Committee on Education and Workforce
More on Committee on Education and Workforce
August 2, 2017
WASHINGTON – Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03) and John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), the ranking members of the House Committees on Education and the Workforce and the Judiciary, respectively, issued the following statement after reports surfaced that the Department of Justice plans to attack and undermine affirmative action programs in colleges and universities. “While we cannot comment on the veracity of this alleged memo, we are deeply concerned by news reports that the Department of Justice intends to challenge the application of affirmative action programs in colleges and universities. What is already clear is the Trump Administration’s public record of attacking civil rights protections on multiple fronts. As ranking members, we led 86 Members of the House in an amicus brief in support of affirmative action programs in higher education.
July 28, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Senate failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
“As I have said many times before, if we are going to change the Affordable Care Act, we should improve it, not make it worse. In the middle of the night, Senate Republicans finally unveiled another disastrous version of Trumpcare and then voted on the legislation after having only seen the text two hours earlier. Unfortunately, this version of Trumpcare would leave 16 million fewer people without insurance and increase costs by 20 percent. This is not an improvement; that is why it was defeated.
July 28, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ranking Members of four House Committees with jurisdiction over health care expressed their willingness to work together with Republicans today to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In a letter sent to the Chairmen of their respective committees, the four Democrats called on Republicans to set aside efforts to repeal the ACA and instead to focus on expanding access to health care and lowering the cost of coverage. The letter comes after the vote on Trumpcare failed in the Senate early this morning.
The letter was signed by Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA), Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Budget Committee Ranking Member John Yarmuth (D-KY).
July 25, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, hosted a policy briefing in coordination with the National League of Cities (NLC) on their recent report “The Future of Work in Cities.” The policy discussion highlighted strategies that can provide support to cities and the economic impacts of workforce development at the federal level. The briefing included testimony from Dr. Patricia P. Woodbury, Councilmember, Newport News, Virginia. A South Hampton native, Dr. Woodbury has a long history of supporting workforce development programs that increase the employability of citizens within Newport News. Her on-the-ground experience provided an in-depth analysis on the trends and real-world implications of workforce development.
July 25, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition of H.J. Res. 111, which will overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule, prohibiting forced arbitration for many consumer contracts, including student loan contracts.
Banks and large corporations often take advantage of ordinary Americans by burying forced arbitration clauses and boiler plate fine print in standard contracts.
When corporations force consumers to secretly arbitrate with handpicked firms, which rely on those same corporations for repeat business, the system is rigged.
Take, for example, Matthew, who enrolled in a for-profit aviation school that closed before Matthew could finish his degree. At the recommendation of the school, he had taken out $56,000 in private student loans.
July 20, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office released a new score of the Republicans’ bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
“Yet again, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has released another report on Republicans’ ongoing attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act – each report just as devastating than the last. Today, the CBO found that the Senate’s latest Trumpcare bill would leave 22 million fewer Americans without insurance. While there have been many versions of the legislation, here is the common theme – each insures fewer people, offers less coverage, and raises the cost of health insurance.
July 18, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced plans to vote on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement:
“After multiple unsuccessful attempts at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Republicans are promising to dismantle the progress of the last seven years by repealing the ACA—with no alternative. When Republicans say ‘repeal and replace,’ the only thing you can be sure of is the repeal part. As I said earlier this year, if they had a viable replacement, the American people would have seen it sometime in the past seven years.
July 14, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Senate released their latest version of Trumpcare.
“Over the past few weeks, Senate Republicans have continued to scramble to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with Trumpcare. During this time, they have done nothing to fix the underlying damage that Trumpcare will cause – the erosion of protections for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions and a crippling age tax on seniors. While a Congressional Budget Office assessment is necessary to determine the full impact of the legislation, the new version only tinkers around the edges and does nothing to actually improve health coverage and affordability for American families.
July 14, 2017
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.
The amendment shifts workers who repair super yachts and large, luxury watercraft out of coverage under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and into coverage under State workers' compensation programs.
But it doesn't just amend the longshoremen act. Rather, it creates a problem with the Coast Guard law. The Coast Guard opposed an identical amendment last year because it creates widespread damage to Coast Guard regulatory and enforcement authorities, implicates U.S. treaty obligations, and could affect the collection of tonnage taxes on foreign flagged vessels.
July 13, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of leaders from the civil rights, social justice and faith communities, Congressman Joe Kennedy III (MA-04) and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, today reintroduced legislation to amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The Do No Harm Act would clarify that no one can seek religious exemption from laws guaranteeing fundamental civil and legal rights. It comes in response to continued efforts across the country to cite religious belief as grounds to undermine Civil Rights Act protections, limit access to healthcare, and refuse service to minority populations.