Press Releases

Today, senior Administration officials met with Members of Congress and their constituents in the Roosevelt Room to engage on criminal justice priorities and discuss policies, Administrative initiatives, and legislative efforts to reform the criminal justice system. The Members and their constituents shared some of the best practices that are working well back home in their districts and states, and discussed ways that the Administration can best partner with Members, local law enforcement, and community leaders to use evidence-based practices to reduce recidivism, improve access to economic opportunities, deter crime, and address our most pressing public safety challenges. The group also emphasized the need to advance common-sense sentencing reform legislation that will address disparities in the justice system and strengthen protections for vulnerable populations. Administration officials reaffirmed the President’s commitment to building fairer and more equitable juvenile and criminal justice systems.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and U.S. Reps. Rob Wittman (R-1st), Scott Rigell (R-2nd) and Bobby Scott (D-3rd) today met with U.S. Air Force Assistant Secretary Kathleen Ferguson, Deputy Chief Management Officer Mr. Bill Booth and Major General Theresa Carter for a briefing on proposed personnel reductions at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. Today’s meeting followed a July 15th letter sent to by the Virginia delegation to the Secretary of the Air Force requesting a thorough briefing of the proposed personnel reductions, and the status of efforts to locate a new Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced a Senate version of H.R. 3361, the USA FREEDOM Act, which ends domestic bulk collection and reforms the government’s surveillance of United States citizens. On May 22, 2014, the House of Representatives passed the USA FREEDOM Act by a vote of 302-121. Senator Leahy’s version of the bill includes a new definition of “specific selection term” that addresses many of the concerns aimed at the House-passed compromise legislation. “Senator Leahy’s introduction of the USA FREEDOM Act reinforces our commitment to protecting the civil liberties and rights of all Americans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement on today's decision by a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upholding the district court's decision in Bostic v. Rainey, which ruled Virginia's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional: "I applaud the Fourth Circuit for upholding the lower court's decision in Bostic v. Rainey. This decision is based on sound legal reasoning consistent with a growing list of decisions by courts all over the country, beginning with the Supreme Court's 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations on the House Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's Anti-Poverty Plan released today: "I strongly commend Chairman Ryan for endorsing sentencing reform in his Anti-Poverty Plan. Studies of mandatory minimum sentencing have concluded time-and-time again that they fail to reduce crime, they waste the taxpayers’ money, they often require the imposition of sentences that violate common sense, and they unnecessarily destroy families and communities. I am pleased that Chairman Ryan has specifically endorsed the Smarter Sentencing Act, which I have introduced with Republican Congressman Raul Labrador of Idaho. Our bill reduces the harm of mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses by granting discretion to federal judges to sentence below the mandatory minimum.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a joint letter, U.S. Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and U.S. Congressmen Bobby Scott, Randy Forbes, Scott Rigell and Rob Wittman urged Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James to consider Virginia’s Joint Base Langley-Eustis as a location for the future Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC). Locating the new facility there would help minimize the impact of 742 positions being eliminated at Langley-Eustis as part of the Air Force’s consolidation plans announced this week. “Virginia is more connected to the military than any other state,” the members wrote. “We believe the existing infrastructure, military-friendly environment, and close proximity to major commands and other Service installations, make it an ideal location for this headquarters.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan group of House members today introduced legislation that would strengthen support for youth who are victims of sex trafficking. The proposed bills would improve identification and assessment of child sex trafficking victims and enhance existing support for runaway and homeless youth.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement on the passing of former Newport News School Board Chairwoman Effie Ashe: "It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of former Newport News School Board Chairwoman Effie Ashe. Effie spent most of her life in service to her community. For 33 years, she served our nation at Fort Eustis working in several civil service positions, and was often one of the few African Americans on base who worked in an office. She was never drawn to the limelight of public office, but her community and the schools and students of Newport News desperately needed her tenacity and straightforwardness.