Floor Statements

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York and the gentlewoman from Ohio for organizing tonight's Special Order to focus on the toll that gun violence has taken on communities across America and, especially, the disproportionate impact it has had within communities of color. Tonight's conversation comes at an important time. On average, every day more than 30 people are killed by firearms, many in mass murders.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Watson Coleman for her leadership on all of these issues, particularly education. There is a growing bipartisan understanding that in order for our Nation's children, especially those in low-income communities, to fulfill their potential and succeed in college and career, that we must expand access to affordable, high-quality, early learning opportunities.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, the House is yet to take another vote in 60 seconds to demonstrate its relentless fixation on systematically destroying the Affordable Care Act. More specifically, we must vote on a budget reconciliation package that, if enacted, will take away healthcare access for millions of Americans. This isn't a new exercise. In addition to the 61 unproductive votes, futile lawsuits have been brought in courts, and meritless attacks have been mounted with the goal of destroying the progress we have made. And we have made progress improving a system that didn't work for American families before the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the members of the 31st Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia on their 100th anniversary. During the turn of the last century, African Americans continued to face significant oppression and discrimination. In 1895, despite the adversity facing the Black community, African American Baptist Churches came together to form the National Baptist Convention of the United States to strengthen and unify Baptist Churches. Today, it is the largest predominately Black Christian denomination in the United States.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, as I've stated before, this conference report is not the bill I would have written on my own. It is a product of compromise, but a product that did not require either side to compromise on our core beliefs. A core belief of mine--and a core belief of my caucus--is that Congress deems authority to the executive branch to interpret, implement, and enforce federal law. That is the foundational tenet of administrative law.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to endorse the conference report on S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act. We have certainly come a long way since we were on the floor debating H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, earlier this year. I had sincere objections to much that was found in H.R. 5, but thanks to the commitment to work together to try to fashion a decent bill with Chairman Kline and our counterparts in the Senate, Senator Alexander and Senator Murray, along with the many long nights from our respective staffs, we found a way to produce a conference report that balances the desire for more localized decisionmaking with the need for Federal oversight to ensure equity for underserved students.