Committee on Education and Workforce

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – On Friday, March 5th, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, will host a virtual roundtable with superintendents from across Hampton Roads to discuss the funding for K-12 schools included in the House-passed version of the American Rescue Plan. The roundtable will focus on how President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act will help schools safely bring students and school staff back into the classroom and make up for lost learning time. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan, which will help schools re-open safely, ramp up vaccination efforts, and provide additional direct cash payments to working families.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Labor Office of Investigator General released a report on OSHA enforcement and investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic. “For over a year now, I have called on the Department of Labor to issue an enforceable, emergency temporary standard to protect workers from contracting COVID-19. Yet, despite overwhelming pressure from Congress, workers, and public health experts, the previous administration refused to take any meaningful action to protect workers.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan, which provides urgent COVID-19 relief for students, workers, and families.“Today, the House of Representatives took a monumental step towards defeating the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a strong and shared recovery for our communities. The American Rescue Plan provides schools with the resources they need to re-open safely, protect students and staff, and make up for lost time in the classroom.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Senate Parliamentarian ruling on the minimum wage. “The Committee on Education and Labor included a minimum wage increase in its portion of the American Rescue Plan Act because it advances the key goals of this relief package. Raising the minimum wage would provide a direct and targeted stimulus of $333 billion to millions of workers and families that have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it would boost local businesses by driving up consumer spending in struggling communities.

WASHINGTON – Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) reintroduced legislation to address the increasing use of religious freedom laws to undermine civil rights protections. The Do No Harm Act 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 bill comes amid a sharp rise in the misapplication of RFRA to justify discrimination in a wide range of scenarios.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in employment, education, credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and accommodations. “Freedom from discrimination is a core American value. Unfortunately, far too many states do not have laws explicitly barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, released a statement on the importance of statewide assessments. Statewide data is valuable because it offers valid, reliable, and comparable measures of student achievement so parents know if their children are learning. “Despite the tireless efforts of students, parents, and educators, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on students’ education.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement to celebrate the start of Public Schools Week. “As we begin Public Schools Week, I want to share my profound appreciation for the commitment and resolve that our students, parents, educators, and school staff have demonstrated over the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for our education system and provided a constant reminder of the critical role public schools have in our communities. That is why we are working so hard in Congress to provide states and schools districts the resources they need to reopen schools, keep schools open, and make up for lost time in the classroom.