Committee on Education and Workforce
More on Committee on Education and Workforce
July 8, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office released its report on the impact of gradually raising the minimum wage to $15 over five years.
“The Congressional Budget Office’s report comes to a clear conclusion: The benefits of the Raise the Wage Act for America’s workers far outweigh any potential costs. According to CBO’s estimates, the Raise the Wage Act would give up to 27 million workers a raise, lift 1.3 million Americans out of poverty, and boost economic growth by putting money in the pockets of workers who will spend that money in the economy.
July 5, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 224,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate was 3.7 percent. “Today’s report is further evidence that the overall strength of the American economy is not trickling down to millions of American workers. Even though working-class and middle-class workers are better educated and more productive than ever, their wages have not kept up with the rising costs of housing, child care, college, and other key pillars of long-term financial security.
June 28, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education released the final Gainful Employment rule. “Repealing – rather than revising or replacing – the Gainful Employment rule will prop up low-quality for-profit colleges at the expense of students and taxpayers. According to the Education Department’s own analysis, this decision will cost taxpayers nearly $5 billion in federal financial aid, which will go to college programs that have failed to meet the existing standard and would have otherwise closed.
June 26, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chair Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08), Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01), and Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) introduced legislation to guarantee public service employees in every state the right to stand together and negotiate for fair wages and working conditions.
June 26, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams (NC-12), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, and Congressman Joe Kennedy III (MA-04), along with 44 House Democrats urged Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to withdraw a proposal that undermines joint employment standards under theFair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA).
June 24, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s release of its Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAP) proposal. “Registered Apprenticeship programs are proven to prepare workers for good-paying, middle-class jobs. The administration’s proposal to establish a new unregistered apprenticeship program – which lacks sufficient accountability for meeting quality standards or ensuring the success of apprentices – diverts valuable funding away from programs that have a long record of success.
June 18, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) issued the following statement after the release of a recent GAO Report, entitled “K-12 Education: Education Should Take Immediate Action to Address Inaccuracies in Federal Restraint and Seclusion Data.”
“The GAO’s report makes clear that school districts across the country are not accurately reporting the use of restraint or seclusion — disciplinary practices that jeopardize student and staff health and safety. In fact, the research shows these disciplinary practices make classrooms less safe. The report’s findings are consistent with the testimony the Committee on Education and Labor heard earlier this year and raise serious concerns about the prevalence of these harmful discipline practices. The Education Department must immediately implement GAO’s recommendations to give the public and Congress an accurate understanding of the use of restraint and seclusion.
June 17, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement commemorating a shameful milestone for American workers. As of Sunday, June 16, this is the longest period of time without an increase in the federal minimum wage since it was created in 1938.
“We are now experiencing the longest period of time without an increase in the federal minimum wage since it was created in 1938. For low-wage workers, this milestone is not merely symbolic. While workers earning the federal minimum wage are better educated and more productive than ever, they have suffered a more than 15 percent pay cut, accounting for inflation, since the last minimum wage increase in 2009. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is no place in America where a full-time worker making the $7.25 federal minimum wage can afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.
June 12, 2019
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment to protect construction and shipyard workers from exposure to beryllium, an ultra-toxic metal. When beryllium dust is inhaled, it can trigger chronic beryllium disease, an irreversible lung disease that suffocates victims and often leads to a painful death. Beryllium is also a known human carcinogen.
June 11, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) and Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Committee on Education and Labor, and Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Committee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions introduced legislation to make millions of American workers newly eligible for overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week, providing economic security to millions of working families. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act would increase the overtime salary level from $23,660 per year to nearly $51,000 per year, making roughly 4.6 million workers newly eligible for overtime pay. “Restoring overtime protections for workers reflects our commitment to creating an economy that works for everyone,” said Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott. “Unfortunately, rather than supporting the strong protections included in the Obama-era overtime rule, the Trump administration issued a new proposal that would leave 8.2 million workers behind, depriving them of a combined $1.6 billion in lost wages in the next year alone. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act would codify the salary level set in the 2016 Obama overtime rule and guarantee that more salaried workers get the overtime pay they deserve.”