Committee on Education and Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services Chair Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting the agency examine the accessibility of federal resources for people with disabilities experiencing domestic violence. In the letter, the Members note that one in three adults, including those with disabilities, have experienced domestic violence, and individuals with disabilities are victims of sexual assault at rates more than seven times those for people without disabilities.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to a report from the Department of Labor’s Inspector General that found the Department’s implementation of the paid leave provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act needlessly excluded too many workers. The report also finds the Department has not developed a clear plan to enforce paid leave protections. “The Department of Labor Inspector General’s report confirms that the Trump administration is using its discretion to prevent workers from accessing emergency paid leave during a global pandemic.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to the Department of Education Office of Inspector General (OIG) requesting an investigation into the Department’s role in the misconduct of Dream Center Education Holdings, a for-profit higher education company that actively defrauded students and taxpayers.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the President Trump’s executive order that freezes federal student loan payments and interest until December 31, 2020. “President Trump’s executive order does nothing to address the crisis facing our education system. It does nothing to help state and local governments avoid deep cuts to public education, which could be as high as $300 billion over the next two years. It does nothing to help schools reopen safely. It does nothing to pull our child care system from the brink of collapse. And it does nothing to help colleges and universities keep their doors open and avoid widespread layoffs.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 1.8 million jobs in July with the unemployment rate at 10.2 percent. “Today’s jobs report clearly defines the stakes of the current negotiations over the next COVID-19 relief package. The American economy has lost 12.9 million jobs since February, and this is the 20th consecutive week in which more than 1 million Americans filed initial unemployment claims.

WASHINGTON, DC – In a letter to House and Senate leadership, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) joined more than 30 Members, led by Reps. Donald McEachin (VA-04) and Matt Cartwright (PA-08), in calling for the exclusion of the sweeping corporate immunity provisions proposed by the Senate Republicans in the forthcoming COVID-19 relief package. In the letter, Members oppose proposals to establish broad liability shields for businesses that fail to protect workers and consumers from health risks.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after a federal judge in New York struck down the Department of Labor’s (DOL) restrictions on workers’ access to paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The decision invalidates provisions of DOL’s rule that allowed employers to avoid providing workers with paid leave if (1) the employer asserts that they did not have work for the employee, (2) the employee fell within DOL’s overly broad definition of “health care provider,” (3) the employee did not provide documentation before taking paid leave, or (4) the employer did not agree to the worker taking intermittent (non-contiguous) leave.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the Committee on the Education and Labor, applauded the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 7617, the Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act for 2021.