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June 18, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) issued the following statement after the release of a recent GAO Report, entitled “K-12 Education: Education Should Take Immediate Action to Address Inaccuracies in Federal Restraint and Seclusion Data.”
“The GAO’s report makes clear that school districts across the country are not accurately reporting the use of restraint or seclusion — disciplinary practices that jeopardize student and staff health and safety. In fact, the research shows these disciplinary practices make classrooms less safe. The report’s findings are consistent with the testimony the Committee on Education and Labor heard earlier this year and raise serious concerns about the prevalence of these harmful discipline practices. The Education Department must immediately implement GAO’s recommendations to give the public and Congress an accurate understanding of the use of restraint and seclusion.
June 17, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement commemorating a shameful milestone for American workers. As of Sunday, June 16, this is the longest period of time without an increase in the federal minimum wage since it was created in 1938.
“We are now experiencing the longest period of time without an increase in the federal minimum wage since it was created in 1938. For low-wage workers, this milestone is not merely symbolic. While workers earning the federal minimum wage are better educated and more productive than ever, they have suffered a more than 15 percent pay cut, accounting for inflation, since the last minimum wage increase in 2009. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is no place in America where a full-time worker making the $7.25 federal minimum wage can afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.
June 13, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – TOMORROW, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) will visit the Southeastern Virginia Health System’s (SEVHS) newest facility in Newport News. Formerly known as the Peninsula Institute for Community Health, SEVHS is one of the leading community-based health providers in Hampton Roads and has benefited from the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Congressman Scott will host a roundtable discussion with physicians, nurses, and other community health officials before embarking on a tour of the facility.
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June 11, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) and Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Committee on Education and Labor, and Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Committee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions introduced legislation to make millions of American workers newly eligible for overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week, providing economic security to millions of working families. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act would increase the overtime salary level from $23,660 per year to nearly $51,000 per year, making roughly 4.6 million workers newly eligible for overtime pay. “Restoring overtime protections for workers reflects our commitment to creating an economy that works for everyone,” said Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott. “Unfortunately, rather than supporting the strong protections included in the Obama-era overtime rule, the Trump administration issued a new proposal that would leave 8.2 million workers behind, depriving them of a combined $1.6 billion in lost wages in the next year alone. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act would codify the salary level set in the 2016 Obama overtime rule and guarantee that more salaried workers get the overtime pay they deserve.”
June 7, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 75,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate held at 3.6 percent.
“Today’s jobs report suggests that American workers are being put at risk by the president’s erratic economic policies. The report also shows that workers’ wages are still not keeping pace with the rising cost of living. Congress must take action to ensure that all Americans can enjoy the benefits of economic growth.
“Raising the minimum wage is a proven tool to give workers a raise. But this month will mark the longest period without an increase in the federal minimum wage since it was established in 1938. The purchasing power of the minimum wage has declined by more than 15 percent due to inflation since the last federal minimum wage increase in 2009.
May 31, 2019
Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement: “My thoughts are foremost with those affected-the victims, their families, and survivors as Virginia Beach and the entire Commonwealth is left devastated by another mass shooting. Gun violence should not be a normal occurrence in our communities. The President and Congress have a basic responsibility to keep Americans safe, and elected officials are not powerless to stop this. My colleagues and I have to do more to keep our communities safe.”
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May 22, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) submitted the following testimony to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure highlighting programs that will directly impact the 3rd Congressional District of Virginia. "Thank you, Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves and members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for providing me this opportunity to discuss some of the priorities I believe should be reflected in any transportation and infrastructure legislation.
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May 21, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – The Peninsula Agency on Aging honored Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, with the Award of Prestige. “I am honored to receive the Award of Prestige from the Peninsula Agency on Aging,” said Congressman Scott. “Our local Agencies on Aging are relentless advocates for our community’s seniors. These organizations help provide our seniors with the health services, nutrition, and supportive services they need, which makes them less likely to suffer illness and injury, less likely to incur expensive hospital visits, and more likely to live independently.
May 21, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) introduced the Fairness and Accuracy in Criminal Background Checks Act of 2019. The bill addresses the serious problems with the FBI database by requiring that records are accurate before they are sent to the agencies and employers that rely on them to make hiring and licensing decisions. “Far too often, many face an additional barrier created by faulty criminal background records released by the FBI," said Congressman Scott.
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May 17, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5, the Equality Act, a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other key laws to ensure that LBGTQ Americans receive the same legal protections afforded to other Americans:
“Today is a historic day for the LGBTQ community. As Chairman, I was proud to consider this important civil rights legislation in the Education and Labor Committee. Today I am proud to stand with my House colleagues as we pass the Equality Act to ensure that LGBTQ Americans can live free from discrimination. The LGBTQ community has made many strides in the last few years, including marriage equality and the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.
