Scott, Robert C. "Bobby"

Robert C. "Bobby" Scott is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, the top Democratic position on a committee that shapes federal education, job training, and labor standards. As ranking member, Scott leads the minority party's legislative strategy and oversight on the committee, which has jurisdiction over programs ranging from early childhood education through retirement security. From 2019 to 2023, he served as the committee's chairman when Democrats held the House majority.

Scott brings deep expertise to this role rooted in his legal background and decades of public service. He earned his law degree from Boston College and practiced law in Newport News, Virginia, from 1973 to 1991, including founding the Peninsula Legal Aid Center to serve low-income clients. Before entering Congress in 1993, he served 15 years in the Virginia General Assembly, where he championed legislation on education, employment, healthcare, and crime prevention. He made history as the first African American elected to Congress from Virginia since Reconstruction.

As chairman during the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott played a central role in Congress's response. He helped draft education provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act, which delivered the largest federal investment in K-12 schools in U.S. history and provided billions to historically Black colleges and universities. Through pandemic relief packages, his efforts saved the pensions of over one million workers and retirees, reduced uninsured Americans to record lows, and significantly reduced child hunger. As ranking member, he continues advancing legislation to raise the federal minimum wage, protect workers' organizing rights through the PRO Act, and reduce student debt burdens.

Scott has also established himself as a leading voice on criminal justice reform, authoring the Death in Custody Reporting Act and the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced sentencing disparities for drug offenses. He has championed bipartisan education bills including the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced No Child Left Behind. Throughout his career, he has maintained a progressive legislative record focused on worker protections, educational equity, and criminal justice reform.