Committee on Education and Workforce
More on Committee on Education and Workforce
October 4, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the Republican budget resolution and its intent to fast-track tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. This resolution, first of all, is not serious. It assumes $800 billion in savings from the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which we know will not happen. We have the Treasury Secretary being quoted as saying that ``massive tax cuts will actually reduce the deficit.......''
Well, we know how that works. You cut taxes for the wealthy and say they are going to pay for themselves. When that doesn't work and the deficit explodes, you come back and demand massive tax and massive cuts in Medicare, Social Security, and education.
September 28, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1866, but I also stand concerned about the humanitarian crisis going on in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the wake of Hurricane Maria and also the other hurricanes that have been in the area.
More than 3.4 million people reside in Puerto Rico alone--U.S. citizens who are in need of full support of the Federal Government. This is more than the population of Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, and Alaska combined--U.S. citizens, yet they have no voting Members of Congress.
U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands serve in our military. In fact, Puerto Ricans serve in our military at a rate twice the general U.S. population, and they are hurting. They are fighting to survive, and they are in desperate need of food, clean water, medical supplies, and security.
September 20, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after reports stated that Republicans are hoping to rush to a vote on their Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare bill with only a scant budget assessment, before the CBO can outline the full consequences of the bill for working families.
“I’m disappointed that Congressional Republicans and the administration have abandoned bipartisan efforts to bring greater stability to the Marketplaces for 2018. Rather than working collaboratively with Democrats to improve coverage and lower costs for hardworking Americans, Republicans have instead chosen to resurrect their ‘repeal and replace’ plan and continue to inject uncertainty into our health care system.
September 16, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after health insurer Anthem announced they would continue offering insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act throughout Virginia:
"Anthem's decision to stay in the Virginia Marketplace is welcome news for hardworking Virginians across the Commonwealth. I am grateful to Governor McAuliffe for his hard work to ensure that Virginians have coverage options. However, the Trump Administration continues to put access to health insurance at risk for millions of people, including individuals and families across the Commonwealth.
September 15, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) introduced legislation to invest in and support direct care workers and the people they serve. H.R. 3778, the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act will increase funding to entities that provide training and advancement opportunities for direct care workers.
“Direct care workers provide critical services to our nation’s seniors and individuals with disabilities,” said Ranking Member Scott. “As one of the fastest growing occupational sectors in our nation, we must make meaningful investments to ensure that this field is attractive and provides advancement opportunities for those dedicated to the profession. The Direct CARE Opportunity Act will support innovative strategies to recruit, retain, and support our nation’s direct care workers.”
September 12, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would strike language in the bill that would prohibit the EEOC from using its funds to implement pay data collection.
Mr. Chairman, we know that racial and gender pay gaps exist in America. The Obama administration, a few years ago, created the National Equal Pay Task Force, which recommended this new data collection, the EEO-1 form, which would, for the first time, require employers to provide not just data on who is hired by race, sex, and ethnicity, but also to include pay data.
September 12, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, which would increase funding for youth employment activities under the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act.
As has been stated, about 5 million of our Nation's youth are both out of school and out of work, so we have a choice: Do we invest to help our youth get on a good path towards a good job, or do we pay considerably more later?
September 12, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Ms. Bonamici, the vice ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, for offering the amendment and for her leadership on issues affecting older Americans.
The Older Americans Act was first passed 50 years ago as part of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. It helps older Americans live with dignity and stay connected with their communities. I am proud that last year we were able to pass a 3-year bipartisan reauthorization that increased funding for the programs. But had our investments in these programs actually kept up with inflation and growing populations, the authorization levels would have been even much more. But, thankfully, the reauthorization moved us in the right direction.
September 7, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the number of amendments that were made in order by the Rules Committee, but I am appalled that the majority chose not to include one of my amendments, No. 63, to division F of H.R. 3354, which would strike a prohibition against using Federal funds for the purpose of transportation needed to desegregate public schools. This language has found its way into every appropriations act since at least 1974.