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In The News
June 19, 2019
In The News
In a commencement address filled with hope, US Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott ’73 said this to BC Law’s Class of 2019: “I can’t wait to see the best that is in all of you. Our future is brighter because you took the harder path forward. In life and work you will be tempted to choose the easier path. But when faced with the temptation to take the easier route, I hope you remember the Jesuit principles that Boston College Law School seeks to instill in each of its students: public service, social justice, and a commitment to excellence.”
April 11, 2019
In The News
Top House Democrats are pushing the White House for more information on why it decided to back an attempt to toss out the Affordable Care Act. In letters to key Trump administration officials dated Monday, Democratic House committee chairmen questioned the decision to support a lawsuit challenging the law known as Obamacare. They asked for a pile of documents from the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Office of Management and Budget related to how the White House decided to back the legal challenge and who in the administration agrees with the court’s finding that the ACA is unconstitutional.
January 17, 2019
In The News
WASHINGTON (WAVY) -- Top Democrats in Congress have introduced a bill to gradually increase the federal minimum wage. Congressman Bobby Scott, the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, was joined with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Bernie Sanders, and working class Americans at a press conference speaking on the “Raise the Wage” Act. The bill would gradually increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2024. The last time Congress voted to increase the minimum wage was in 2007. It went into effect in 2009.
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August 22, 2018
In The News
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WVEC) — Investing in summer jobs for young people was the topic of conversation at a roundtable Tuesday morning in Newport News. Congressman Bobby Scott hosted the discussion which focused on the city’s Summer Training and Enrichment Program, STEP. He said investing in young people makes a difference, and the federal government must do its part. Scott was in Newport News to discuss how the community can support young people through a summer jobs program like STEP.
July 24, 2018
In The News
“The Aim Higher Act is a serious and comprehensive proposal to give every student the opportunity to earn a debt-free degree or credential,” said Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (Va.), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. “It provides immediate and long-term relief to students and parents struggling with the cost of college, it puts a greater focus on helping students graduate on time with a quality degree that leads to a rewarding career, and it cracks down on predatory for-profit colleges that peddle expensive, low-quality degrees at the expense of students and taxpayers.”
February 13, 2018
In The News
PORTSMOUTH, VA - Rep. Bobby Scott had little good to say Monday night about the tax overhaul bill recently approved by Congress. Speaking to about 200 people in a forum in I.C. Norcom High School’s auditorium, the Newport News Democrat spelled out the details of the changes in tax rates and deductions, noting that most of tax reductions go to the wealthiest Americans.
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October 19, 2017
In The News
NORFOLK, VA. (WVEC)-- Members of the Hampton Roads Congressional delegation are offering mixed views on how budget matters may play out in Washington in the weeks ahead. The government is currently operating under what's called a "Continuing Resolution." It expires on December 8, a little over 7 weeks away.
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-3rd District) was blunt.
"The problem is, we're not having a serious discussion," he said. "We start off with a trillion dollar tax cut and suggest it doesn't have to be paid for. Of course it has to be paid for. You either have to raise somebody else's taxes or reduce spending."
August 18, 2017
In The News
NORFOLK, Va. — At a recent town hall here in Virginia’s second most populous city, Rep. Robert C. Scott patiently took questions from more than two dozen residents waiting in line. The queue stretched to the very back of a high school auditorium with some standing for the entire portion of the two-hour public meeting. Absent was the rancor that has dominated town halls across the country this year — mostly those held by congressional Republicans facing angry crowds, upset over changes the GOP wants to make to the 2010 health care law and expressing steadfast opposition to Donald Trump’s presidency.
August 6, 2017
In The News
WHEN TERRY McAULIFFE became the governor of Virginia, he inherited leadership of a state that had fallen behind in responding to the effects of global climate change and realizing the economy opportunities presented by the new energy economy.
From the beginning of his term, McAuliffe and his team committed themselves to making the commonwealth more resilient and promoting clean-energy technologies that cut carbon emissions and create new jobs.
In fact, McAuliffe and our congressional delegation secured a $120.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund innovative resilience projects in Norfolk. Earlier this year, U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and I introduced the Building Up Infrastructure and Limiting Disasters through Resilience (BUILD Resilience) Act, which is modeled after the National Disaster Resilience Competition that provided the HUD grant.
April 16, 2017
In The News
This weekend, our nation marks the 10th anniversary of the horrific mass shooting that occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. That tragedy claimed the lives of 32 people and left 17 others wounded. The effects still resonate, in our commonwealth and the nation. As we take time to remember, mourn and celebrate the lives of the students and faculty members who died, members of Congress must come together to address the epidemic of gun violence so as to make sure tragedies such as the one at Virginia Tech and so many others never happen again.
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