Committee on Education and Workforce
More on Committee on Education and Workforce
June 22, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which will reauthorize the Perkins Career and Technical Education program. H.R. 2353 builds on the House's bipartisan efforts in the last Congress, when this Chamber passed CTE reauthorization by a vote of 405-5.
The research is clear: The United States workforce is suffering a skills gap. According to Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the United States will require at least some postsecondary education or skills acquisition. Yet, if the current trend holds, by 2020, our Nation will have more than 5 million fewer skilled workers than necessary to fill the high-skilled jobs which will be available. In Virginia alone, that is 30,000 open jobs; 17,000 are in the area of cybersecurity, and those jobs have salaries starting at $88,000.
June 8, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the ``Wrong'' CHOICE Act. In addition to what else is wrong with the bill, there are two significant problems with it impacting the jurisdiction of the Education and the Workforce Committee, where I serve as the ranking Democratic member.
First, the bill essentially eliminates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Bureau has played a crucial role in making sure student loan borrowers are treated fairly and receive the protections that they deserve. It has shut down fraudulent student loan debt relief scams, resolved countless consumer complaints, and secured hundreds of millions of dollars in loan forgiveness for borrowers tricked into taking out costly private loans.
June 7, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 33, designating the George C. Marshall Museum and George C. Marshall Research Library in Lexington, Virginia, as the National George C. Marshall Museum and Library. I appreciate my good friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), for sponsoring the resolution and note that the entire Virginia delegation has signed on as original cosponsors.
May 24, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office announced that 23 million more Americans would be uninsured under Trumpcare, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month.
"Three weeks ago, Republicans rushed to vote on a health care bill without a score from the Congressional Budget Office. Today, the CBO reasserts what we already knew to be true – under Trumpcare, millions of Americans would lose coverage, millions more would see their health care costs rise, and others will see their insurance policies cover less. With an age tax, cuts to subsidies, and tax breaks for millionaires, Trumpcare prioritizes the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working families and older Americans
May 23, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Lewis) for working with this side of the aisle on bipartisan comprehensive reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
Juvenile courts were established by States in the first half of the 20th century based on the emerging legal theory that children should not be held as fully responsible for their actions as adults, a theory borne out over time by scientific research on impulse control and brain development.
The opportunity to rehabilitate children became the focus of the system rather than punishment of offenders. Congress first articulated national standards for juvenile justice in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, or JJDPA. Long overdue for reauthorization, the bill creates important core protections for our children in the juvenile justice system in each State.
May 23, 2017
WASHINGTON – Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the White House released its Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal that cuts $9 billion from the Department of Education, slashes funding for the Department of Labor by 20 percent, and diminishes the Department of Health and Human Services’ ability to deliver early learning programs and health care for the American people.
“A budget is a reflection of priorities and in this proposal, President Trump has prioritized tax cuts for the wealthy over children, students, working families and older Americans. This budget undermines public education by directing federal dollars to voucher schemes and cutting Title I funding for high-poverty school districts. The budget also makes it harder to pay for college, guts effective job training programs, puts the health and safety of workers at risk, and attacks the civil rights of every American.
May 23, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1808, the Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act. This bill will strengthen recovery and prevention efforts of missing and exploited children by renewing and updating support for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, or NCMEC.
The terror experienced by parents of a missing child is unfathomable. Both the child and the parents experience pain, trauma, fear, and uncertainty. This is why affected families need the full support of law enforcement, schools, businesses, and other entities that may be able to assist in locating and recovering missing or exploited children.
May 23, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1809, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2017 by voice vote. Introduced by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN) the bipartisan legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve juvenile offenders and at-risk youth.
“Today’s bipartisan work in the House brings us one step closer to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline,” said Ranking Member Scott. “H.R. 1809, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act, includes necessary improvements to federal juvenile crime policy that are firmly grounded in evidence. The bill strengthens the basic protections for children in the juvenile systems in all states. It also ensures public dollars are invested in a continuum of evidence-based initiatives, and alternatives to incarceration and secure detention. We know this strategy produces positive results for at-risk youth that lead to reduced crime and long-term savings. This policy is based on the Youth PROMISE Act, legislation I first introduced in 2007, and I’m glad that we are able to pass the core parts of the Youth PROMISE Act today.”
May 11, 2017
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – On Friday, May 12, 2017, Congressman Bobby Scott will tour the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia in Norfolk, Virginia. During the tour, Congressman Scott will view the weekly food distribution for programs such as Helping Hands. Congressman Scott will also meet with staff to discuss the importance of child nutrition programs, including after-school meal programs. For millions of students, after-school and weekend meal programs fill the hunger gap that may exist for low-income students and these programs are essential to their healthy growth and development.
May 8, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump suggested financing for Historically Black Colleges and Universities may be unconstitutional:
“The President issued a signing statement calling into question the constitutional status of federally-designated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the programs that serve them. While he has since issued another statement attempting to clarify his support for HBCUs, there has been no revision to clarify that HBCUs are in fact constitutional. HBCUs are on a solid legal footing, as the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) spelled out in their response to the President attached here. I hope the President revises his statement and leaves no doubt that he believes that HBCUs are constitutional.”