Committee on Education and Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s action to help school meal programs respond to supply chain disruptions. “I applaud the Biden Administration for taking action to ensure school meal programs can continue to provide children the healthy nutrition they need to learn and grow. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for school meal programs at a time when more families than ever are relying on them for essential services.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, was honored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) with their Distinguished Public Service Award. According to AERA, this award is granted annually in recognition of someone who has worked to enact or implement policies that are well grounded in education research, or someone who has supported further education research. “I was honored to receive the Distinguished Public Service Award from AERA,” said Congressman Scott. “During my career in public service I have stressed the importance of creating policy based on evidence and research, and I have made that a core value of my tenure as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 210,000 jobs in November as the unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent. Today’s jobs report demonstrates once again that America is on the move: 210,000 new jobs have been created, the unemployment rate is down, and two weeks ago, we saw the lowest level of initial jobless claims since October of 1969. President Biden has created more jobs in his first year in office than any other modern President during their first year. I applaud the Biden-Harris administration for its continued success in getting Americans back to work.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act. Today, the House took a major step toward delivering historic investments in America’s future.  The Build Back Better Act that the House approved today will lower costs for nearly every family, create millions of good-paying jobs, and improve the quality of life for the people we represent. The Build Back Better Act invests in making child care affordable and securing universal, free, high-quality pre-school for all three- and four-year-olds.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) announced nearly $89 million to help hardworking Virginian families with energy costs this winter through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). As Americans continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic, LIHEAP grantees will be able to use the funding appropriated by Congress, along with funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act, to help more than 5 million households stay warm this winter, cover utility costs and pay for energy repairs. 

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s cost estimate for the Education and Labor Committee’s provisions in the Build Back Better Act.  “The Congressional Budget Office’s estimate confirms two important facts about the Education and Labor Committee’s provisions in the Build Back Better Act. First, it shows that the Build Back Better Act makes historic investments in lowering costs for working families and helping Americans secure good-paying jobs. This proposal will make child care affordable for families, secure universal preschool, help more students access healthy school meals, lower the cost of life-saving prescription drugs, and expand opportunities by investing in higher education and high-quality job training programs.  

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, released the following statement on Sherrilyn Ifill stepping down as President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund. “Throughout her tenure at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sherrilyn Ifill has been a fierce and effective advocate for equity in education, workplaces, and society. Her leadership and expertise have helped this Committee confront a wide range of issues, from school segregation to workplace discrimination, and she has inspired a generation of advocates focused on fulfilling America’s promise of equal justice under the law.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chair Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Rick Allen (GA-12) introduced legislation—the Retirement Improvement and Savings Enhancement (RISE) Act (H.R. 5891)—to expand American workers’ access to secure retirement. “We have a responsibility to create an economy where American workers can retire with dignity and security,”said Chairman Scott. “Unfortunately, far too many older Americans are working later in their lives and still relying on their next paycheck to cover monthly expenses.