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March 3, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the For The People Act, a sweeping anti-corruption legislative package to clean up Washington, protect and expand voting rights, and increase the security of our elections: “Every American should have an equal voice in our democracy regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how much money they have. Virginia has already implemented many of the reforms in this package and they were all very successful in ensuring Virginians could securely exercise their right to vote in the 2020 election.
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Scott: House Passage of Justice In Policing Act Marks A Necessary Step To Reform Policing in America
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1208, the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act: "Last summer, Americans across the country protested the murder of George Floyd by law enforcement. They marched to demand an end to police misconduct and more accountability in our criminal justice system. Today, the House responded by passing the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act.
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March 3, 2021
Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – On Friday, March 5th, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, will host a virtual roundtable with superintendents from across Hampton Roads to discuss the funding for K-12 schools included in the House-passed version of the American Rescue Plan. The roundtable will focus on how President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act will help schools safely bring students and school staff back into the classroom and make up for lost learning time. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan, which will help schools re-open safely, ramp up vaccination efforts, and provide additional direct cash payments to working families.
March 2, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Labor Office of Investigator General released a report on OSHA enforcement and investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic. “For over a year now, I have called on the Department of Labor to issue an enforceable, emergency temporary standard to protect workers from contracting COVID-19. Yet, despite overwhelming pressure from Congress, workers, and public health experts, the previous administration refused to take any meaningful action to protect workers.
February 27, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan, which provides urgent COVID-19 relief for students, workers, and families.“Today, the House of Representatives took a monumental step towards defeating the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a strong and shared recovery for our communities. The American Rescue Plan provides schools with the resources they need to re-open safely, protect students and staff, and make up for lost time in the classroom.
February 25, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Senate Parliamentarian ruling on the minimum wage. “The Committee on Education and Labor included a minimum wage increase in its portion of the American Rescue Plan Act because it advances the key goals of this relief package. Raising the minimum wage would provide a direct and targeted stimulus of $333 billion to millions of workers and families that have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it would boost local businesses by driving up consumer spending in struggling communities.
February 25, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) reintroduced legislation to address the increasing use of religious freedom laws to undermine civil rights protections. The Do No Harm Act restores the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to its original purpose, which is to protect religious exercise while ensuring religious freedom is not used to erode civil rights protections. The bill comes amid a sharp rise in the misapplication of RFRA to justify discrimination in a wide range of scenarios.
February 25, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in employment, education, credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and accommodations. “Freedom from discrimination is a core American value. Unfortunately, far too many states do not have laws explicitly barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
February 23, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, released a statement on the importance of statewide assessments. Statewide data is valuable because it offers valid, reliable, and comparable measures of student achievement so parents know if their children are learning. “Despite the tireless efforts of students, parents, and educators, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on students’ education.
February 22, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement to celebrate the start of Public Schools Week. “As we begin Public Schools Week, I want to share my profound appreciation for the commitment and resolve that our students, parents, educators, and school staff have demonstrated over the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for our education system and provided a constant reminder of the critical role public schools have in our communities. That is why we are working so hard in Congress to provide states and schools districts the resources they need to reopen schools, keep schools open, and make up for lost time in the classroom.
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In The News
January 28, 2021
In The News
On January 6th, then-President Donald Trump incited a deadly insurrection against Congress while we fulfilled our constitutional duty to count the electoral votes of the states. Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the chair of the House Republican Conference, strongly condemned the president, appropriately stating that “[T]here has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.” In the days since this domestic terror attack on our democracy, troubling public reports of the timeline now reveal that several members of Congress, and perhaps even the vice president, were within moments of being captured and possibly murdered by the mob.
January 14, 2021
In The News
When the impeachment of Bill Clinton landed on his desk 22 years ago as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, called a political scientist at U.Va. with a question: what were the grounds, really, for impeachment? “He said, ‘You’re asking the wrong question,’” Scott recalled, pausing for a few moments before headed to the House of Representatives’ chamber to vote to impeach Donald J. Trump for the second time. “He said, ‘the question is, why is impeachment in the Constitution?,’ and the reason is it’s there is for when you can’t wait till the next election or the end of a term to remove someone,” Scott said.
January 7, 2021
In The News
WASHINGTON — Two more members of Congress from Hampton Roads are calling for the removal of President Donald Trump after Wednesday's insurrection in the Capitol by his supporters. 3rd District Representative Bobby Scott and 2nd District Representative Elaine Luria both say Trump needs to leave office immediately. "While there are only 13 days until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office, it is clear there are significant risks to our nation if President Trump remains in office," Scott said in a statement Thursday.
January 4, 2021
In The News
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Congressman Bobby Scott is calling for a criminal investigation into President Donald Trump after reports that Trump tried to ask election officials in Georgia to “find” votes for a victory. President Trump is heard on tape pleading with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, according to a copy obtained by the Associated Press. Trump tells Raffensperger at one point that he wants him to “find” 11,780 votes for Trump. Scott made the call for an investigation on Twitter and claims that "this behavior is a dangerous threat to democracy and warrants a criminal investigation."
December 16, 2020
In The News
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than two dozen members of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday called on federal prison and health officials for details about how inmates will be vaccinated for COVID-19, questioning whether the most vulnerable prisoners will have priority access. In a letter to Federal Bureau of Prisons director Michael Carvajal and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Dr. Robert Redfield, 26 lawmakers, led by Democratic Representative Bobby Scott, expressed concerns about the prison system’s existing plan for vaccine distribution.
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September 7, 2020
In The News
This Labor Day will be marked by messages of gratitude and reverence for America’s workers. Indeed, our essential workers have performed heroically throughout the pandemic.
But America’s workers need more than a pat on the back today — they need the federal government to do its job by providing real support to workers and their families.
Our nation is facing the worst worker safety crisis in recent history. Meat processing plants, prisons, warehouses, grocery stores, long-term care facilities and many other workplaces have experienced deadly infection outbreaks. More than 150,000 health care workers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and at least 671 have died from the virus.
September 2, 2020
In The News
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Many schools have started the new year — some in person, but most online. Some colleges are even reworking plans after COVID-19 cases spiked on campus. On Wednesday, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) spoke with parents, teachers and health experts about how to return to school safely. The virtual roundtable discussion featured parents, students, school administrators, health experts and more. Scott kicked the discussion off by saying federal funding is key for school districts to safely reopen, something that would be provided in the Heroes Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives, but is waiting for Senate approval.
August 18, 2020
In The News
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Tuesday morning, Congressman Bobby Scott met with Post Master Sharon Parker at the Newport News Post Office. The move comes after the United States Postal Service warned states mail-in votes are in jeopardy of disqualification due to lags in service. “It’s not a local problem. It’s a national problem. We need to make sure the national problems don’t filter down to the local. There have been some areas in the 3rd District where mail has been delayed. We understand that it may be temporarily COVID related and they’re working to fix that,” said Congressman Scott.
July 22, 2020
In The News
NORFOLK, Va. — Via video call, Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) sat down with school principals from across the district he represents to discuss how school instruction will safely proceed in the fall during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congressman Scott represents Newport News and Portsmouth as well as parts of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton and Suffolk.
July 17, 2020
In The News
NORFOLK, Va. - The average school division needs an extra $1.8 million dollars to safely reopen this fall, according to the School Superintendents Association. Local Congressman Bobby Scott is calling on Congress to help cover that expense. "Without federal funding school districts cannot afford the personal protective equipment, soap, the hand sanitizer, the cleaning sanitation services, and many other critical measures recommended by the CDC," Scott said during a virtual round table with teachers on Friday morning.