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Press Releases

December 6, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Congressman Gregorio Sablan (MP-AL), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), and Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) introduced H.R. 4548, the Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act of 2017, or the WAGE Act. “For too long, employers have used illegal tactics to fight back against union organizing drives – tactics like threatening workers and firing them for union activity,” said Congressman Scott (VA-03).

December 6, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01), and Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Eric Hargan, Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, and Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to share their comments on the Interim Final Rules (IFRs) that allow employers and institutions of higher education to use their religious or moral beliefs to deny coverage of preventive services for women.

December 5, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) announced he would be retiring from Congress: “As Dean of the House and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, John Conyers has served in Congress for more than fifty years and shaped some of the most consequential legislation of the last half century. However, the tremendous impact of someone’s legacy does not excuse credible allegations of harassment or discrimination.

November 30, 2017
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Patty Murray (D-WA), along with U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Mark Takano (D-CA), today introduced legislation to make at least four million 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 $48,412 per year, making at least four million workers newly eligible for overtime pay.

November 30, 2017
WASHINGTON D.C. – TODAY, Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce was joined by Reps. G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) and Barbara Lee (CA-09) to release a Government Accountability Office report entitled, “Diversity in the Technology Sector: Federal Agencies Could Improve Oversight of Equal Employment Opportunity Requirements.” The report found that the environment and access to these opportunities have not improved in more than a decade, for women, Black and Hispanic workers, and that there remains a persistent lack of racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the technology workforce.

November 29, 2017
WASHINGTON D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in recognition of the 42nd anniversary of the landmark PL 94-142, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). “Following the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, parents of students with disabilities pointed out that separate settings for students with disabilities were, and continue to be, unequal and discriminatory. Twenty-one years later, in 1975, Congress recognized the rights of students with disabilities to be educated in public schools in the least restrictive environment.

November 21, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, November 15, 2017, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) received the 2017 Hope House Award. This award is given to those who have made a significant difference in the lives of those who are incarcerated. “I am honored to accept this year’s Hope House Award,” said Congressman Scott. “I commend Hope House for the essential work they do to keep parents in contact with their children in meaningful ways. The work done by Hope House is sadly necessary here in the United States, where we have the highest incarceration rate in the world. I am working in Congress to fix our criminal justice system and address the problems of mass incarceration and the toll it takes on families and children in particular.

November 17, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a private meeting was held at the Department of Education discussing the “harmful effects” of school discipline guidance from teachers who experienced violence in the classroom. Enacted under the Obama administration, the guidance encourages schools, districts, and states to reassess their policies for and use of suspensions and expulsions that are disproportionately used on students of color and students with disabilities. “Decades of research consistently shows that exclusionary school discipline is at best ineffective, and at worst, counter-productive.

November 16, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the co-chair of the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Task Force, introduced the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act of 2017. This legislation increases mandatory funding for the Bay, strengthens the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCCP), and provides more opportunities for effective conservation efforts. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced the Senate companion measure with bipartisan support. The legislation is supported by Bay State Governors, including Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, and more than 70 conservation groups.

November 16, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Republicans’ tax plan: “The so-called ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’ that passed the House today, with only Republican votes, is deeply irresponsible. By passing this bill, the Majority has voted to add $1.5 trillion in new deficits.
Issues:Taxes