Committee on Education and Workforce
More on Committee on Education and Workforce
December 18, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 2029, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which fully funds the federal government through September 30, 2016, provides a two year implementation delay of the excise tax on high-cost employer sponsored health insurance plans, makes important investments in students and does not hinder the Department of Labor’s ability to enforce rules that protect workers. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 316-113 (Roll Call No.705).
“Despite recent gains in our economy, too many working families are still struggling to make ends meet. With today’s vote, the House has taken a significant step forward to help workers, students and families. The investments made in this bill are necessary to ensure our nation’s economic health and competitiveness.
December 9, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the 85-12 passage of S.1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act – a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind:
“I commend Senator Alexander, Senator Murray, Chairman Kline and our respective staff for their earnest and diligent work to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind. The Every Student Succeeds Act brings our education system into the 21st century and will make a positive difference in the lives of our nation’s students by giving every student an equal chance to succeed.
December 2, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the 359-64 passage of S.1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act – a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind:
“Today’s bipartisan vote to reauthorize the ESEA affirms the principles of Brown v. Board of Education, which held that ‘it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education,’ and ‘that such an opportunity is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.’
December 2, 2015
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, as I've stated before, this conference report is not the bill I would have written on my own. It is a product of compromise, but a product that did not require either side to compromise on our core beliefs. A core belief of mine--and a core belief of my caucus--is that Congress deems authority to the executive branch to interpret, implement, and enforce federal law. That is the foundational tenet of administrative law.
December 2, 2015
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to endorse the conference report on S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act.
We have certainly come a long way since we were on the floor debating H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, earlier this year. I had sincere objections to much that was found in H.R. 5, but thanks to the commitment to work together to try to fashion a decent bill with Chairman Kline and our counterparts in the Senate, Senator Alexander and Senator Murray, along with the many long nights from our respective staffs, we found a way to produce a conference report that balances the desire for more localized decisionmaking with the need for Federal oversight to ensure equity for underserved students.
November 30, 2015
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois and the gentleman from New Jersey for organizing this Special Order tonight. It takes a lot of work and a lot of time to organize these efforts, and I want to thank them both for the time and effort that they have put into this.
We have heard a lot about what the Congressional Black Caucus has done over the years. There are two areas that I have been personally involved in with the CBC effort in the areas of education and criminal justice reform. On both we have worked hard and achieved bipartisan support.
November 17, 2015
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015, legislation that would strip employees of protections afforded under the National Labor Relations Act at any enterprise owned by an Indian tribe and located on Indian lands.
At issue are two solemn and deeply-rooted principles: one, the right of Indian tribes to possess as distinct independent political communities retaining their original rights in matters of local self-government; and, two, the rights of workers to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in concerted activities for their mutual aid and protection.
November 6, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement today celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 8, 1965:
“Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Higher Education Act (HEA) into law. HEA was a key component of the ‘Great Society’, and its goal was and is to provide a pathway to the middle class for millions of families around the country by making college affordable and accessible to everyone, not just the elite.
“As President Johnson said as he signed HEA into law, ‘[This] means that a high school senior, anywhere in this great land of ours, can apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 states and not be turned away because his family is poor.’
November 4, 2015
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the King amendment.
This amendment would prohibit the application and payment of prevailing wages provided under the Davis-Bacon Act for funds expended on construction projects in this bill.
Davis-Bacon sets wage and benefit standards for federally assisted construction projects to ensure that contractors compete on the quality of their work, not by undercutting wage levels in local communities. Negating the application of wage laws, as the King amendment proposes to do, often leads to shoddy construction and substantial cost overruns.
October 28, 2015
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Congressional Progressive caucus for holding this Special Order on the Working Families Agenda.
Since the Republicans took over the House in January 2011, they have held hearing after hearing to make it harder for workers to form a union, they have attempted over 60 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they have been giving tax cuts to the wealthy, and all that time they have been wasting millions of dollars on the Benghazi Committee.
Enough is enough. The American people deserve better.