Committee on Education and Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressional leaders sent a letter asking Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to establish a Special Enrollment Period that will allow unemployed workers to maintain access to affordable coverage after the expiration of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021’s (ARPA) COBRA subsidies—which will make it easier for workers to stay covered after losing a job. According to independent estimates, millions of Americans will access insurance through COBRA over the next six months.

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, introduced the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (H.R. 2373) to provide states and employers with the resources to transition workers with disabilities into fully integrated and competitive jobs while phasing out the subminimum wage for individuals with disabilities. Under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers can apply for special certificates from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to pay individuals with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden released his American Jobs Plan. “President Biden’s American Jobs Plan outlines a bold vision for creating millions of good-paying jobs and protecting the health and well-being of our children, workers, and communities. The Biden Plan will get struggling Americans back to work by making unprecedented and long-overdue investments in programs that are proven to help workers develop in-demand skills that prepare them for rewarding careers.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education announced it will pause collections and interest accrual on commercially-held student loans under the Family Federal Education Loan Program (c-FFEL) for borrowers who are in default. “Today, the Biden administration took another step to expand relief for struggling student loan borrowers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While Congress previously paused interest accrual and collections for distressed borrowers with federally held loans, these provisions did not cover borrowers with commercially-held loans under the Family Federal Education Loan Program (c-FFEL).

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, at the start of National Farmworkers Week (March 25-31), Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) joined Reps. Judy Chu (CA-27), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03) and Alma Adams (NC-12) to introduce legislation to ensure the safety and health of workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace. The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia who died in 2004 after picking grapes for ten hours straight in 105-degree temperatures.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA –Earlier today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) applauded the Biden-Harris Administration for announcing a series of actions to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines to the hardest-hit and highest-risk communities across the country. With funding from the American Rescue Plan, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest almost $7.5 million to community health centers in Hampton Roads. As chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, Congressman Scott was critical in the drafting and passage of the American Rescue Plan.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), sent a letter to Secretary Marty Walsh urging the Department of Labor to take strong action to restore overtime pay protections for millions of workers. In the letter they state, “In 2016, the Obama Administration’s DOL finalized a rule (Obama Rule) that would have increased the salary threshold to the 40th percentile of earnings of full-time, salaried workers in the lowest wage Census Region, a rate equaling $47,476 in 2016. This threshold represented a conservative salary threshold. Historically, the salary threshold has ranged from the 35th to 55th percentile of weekly earnings for full-time, salaried workers nationwide.

Congressman Bobby Scott will be hosting another Telephone Town Hall to discuss the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. The town hall will take place on Monday, March 29th at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of this town hall will be to discuss how the American Rescue Plan will help end the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild our economy by safely re-opening schools, ramping up vaccinations, putting money in people’s pockets and putting people back in jobs. Congressman Scott will also be joined by Dr. Danny Avula who is the coordinator for Virginia’s vaccine distribution.