Committee on Education and Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (NC-05) announced plans to hold five bipartisan hearings on higher education, marking the formal start of an effort the reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA) in the 116th Congress. The joint announcement reflects the Committee’s shared intention to host a thoughtful and open exchange of ideas for improving America’s higher education system.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump delivered this State of the Union address before Congress. “President Trump’s State of the Union – like the first two years of his presidency – largely ignored the challenges facing students, workers, and communities across the country. Access to a quality education, a good-paying job, and affordable health care are fundamental issues for all Americans. Rather than offering credible solutions, the president continued to spread misinformation about immigration and advocate for an ineffective and inefficient wall.

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Labor, along with Chairwoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, introduced the Health Benefits for Miners Act of 2019. This legislation would ensure coal miners, who are at risk due to recent coal company bankruptcies, will not lose their retiree health care.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) introduced theTransformation to Competitive Employment Act, which provides states, service providers, subminimum wage certificate holders, and other agencies with the resources to help workers with disabilities transition into competitive, integrated employment. The Transformation to Competitive Employment Act is legislation designed to strengthen and enhance the disability employment service delivery systems throughout states while subminimum wages, which are currently allowed under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, are phased out over a six-year period.Currently, under section 14(c), employers that obtain a certificate are permitted to hire individuals with disabilities at less than minimum wage.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, led House and Senate Democrats in introducing a proposal to invest more than $100 billion in America’s public schools. The Rebuild America’s Schools Act would fund $70 billion in grants and $30 billion in bonds to help address critical physical and digital infrastructure needs in schools across the country. According to economic projections, the bill would also create more than 1.9 million good-paying jobs. The bill comes as students, teachers, and parents across the country are demanding more support for public education. In a recent poll, 84 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of Republicans said increasing K-12 funding is an “extremely important priority” for the 116th Congress.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, joined House and Senate leadership to introduce the Raise the Wage Act of 2019. The bill would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in 2024, index future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and ensure all workers are paid at least the full federal minimum wage by phasing out the subminimum wages for tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities. The Raise the Wage Act was introduced with 181 House cosponsors.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a federal court in Pennsylvania granted an injunction to freeze Trump administration rules that would allow employers and institutions of higher education to deny women coverage of contraception based on “religious or moral” objections. “By issuing a nationwide injunction, the court has taken the necessary and immediate step of shielding workers and students from a harmful and discriminatory policy that would restrict coverage for preventive services under the guise of religious freedom. Freedom of religion is a sacred and fundamental right, but it is not a tool to deny women access to health care.