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October 4, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 136,000 jobs in September and the unemployment fell to 3.5 percent.
“Today’s jobs report raises serious concerns about the consequences of a prolonged trade war for American workers. Even before the president provoked a needless trade war with China, working-class and middle-class workers were struggling to cover the rising costs of housing, child care, and college. Estimates now indicate that President Trump’s trade war has already cost 300,000 American jobs—and job losses are projected to reach 450,000 by the end of the year if it is not resolved.
October 3, 2019
Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – On Monday, October 7th, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) will host a forum with the Hispanic and Latinx community to mark Hispanic Heritage Month. Each year from September 15th to October 15th Americans come together to highlight the pride, patriotism, accomplishments, and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans.
October 1, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a district judge in Boston upheld Harvard's admissions process in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard Corporation.
“The District Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard Corporation affirms the constitutionality of admissions policies that recognize that there is a compelling interest in advancing a diverse student body. There is extensive research that diverse campuses expand access to a quality, well-rounded education.
“The statistical analysis highlighted in this case reveals an important fact about current admissions policies. Race and ethnicity are among the many criteria that institutions of higher education evaluate in their quest to ensure a diverse learning environment. It is curious that this lawsuit seeks to cast aside these criteria without giving similar scrutiny to the role of legacy admissions and familial connections.
September 27, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today that it is vacating the June 27, 2017, proposed rule to roll back protections for construction and maritime workers from exposure to beryllium. That proposal would have eliminated ancillary protections that had been included in OSHA’s final beryllium standards issued on January 9, 2017. The compliance date for the ancillary provision will now be extended from March 2018 to September 2020. “I am relieved that OSHA has finally reversed course on its plan to eliminate essential health and safety protections for maritime and construction workers exposed to beryllium.
Issues:
September 27, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed S.J. Res. 54 to overturn the national emergency declaration President Donald Trump is using to divert military construction funds to build his wall at the southern border: “Earlier this year, President Trump tried to circumvent Congress and raid funds from critical military construction projects to build his unpopular and ineffective wall at the southern border.
Issues:
September 24, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement: “Since the start of the 116th Congress, I have been honored to serve as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. Committee Democrats have been working to expand access to the building blocks of a strong middle class – a quality education, a rewarding job, and affordable health care. The House has passed the Raise the Wage Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Butch Lewis Act. The Committee has also approved the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, the Dignity in Aging Act and other critical legislation awaiting a vote by the full House. We are currently working on updating the Higher Education Act to make college more affordable and legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs. That is the work that many of us came to Congress to do.
Issues:
September 24, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor published a final rule to raise the overtime salary threshold to $35,568 from $23,660. Under the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA), hourly workers and salaried workers who earn below a salary threshold set by the Department of Labor are automatically eligible for overtime pay of one-and-a-half times their regular rate of pay for any hours worked over 40 in a workweek. “American workers have not seen a meaningful update to the overtime rule for nearly four decades. As a result, millions of salaried workers are putting in 50- and 60-hour weeks while still being paid for just 40 hours of work.
Issues:
September 19, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Representative Susie Lee (NV-03), along with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), introduced legislation to invest in and support direct care workers. The Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act (H.R. 4397) invests in training and employment advancement opportunities for America’s direct care workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than a million direct care workers will be needed by 2024.
September 17, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House voted to pass the FUTURE Act, a bipartisan proposal to preserve funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The legislation extends funding for these institutions that was set to expire on September 30, 2019. “The funding that supports Minority-Serving Institutions is the only program authorized in the Higher Education Act that expires if it is not reauthorized this year."
September 6, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 130,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate held at 3.7 percent. “Despite a consistently low unemployment rate, today’s jobs report adds to extensive evidence showing that millions of Americans are suffering from inadequate wage growth in an economy that is simply not working for everyone. Moreover, President Trump’s needless trade war with China has actually hurt the American manufacturing sector and done nothing to raise workers’ wages.
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In The News
March 11, 2016
In The News
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – School nutrition was the topic of discussion at a Norfolk elementary school Friday morning.
Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) talked to students at Richard Bowling Elementary School on East Princess Anne Road.
Representative Scott is a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which is tasked with making sure all children have an equal shot at success.
February 9, 2016
In The News
After months of hype about the historic bipartisan consensus that we must make the American criminal justice system less harsh, President Obama finally signed a justice reform bill into law Monday. There’s only one problem: Instead of making the justice system more fair and less punitive, the new law will make it more vindictive and petty. Specifically, it will require people who have been convicted of sex crimes against minors to carry special passports in which their status as registered sex offenders will be marked with conspicuous identifying marks.
