Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7688, the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act: “America’s working families were already getting squeezed at the gas pump by the lingering global effects of the pandemic, and prices have continued to rise significantly as a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. While there was a momentary dip in the price of oil several weeks ago, the price at the pump never decreased. At the same time, we have seen Big Oil companies take advantage of these dual crises as they have posted record profits and initiated unnecessary stock buyback programs. To make matters worse, oil companies are keeping production low.

WASHINGTON, DC – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on passing H.R. 7791, the Access to Baby Formula Act. “Madam Speaker, across the country, the ongoing shortage of formula is disproportionately hurting women and children who rely on the benefits through the WIC program, leaving them with few options to purchase safe formula for their infants. That is because about half of the infants in America participate in the WIC program. In times of crisis, one of our core responsibilities as lawmakers is to ensure that families in need can continue to feed their children and keep them healthy. While I'm encouraged that the Biden administration and Abbott Nutrition have reached an agreement to restart formula production following the company's recall, the immediate consequences facing our children require additional action.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) introduced comprehensive legislation, the Mental Health Matters Act (H.R. 7780), to help confront the mental health crisis for children, students, workers, and families. The proposal includes a series of mental health policy priorities that would help support the behavioral health of students and school staff, strengthen school-based behavioral health care, and ensure access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits for workers and their families.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice released technical assistance documents to help employers prevent disability discrimination when using artificial intelligence and other software tools in the hiring process. “I am grateful that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have taken this important step to ensure that new hiring technologies do not discriminate against job applicants

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on passing H.R. 2499 Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022. “Across the country, roughly 15,000 firefighters employed by the federal government currently work to fight wildfires, respond to hurricanes, protect military and Veterans Affairs facilities, and keep our communities safe. Like all firefighters, federal firefighters face enormous health risks in order to carry out their heroic work.  On any given day, federal firefighters will be exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, diesel smoke, toxic chemicals, and other serious hazards.

WASHINGTON, DC – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) submitted the following statement for the record in support of House staff’s right to organize and form a union. “I rise in support of ensuring that House staffers have the same fundamental rights to organize and collectively bargain as workers across the nation. Unions play an essential role in providing higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. For decades, unions workers have consistently enjoyed 10- to 20-percent higher wages than their non-union counterparts. The benefits of union membership are so strong that studies show even the children of union workers enjoy greater economic mobility.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act; comprehensive legislation to put hard-earned wages back in workers’ pockets and crack down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees. This bill would give workers the right to receive full compensation for the work they perform, as well as the right to receive regular paystubs and final paychecks in a timely manner.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA  – Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the establishment of the Chesapeake Bay States’ Partnership Initiative and an investment of an additional $22.5 million in conservation assistance to support voluntary conservation efforts. Earlier this year, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Taskforce, led a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and President Biden urging the creation of such an initiative and underscoring the need for increased investment.