Crime

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026: “Americans have witnessed deeply troubling abuses of authority by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents have arrested and detained American citizens and legal permanent residents, pulling people from their cars, homes and workplaces without warrants or probable cause. “The appropriate congressional response should be to hold oversight hearings to force administration officials to explain their actions in public until they are held accountable for their behavior. Regrettably, neither the Committees on Homeland Security, Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform, nor the Judiciary has held a single hearing on these abuses or the killing of Renee Good, an American citizen, by an ICE agent.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 6938, the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, and Interior Minibus Appropriations Act: “This bipartisan Minibus Appropriations Act repudiates many of the draconian cuts requested by President Trump in his FY26 budget request. While it does not increase federal investments to keep pace with inflation, this package will provide a modest overall funding increase for FY26. Democrats were successful in securing language reasserting Congress’s power of the purse. The bill also includes funding to help bring down costs for the American people and eliminates all of the partisan poison pill policy provisions included in the earlier House-passed versions of these bills.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement: “I applaud President Biden for the actions announced today to reform how the federal government treats marijuana. President Biden said repeatedly on the campaign trail that nobody should be in jail solely for using or possessing marijuana. I was honored to co-chair the Democratic Party’s 2020 Platform Criminal Justice Unity Task Force, and this announcement is consistent with the recommendations we made to then-candidate Biden.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a Vice Chair of the House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022: “Assault weapons are manufactured for the sole purpose of killing many people quickly. They have been used in mass shootings all over the country. There is no constructive use for these weapons and they should be banned.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, entered the following statement into the Congressional record for the debate on S. 2938, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: “Madam Speaker, I rise today to share my concerns regarding the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. While I support the underlying bill and appreciate that several Republican Senators finally came to the table to work with Democrats to address our nation’s gun violence epidemic, I remain troubled by the legislation’s possible expansion of the federal death penalty and the creation of broad new criminal offenses that may disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities.

WASHINGTON  – Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), Steve Chabot (OH-01), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX- 18), and Tom Emmer (MN-06) introduced the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act. The legislation would reauthorize for five years the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), a critically important grant program which allows states and localities to develop programming that connects those with mental illness and substance abuse issues with evidence-based and comprehensive treatment within the criminal justice system. Among the reforms in the bill are the centering of suicide prevention as a key goal of the program, increasing access to case management services, bolstering the roles of co-responder and crisis intervention teams, training law enforcement, and continuing strong support of mental health courts.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Today, President Biden signed an historic executive order (EO) to advance effective, accountable policing and criminal justice practices that will improve public trust and strengthen public safety as the nation marks the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. “Americans from all walks of life took to the streets after the senseless murder of George Floyd to protest police brutality and demand accountability, transparency, and reform to our justice system,” said Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03). “That is why I was very grateful to see President Biden mark this solemn anniversary of Mr. Floyd’s murder with action. The President’s executive order seeks to improve public trust between communities and law enforcement with enhanced transparency and accountability measures. An important part of achieving this goal is comprehensive data collection of use of force and deaths in custody.