The point of International Megan’s Law,in the words of its House sponsor Chris Smith of New Jersey, is to prevent “sex tourism” by making it harder for people to “hop on planes and go to places for a week or two and abuse little children.” In addition to the passport stamp, this goal is supposed to be achieved through the formation of a new federal unit inside of Immigration and Customs Enforcement called the “Angel Watch Center,” which will inform foreign governments when American sex offenders have made plans to visit their countries.
Issues:
September 20, 2015
In The News
Bipartisanship is elusive in Washington, especially with an upcoming presidential election. But the widespread consensus behind efforts to fix our nation's broken and costly criminal justice system proves that common ground does exist.
Republicans and Democrats can agree that the driving force behind fixing our criminal justice system should be an approach that delivers the most public safety at the lowest taxpayer cost.
Along with many of our colleagues, we have been working to pass the Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Effective Justice Act. The SAFE Justice Act would implement targeted reforms to the federal sentencing and corrections system, drawing on research and empirical evidence about what truly works to change criminal behavior, protect public safety and control costs.
September 6, 2015
In The News
For far too long, politicians across the nation have chosen to play politics with crime policy by enacting so-called “tough on crime” slogans such as “three strikes and you’re out” or rhymes like “you do the adult crime, you do the adult time.” As appealing as these soundbites may be, they have done nothing to reduce crime — but they have overloaded our prisons.
Research by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that between 1980 and 2013 our federal prison population skyrocketed from 24,000 to 215,000. The United States now has around 5 percent of the world’s population, yet 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. It has gotten to the point that some recent studies have concluded that our level of over-incarceration is actually counterproductive, meaning that it destroys so many families, creates so many people with felony records and wastes so much taxpayer money that it generates more crime than it stops.
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March 22, 2015
In The News
HAMPTON — Monday marks five years since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, was signed into law.
The legislation has provided low-cost medical coverage to thousands of Virginians, and millions of Americans. It's meant to lower the cost of health care, while increasing the number of people covered by insurance. Gaylene Kanoyton, president of the Hampton-based Celebrate Healthcare advocacy group, held a party Sunday at Peninsula Soul Food Restaurant, which opened Friday at the former Captain George's Seafood location on Mercury Boulevard, to acknowledge the anniversary and one of the act's "champions" Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News.
February 19, 2015
In The News
Reps. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) have introduced legislation that would allow courts to sentence drug crime offenders on a case-by-case basis. Scott, the top Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, argued the current policy of mandatory minimum prison sentences for nonviolent drug crimes is ineffective.
"Studies of mandatory minimums conclude that they fail to reduce crime, they waste the taxpayers' money, they discriminate against minorities, and they often require the imposition of sentences that violate common sense," Scott said.
February 11, 2015
In The News
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is working, and now is the time to make the law work even better for you — by signing up for insurance in the Marketplace while you have the chance.
If you or members of your family do not currently have access to health insurance through an employer, TRICARE, Medicare, CHIP or Medicaid, then you have until Feb. 15 to sign up for quality, affordable health care insurance via HealthCare.gov.
Already, millions of Americans — including more than 300,000 Virginians — have signed up for health insurance plans through the Marketplace. But we know that even more people could use the Marketplace to get covered.
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February 6, 2015
In The News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that employers added 257,000 jobs last month. January’s employment figures means the economy has now had a record 59 consecutive months of private sector job growth, resulting in the addition of 11.8 million new jobs.
“Today’s jobs report is a sign that our economy is maintaining momentum and continuing to grow. Job creation over the last 12 months is stronger than it has been since 2000, and January capped off the best three-month span for job growth in 17 years.
February 3, 2015
In The News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ranking Members of the House Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce decried today’s attempt by House Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – the 56th such attempt since the law’s enactment – and the Republicans’ sustained attack to undermine access to quality, affordable health care for millions of hard-working Americans. Ranking Members Sander Levin (D-MI), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) released the following joint statement after today’s vote:
"Once again, Republicans have tried to rob millions of Americans of their access to dependable, quality health care. Today's vote marks the 56th time House Republicans have attempted to undermine the Affordable Care Act. The GOP continues to disregard the plain, simple fact that the ACA is working. In 2014, the uninsured rate dropped to just 12.9 percent, and 19 million Americans have obtained ACA-sponsored coverage. Five years later, it is irresponsible for Republicans to pretend that the law and its landmark reforms can simply be taken away from American families.
February 2, 2015
In The News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), the ranking Democratic member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to President Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2016:
“President Obama’s budget proposal lays out a fiscally responsible blueprint to strengthen the middle class by investing in workers, students, children, and families. The President’s budget would reverse the arbitrary, destructive spending cuts of the last four years and make critical investments in our nation’s future.