Committee on Education and Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House voted to approve the American Rescue Plan, which provides nearly $40 billion for institutions of higher education. “The COVID-19 pandemic is causing severe financial hardship for institutions of higher education and the students they serve. The American Rescue Plan provides significant relief to help colleges weather the pandemic, including more than $800 million for Virginia institutions alone, and delivers emergency support to students facing food insecurity, homelessness, and other hardships.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan, which invests nearly $130 billion in K-12 education. “The American Rescue Plan is the most significant investment in K-12 education in generations. This relief package will provide schools the resources they need to comply with CDC guidelines, protect students and staff, and make up for lost time in the classroom. Throughout the past year, school leaders have been calling on Congress to help address the unprecedented challenges facing students, parents, educators and communities. The American Rescue Plan is evidence that we were listening.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), by a vote of 225 to 206. “By passing the Protecting the Right to Organize Act today, the House has taken a critical step to secure workers’ right to join a union. Labor unions are essential to rebuilding America’s middle class and improving the lives of workers and their families. Unfortunately, over the past 70 years, union membership has dropped to the lowest level since just after the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was first enacted.

WASHINGTON, DC – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks on the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 (PRO Act) during a press conference hosted by the AFL-CIO. “The Protecting the Right to Organize Act is grounded in the basic idea that, in America, hard work should pay off. For generations, our nation’s labor unions have ensured that workers receive a fair share of the profits they produce. Unfortunately, union density has fallen to its lowest level since the National Labor Relations Act was enacted in 1935. The impact of that trend is clear: While corporations and the wealthy continue to add to their fortunes, workers and their families are being left behind.

WASHINGTON, DC – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 379,000 jobs in February with the unemployment rate at 6.2 percent. “Even as we begin to see the end of this pandemic on the horizon, the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families, and businesses will be felt for years to come. Despite today’s jobs report, the economy remains more than 9 million jobs behind where we were at the start of the pandemic.

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.