Committee on Education and Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education announced that it is rescinding the 2014 ED-DOJ Discipline Guidance. “The Department’s decision to rescind the 2014 discipline guidance will undermine access to a quality education for students of color and students with disabilities. The guidance was issued to help schools address the troubling and undeniable evidence that Black students, boys, and students with disabilities receive harsher punishments than their classmates for similar or lesser offenses, without jeopardizing students’ safety. Rescinding the guidance will stall, if not reverse our progress toward addressing these disparities.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 155,000 jobs in November. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent. “Today’s jobs report reveals the economic state of workers and middle-class families remains fragile despite a prolonged period of low unemployment. Wages have remained largely stagnant – particularly for low-wage earners – and too many workers are forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. What’s worse, the Majority’s major legislative accomplishment from the 115th Congress was a massive tax cut that overwhelmingly benefits corporations and the wealthy.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) statement on today’s announcement that the Education Corporation of America (ECA) will close all of its more than 75 campuses, affecting roughly 20,000 students. ECA is accredited by ACICS and makes up about half of ACICS accredited schools. ECA’s abrupt closure calls into question the Department’s recent decision to reinstate ACICS as a recognized accreditor. “We have repeatedly warned about the risks low-quality, for-profit education companies and irresponsible accreditors pose to students and taxpayers across the country. Today’s announcement is another painful reminder of those risks. Just as with ITT Technical Institute and Corinthian Colleges, Education Corporation of America’s (ECA) abrupt closing will leave thousands of students with non-transferrable credits, crippling debt, and few of the job opportunities they were promised.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Education Department’s proposed rule, released today, which revises standards for schools’ responsibility under the Title IX to respond to campus sexual assault and harassment. “The Title IX proposal released today would be a damaging setback for our efforts to prevent campus sexual harassment and assault. The bottom line is that by allowing schools to use this new process and evidentiary standard, this rule would make it harder for survivors of sexual misconduct to achieve justice. Institutions must secure due process for the accused, while achieving dignity and providing the support services survivors deserve.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act to protect students from the dangers of seclusion and restraint at school. The legislation would make it illegal for any school receiving taxpayer dollars to seclude children.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, along with Representatives Susan Davis (CA-53) and John Sarbanes (MD-03), and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), led more than 150 Democrats requesting Education Secretary Betsy DeVos turn over more information—and swiftly act to fix— regarding the Department’s flawed handling of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. This request follows the release of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which revealed an alarming number of PSLF borrowers have been denied loan forgiveness.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a federal court judge ruled the Department of Education illegally delayed the “Borrower Defense” (BD) rule. The rule was established under President Obama in the wake of two massive for-profit college closures to provide relief to defrauded students. “Today’s court ruling is a major victory for students. In September, the Court found the Department illegally delayed the Borrower’s Defense regulations, delaying relief for students who were cheated out of their education, their money, and their future.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement following passage of the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 6157, the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act of 2019. “This funding package is a bipartisan rejection of President Trump’s proposed cuts to education, workplace safety and training, and programs that expand access to affordable health care for families across the country.