Press Releases
July 15, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Virginia became the first state in the country to approve an Emergency Temporary OSHA standard protecting the workers against exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. “I’m very pleased that the Commonwealth of Virginia has approved an Emergency OSHA standard to protect workers against COVID-19, and I applaud the Governor for his leadership on this issue.
July 14, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, in response to the Trump Administration’s June executive proclamation suspending all work visas during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and member of the House Intelligence and Education and Labor Committees, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-3), Chair of the Education and Labor Committee, Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA-37), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), Congressman Raúl Grijalva (AZ-3), Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-9), and Congressman Linda Sánchez (CA-38), urged the Department of Labor to prioritize the real labor problems of all workers and put a stop to the Trump Administration’s work visa ban, rather than push an anti-immigrant, racist narrative.
July 9, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) invited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield, MD, or his designee, to testify before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday, July 23. Chairman Scott specifically asks Director Redfield to discuss the immediate needs of K-12 public schools as many districts examine the possibility of reopening in the fall.
July 9, 2020
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – ON Monday, July 13th, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) hosted a telephone town hall to provide an update on his work in Congress, including efforts to address the continued spread and economic impact of COVID-19, as well as the House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to reform police practices. Congressman Scott will be joined by Dr. Jordan Asher, the Chief Physician Executive at Sentara Healthcare, and Chief Larry Boone, the Chief of Police for the City of Norfolk, Virginia.
Issues:COVID-19Civil Rights
July 9, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. Pennsylvania that, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, employers can claim a religious or moral objection to deny workers health insurance coverage for contraceptive care. “The passage of the Affordable Care Act a decade ago was a major milestone in our effort to ensure all Americans have access to safe and affordable contraceptive care.
July 8, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel that religious employers can exempt some of their employees from civil rights laws on the basis of religious freedom. This is particularly relevant given the Court’s recent decision in Espinoza, which would allow taxpayer money to flow to private, religious schools.
July 8, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump urged schools to reopen and threatened to withhold federal funding for those that do not resume normal operations in the fall.
“Given the exacerbated educational inequities and abrupt shift to remote learning caused by the pandemic, it is understandable why students, educators, and communities are both hoping schools will resume normal operations this fall and have some hesitation.
July 7, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Bicameral Democratic Health Committee leaders wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin today expressing serious concerns with guidance recently issued by the Trump administration allowing insurance plans and group health plans to deny coverage claims for COVID-19 tests and other related services in violation of Congress’ clear legislative intent that these tests be provided without consumer cost-sharing and without limitation.
July 2, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 4.8 million jobs in June with the unemployment rate at 11.1 percent. “While the overall jobs numbers in today’s report are promising, unemployment remains above the rates during the Great Recession as workers and families face the devastating impacts of the pandemic.
July 1, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which includes the Reopen and Rebuild America’s School Act. "We all want to reopen our schools as soon as possible. But we cannot take this step when the Centers for Disease Control guidance requires functioning ventilation systems to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Reopen and Rebuild America’s School Act provisions in the infrastructure package offer the solutions our schools need.