Committee on Education and Workforce
More on Committee on Education and Workforce
October 11, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, October 14, 2016, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce will join officials from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to tour the Buchanan Mine #1 in Buchanan County, Virginia. On Saturday, October 15, 2016, Congressman Scott will also host a roundtable to discuss reforms to the black lung benefits program with miners, medical professionals and legal representatives in Wise, Virginia. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Scott serves as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, which has oversight of federal worker health and safety programs, including mine safety, the Black Lung Benefits Act, and the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, as well as pensions and employer-provided health care.
Congressman Scott has sponsored the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act (H.R. 1926), which would provide the Mine Safety and Health Administration with tools it needs to better protect miners, including subpoena authority to conduct investigations and inspections. He is also the lead cosponsor of the Black Lung Benefits Improvements Act (H.R. 3625), which would ensure coal companies and their lawyers share all medical evidence with claimants and provide additional legal resources to miners with eligible claims. Congressman Scott is also a cosponsor of the Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act (H.R. 2403), a bipartisan bill that would transfer excess funds from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to cover shortfalls in the UMWA health care and coal miner pension funds.
October 7, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added a total of 156,000 jobs in September with the unemployment rate at 5 percent. The economy has added a total of 15.3 million private sector jobs since early 2010.
“While we have experienced great economic gains over the last seven years, today’s jobs report shows that our work here in Congress is far from over. There are families and individuals struggling to find work, and those who are working still lack basic workplace support and protections.
September 28, 2016
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I stand in opposition to H.R. 6094, the inappropriately named Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act.
First of all, it is not limited to those. It is for all employers. It would delay the implementation of the overtime rule for 6 months. The rule is currently slated to go into effect on December 1, and working families can't wait another 6 months for a long-overdue adjustment in the overtime rule.
We ought to talk a little bit about what we are talking about. If today you are earning $10 an hour, if you work more than 40 hours a week, you get time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40. And if they change that to the same amount, instead of $10 an hour, $20,000 a year, you still get time-and-a-half for overtime after 40 hours because your salary is under the approximately $23,000 threshold.
September 22, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5963, the Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act. The legislation, sponsored by Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL-26), reauthorizes for the first time since 2002 the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974 to help states and local communities better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. The legislation also includes language based on Congressman Scott’s Youth PROMISE Act (H.R. 2197) that restructures JJDPA’s Local Delinquency Prevention Grants to encourage communities to plan and implement evidence-based prevention and intervention programs specifically designed to reduce juvenile delinquency and gang involvement.
September 20, 2016
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Kline, Subcommittee Chair ROKITA, and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo) for their work, and also, on our side, Representatives DAVIS of California, ADAMS, and WILSON of Florida for their work on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, juvenile courts were established by States over 100 years ago on the emerging legal theory that children should not be held fully responsible for their actions, a theory proven by scientific research into impulse control and brain development. The capacity to rehabilitate children became the focus of the system rather than punishment of offenders. Congress first articulated national standards of juvenile justice in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974.
September 13, 2016
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5587, the Strengthening CTE for the 21st Century Act, which would reauthorize the Perkins Career and Technical Education program.
The research is clear: the United States workforce is suffering from a skills gap. According to one study, 65 percent of all jobs in the United States in the near future will require at least some education or training past the high school level--not necessarily a 4-year degree, but some education and training past the high school level. In Virginia alone, we have thousands of jobs in the tech sector that go unfilled because of the lack of qualified applicants. Some of those jobs have salaries of $88,000.
Today's CTE program is not the vocational education of the past, where students pursued a career rather than academic studies. Now the current programs integrate the academic curriculum which will assist in preparing participants for postsecondary education and credentials.
September 9, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democrat and Republican members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce today introduced the H.R. 5963 Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act. Sponsored by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), the legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act to help state and local leaders better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. “The JJDPA has been due to be reauthorized for nearly ten years. In that time, many states have had successes implementing evidence-based and trauma-informed practices to improve the delivery of delinquency prevention services to youth,” said Ranking Member Scott. “At the federal level, we must continue to incentivize a focus on evidence-based prevention and intervention initiatives which reduce delinquency and save money. Making sure we get juveniles in the system or at risk of delinquency off the wrong track and back in school on the way to college or a career is one of the most common sense, cost-effective actions we can take to improve our communities. I’m pleased that we were able to work together and find common ground to advance national juvenile justice policy.”
September 2, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement to workers today in recognition of Labor Day, which is Monday, September 5th:
“Labor Day is a time to recognize the incredible achievements of hardworking Americans. It is also a time to acknowledge that far too many people are working harder than ever, but still struggling to make ends meet. America has made significant strides toward economic recovery, with 77 consecutive months of uninterrupted private sector job growth. But too many working people are still going without the basics – decent housing, reliable child care, and time off work to recover from illness or care for a loved one.
September 2, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 151,000 jobs during the month of August:
“Today’s job report shows that 151,000 jobs were added to the economy and unemployment stands at 4.9 percent. This report represents the 77th consecutive month of private sector job growth, continuing the longest streak on record previously set in April 2000 at 51 months. Today also marks the 42nd anniversary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). ERISA set a number of standards for pension and health benefit plans in private industry, ensuring workers receive the protections they deserve. And although we see continued economic growth with today’s jobs report, we know that too many Americans continue to struggle to adequately save for their retirement.
August 24, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Members Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Elijah Cummings (MD-07) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council today announced final regulations and guidance implementing the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order.
“We commend the Department of Labor and the Obama Administration’s diligent and deliberative process in developing the final Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule. This rule will ensure that hardworking Americans are treated fairly on the job and that they come home safely at the end of the day. It will help to guarantee that businesses awarded federal contracts are in compliance with basic worker protection laws and that law-abiding contractors compete on a level playing field.