announces Support for Inflation Reduction Act
08.10.22 NEWPORT NEWS, VA - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, issued the following statement announcing his support for the Inflation Reduction Act: "The Inflation Reduction Act delivers key components of President Biden and Congressional Democrats' agenda to invest in jobs and the economy while lowering costs for working families. This legislation will lower the cost of health care, prescription drugs, and energy for millions of American families.… Continue Reading
New Watchdog Report: ED Needs to Streamline Process for Students Impacted by School Closures
08.10.22 WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found that student loan borrowers whose schools close need more timely and complete information to know if they are eligible to have their loans discharged. Under closed school discharge, student loan borrowers—who suffer school closures and do not complete their education elsewhere—may be eligible to have their loans… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on July Jobs Report
08.05.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 528,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent. “Today’s jobs report shows a strong labor market—a sign that our economy is growing, and Americans are finding work in rewarding careers. “The recovery of our labor market did not happen by accident. It … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Republican REAL Reform Act
08.05.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Republican House leaders proposed changes to the student loan system, including provisions to eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, tie the hands of the Department of Education in providing relief to borrowers, limit access to federal financial aid, and restrict the flexibility of loan repayment. “When President Johnson signed the Highe… Continue Reading
Scott Celebrates $11 Million in New Funding for Hampton Roads Job Training, Reaffirms Commitment to Delivering Sustained Workforce Funding
08.03.22 NEWPORT NEWS - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, announced $11 million in new federal funding for the Hampton Roads Workforce Council along with Kevin Gallagher, Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, during a tour of the Virginia Career Works Hampton Center. During the tour, Congressman Scott and Mr. Gallagher met with career coaches, job seekers, and employers to discuss how this funding-made possible by the American … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Leads Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Reaffirm Race-Conscious College Admissions
08.02.22 WASHINGTON - On Monday, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), in addition to 64 House Democrats, filed an amicus brief-in the case of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College-urging the Supreme Court to uphold narrowly tailored race-conscious college admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In the brief, the Members describe the persistent need for race-conscious admissions policies … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Cost of Student Loan Program
07.29.22 WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled, “Student Loans: Education Has Increased Federal Cost Estimates of Direct Loans by Billions due to Programmatic and Other Changes.” “A college degree remains the surest path to achieving the American Dream. The student loan program was originally creat… 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… Continue Reading
Committee Passes Bills to Protect Workers from Heat Stress, Address and Prevent Child Hunger
07.27.22 WASHINGTON - Today, the Education and Labor Committee advanced two bills-the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2022 (H.R. 2193) and Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 8450)-to protect workers from heat stress on the job and address and prevent child hunger. The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2022 would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish an enforceable standard that protects workers in … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Opening Remarks at Mark Up of Bills to Protect Workers from Heat Stress, Address and Prevent Child Hunger
07.27.22 WASHINGTON – House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Committee Markup of H.R. 2193, the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2022, and H.R. 8450, the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. "Today, the Committee is marking up legislation to protect workers from heat-related illness and death, and help address and prevent child hun… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act
07.22.22 WASHINGTON — On July 20, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee Chair Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced a comprehensive, evidence-driven reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs that meets the needs of children and families. The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 8450) builds on Congressional Democrats’ work to expand school and summer meal programs, incr… Continue Reading
Nutrition Leaders Introduce Comprehensive Proposal to Address and Prevent Child Hunger
07.20.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee Chair Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced a comprehensive, evidence-driven reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs that meets the needs of children and families. The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 8450) builds on Congressional Democrats' work to expand school and summer meal programs, increase access to federal nutrition programs like the Special Supplemental Nutritio… Continue Reading
Chairs Scott, Murray Applaud Release of New Guidance on School Discipline
07.19.22 WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Education released new guidance for states and school districts to help school leaders address disparities in discipline for students with disabilities. In 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that students with disabilities, along with Black students and boys, face disproportionate rates of discipline when compared to their peers. “The guidance the Biden administration issued today will help s… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report Finds Growing Racial Segregation in Schools
07.14.22 WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found persistent and growing racial and socioeconomic segregation in K-12 public schools. Specifically, the GAO found that, in the 2020-2021 school year, more than one in three public school students attended a school where 75 percent or more of the student population were of a single race or ethnicity. Even more concerning, the repor… Continue Reading