Committee on Education and Workforce

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – On Friday, October 11th, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) will convene a forum at Hampton University with students and administrators from across Hampton Roads to discuss the cost of college. This roundtable comes as Congress is working to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Chair Alma Adams (NC-12) sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to strengthen monitoring and protections for engineered stone fabrication workers at high risk of silicosis and other silica-related diseases.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 136,000 jobs in September and the unemployment fell to 3.5 percent. “Today’s jobs report raises serious concerns about the consequences of a prolonged trade war for American workers.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 136,000 jobs in September and the unemployment fell to 3.5 percent. “Today’s jobs report raises serious concerns about the consequences of a prolonged trade war for American workers. Even before the president provoked a needless trade war with China, working-class and middle-class workers were struggling to cover the rising costs of housing, child care, and college. Estimates now indicate that President Trump’s trade war has already cost 300,000 American jobs—and job losses are projected to reach 450,000 by the end of the year if it is not resolved.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a district judge in Boston upheld Harvard's admissions process in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard Corporation. “The District Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard Corporation affirms the constitutionality of admissions policies that recognize that there is a compelling interest in advancing a diverse student body. There is extensive research that diverse campuses expand access to a quality, well-rounded education. “The statistical analysis highlighted in this case reveals an important fact about current admissions policies. Race and ethnicity are among the many criteria that institutions of higher education evaluate in their quest to ensure a diverse learning environment. It is curious that this lawsuit seeks to cast aside these criteria without giving similar scrutiny to the role of legacy admissions and familial connections.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today that it is vacating the June 27, 2017, proposed rule to roll back protections for construction and maritime workers from exposure to beryllium. That proposal would have eliminated ancillary protections that had been included in OSHA’s final beryllium standards issued on January 9, 2017. The compliance date for the ancillary provision will now be extended from March 2018 to September 2020. “I am relieved that OSHA has finally reversed course on its plan to eliminate essential health and safety protections for maritime and construction workers exposed to beryllium.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor published a final rule to raise the overtime salary threshold to $35,568 from $23,660. Under the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA), hourly workers and salaried workers who earn below a salary threshold set by the Department of Labor are automatically eligible for overtime pay of one-and-a-half times their regular rate of pay for any hours worked over 40 in a workweek. “American workers have not seen a meaningful update to the overtime rule for nearly four decades. As a result, millions of salaried workers are putting in 50- and 60-hour weeks while still being paid for just 40 hours of work.