Crime

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020: “Americans have been protesting ever since the nation witnessed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement. Today, the House of Representatives took action to address problems in our broken policing and criminal justice systems by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr demanding the Justice Department to enforce the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (DCRA). The DCRA requires states receiving federal criminal justice grants to report the death of any individual detained, arrested, in transit to incarceration, or incarcerated in state or local facilities. Congressman Scott sponsored the Death in Custody Reporting Act in 2000 and it became law with bipartisan support. In 2014 the law was reauthorized by Congress.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Black Caucus, along with House and Senate Democrats, introduced the Justice in Policing Act of 2020: “Americans from all walks of life have taken to the streets to protest police brutality after the senseless murder of George Floyd. The bill introduced today is a good first step in outlawing choke holds and no-knock warrants, as well as establishing federal standards for law enforcement and making it easier to hold police officers accountable for misconduct.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the arrest of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd: “Today former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was charged with the murder of George Floyd after days of protests and demonstrations in Minnesota and across our nation. I share in the pain and grief for Mr. Floyd’s family and that of the millions of Americans who witnessed another video of a senseless and avoidable death of an unarmed black man at the hands of law enforcement. For several minutes, as a police officer kneeled on his neck, Mr. Floyd cried out that he could not breathe – a cry that has become all too familiar.

WASHINGTON, DC – Within the first two weeks of re-entry, individuals released from correctional facilities are 129 times more likely to die from an opioid overdose than the general population. To help ensure that individuals can access the care they need, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) reintroduced the Supporting Positive Outcomes After Release Act. This legislation would prohibit states from terminating an inmate’s Medicaid coverage while they are incarcerated, a practice that often prevents individuals from accessing treatment in the critical days and weeks after release. Instead, states would be required to suspend Medicaid coverage, ensuring access to health care services more quickly upon release. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia routinely terminate coverage for a Medicaid patient upon incarceration or detention. The result of termination is that upon discharge, individuals need to reapply for Medicaid in order to access health care services – a process that may take up to 45 to 90 days.