Committee on Education and Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after being appointed by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to the Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans​ (Joint Select Committee). Ranking Member Scott is one of only 16 Members of Congress to be appointed to it. Established by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the Joint Select Committee is responsible for putting forward solutions to Congress before the year’s end to significantly improve the solvency of multiemployer pension plans and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017. The legislation attacks the civil rights of Americans with disabilities. “Passage of H.R. 620 is the latest attack on the rights of individuals with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a bipartisan civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and ensures access to places of employment and schools, as well as public buildings and services. H.R. 620 undermines the goals of the ADA to create a more inclusive society and provide equal participation for all members of the community."

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the White House released an outline of its Fiscal Year 2019 budget priorities. “The administration’s budget proposal does not prioritize America’s students and workers. President Trump’s budget hurts students by eliminating vital early childhood and K-12 education programs to divert $1 billion to private school vouchers; slashing federal grant aid to make college more expensive; and, continuing to woefully underfund special education. Additionally, a separate infrastructure proposal by this administration would siphon funds from the Pell grant program to fund short term workforce training initiatives which also lacks a dedicated federal funding stream."

WASHINGTON, DC -- Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released the following statement in response to the paid parental leave proposal announced today by Senate Republicans: “This proposal would put pressure on Social Security’s already strained resources,” said Ranking Member Bobby Scott. “While I’m encouraged there’s bipartisan support for paid family and medical leave, we should not shortchange Social Security benefits for seniors to accomplish that desirable goal.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released cost estimates for H.R. 4508. “The CBO’s score of H.R. 4508 confirms what we already knew to be true – this bill makes college more expensive for America’s students and working families. According to the CBO, H.R. 4508 would send $9.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to for-profit schools and low-quality programs, but fails to provide any substantial support to help low-income students afford college."

WASHINGTON, DC– Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP), and Donald Norcross (D-NJ), and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), sent a letter asking National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member William Emanuel to clarify whether he violated federal regulations and the Trump Administration ethics pledge by participating in an eleventh-hour decision involving the “joint employer” standard. In a December vote, the NLRB weakened workers’ right to collectively bargain and shielded large corporate employers from liability. Member Emanuel participated in the vote to overturn the joint employer standard and in a separate vote to bring the joint employer case back to the Board, despite the fact that his former law firm represents one of the employers in the case.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member on the Education and the Workforce Committee, Senator Patty Murry (D-WA), ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and 122 Democrats submitted a public comment to Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta urging the Department of Labor (DOL) to withdraw its proposed change to the tip rules. DOL is considering changing existing rules to allow employers to pocket tips of workers, which could result in the loss of billions of dollars of tips for workers.