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October 7, 2016
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added a total of 156,000 jobs in September with the unemployment rate at 5 percent. The economy has added a total of 15.3 million private sector jobs since early 2010. “While we have experienced great economic gains over the last seven years, today’s jobs report shows that our work here in Congress is far from over. There are families and individuals struggling to find work, and those who are working still lack basic workplace support and protections.
September 28, 2016
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Article
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I stand in opposition to H.R. 6094, the inappropriately named Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act. First of all, it is not limited to those. It is for all employers. It would delay the implementation of the overtime rule for 6 months. The rule is currently slated to go into effect on December 1, and working families can't wait another 6 months for a long-overdue adjustment in the overtime rule. We ought to talk a little bit about what we are talking about. If today you are earning $10 an hour, if you work more than 40 hours a week, you get time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40. And if they change that to the same amount, instead of $10 an hour, $20,000 a year, you still get time-and-a-half for overtime after 40 hours because your salary is under the approximately $23,000 threshold.
September 28, 2016
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Article
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, the terrorist attacks perpetrated against our Nation 15 years ago killed nearly 3,000 people. No one can fully fathom the grief still felt by families to lose their loved ones in such a horrific way. We understand the need to continue to seek justice against those who may have aided and abetted the individuals that orchestrated these attacks. However, this legislation is not the right way to go about achieving that justice. JASTA abrogates a core principle in international law--foreign sovereign immunity. There are already several exceptions to this immunity recognized by our Nation and others, but JASTA goes much further than any present exception or recognized practice of any national law. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Texas just suggested, one fundamental indication of fairness of legislation is not how it would work to our benefit, but what we would think if it were used against us.
September 26, 2016
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Article
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3537, the so-called Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2016. The legislation would add 22 synthetic drugs to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. While some of these drugs may be indeed dangerous to the public, we know very little about many of them and adding them to Schedule I would seriously hinder research. Furthermore, by adding these synthetic drugs to Schedule I, the legislation would significantly expand the mandatory minimum found in title 21, section 841(b)(1)(C) of the U.S. Code. If an individual is convicted of selling, distributing, or making one of these drugs, he would be subject to a 20 year mandatory minimum sentence if someone is seriously injured or dies from using these drugs.
September 22, 2016
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5963, the Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act. The legislation, sponsored by Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL-26), reauthorizes for the first time since 2002 the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974 to help states and local communities better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. The legislation also includes language based on Congressman Scott’s Youth PROMISE Act (H.R. 2197) that restructures JJDPA’s Local Delinquency Prevention Grants to encourage communities to plan and implement evidence-based prevention and intervention programs specifically designed to reduce juvenile delinquency and gang involvement.
September 21, 2016
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement in response to the Senate Finance Committee favorably reporting S.1714, the Miners Protection Act. The legislation would protect the pensions of coal miners and prevent the termination of retiree medical benefits for those miners whose companies filed for bankruptcy since 2012. Without Congressional action, the hard earned benefits of thousands of retirees in Virginia would be jeopardized. Congressman Scott is a cosponsor of H.R. 2403, The Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act of 2015 – the House companion of this legislation. “The Senate has taken an important first step in fulfilling the federal government’s longstanding commitment to protect the retiree medical and pension benefits that miners have earned through their hard and dangerous work,” stated Rep. Scott.
September 20, 2016
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Article
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Kline, Subcommittee Chair ROKITA, and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo) for their work, and also, on our side, Representatives DAVIS of California, ADAMS, and WILSON of Florida for their work on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, juvenile courts were established by States over 100 years ago on the emerging legal theory that children should not be held fully responsible for their actions, a theory proven by scientific research into impulse control and brain development. The capacity to rehabilitate children became the focus of the system rather than punishment of offenders. Congress first articulated national standards of juvenile justice in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974.
September 16, 2016
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, September 14, 2016, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott received the Silent Warrior Award from the Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation. Established by the Honorable Augustus Freeman Hawkins during his service in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Foundation was created to develop highly trained workers through robust educational support. Congressman Hawkins, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was known in Congress as the “Silent Warrior” for his determination to tackle social issues and secure equal educational opportunities for all. Congressman Scott received the Silent Warrior Award for his work on behalf of the nation’s students and working families as the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
September 15, 2016
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) received the Leaders of Democracy Award from The Memorial Foundation, the builders of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Following the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial by President Obama, The Memorial Foundation was created to ensure that all visitors understand the four major tenets of Dr. King’s national memorial – democracy, justice, hope and love. Congressman Scott received the award in recognition of his consistent efforts to display leadership amongst his peers and within the community. “I am honored to receive the Leader of Democracy Award from The Memorial Foundation for my work in Congress,” said Rep. Scott.
September 14, 2016
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott issued the following statement on his No vote on H.R. 5620, the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016: “Once again, Republicans have put forward a bill that fails to address the systemic issues the VA is facing, such as the disability appeals claim backlog and doctor, specialist, and nurse staffing shortages. Instead, this bill makes it easier to fire rank-and-file VA employees, who under current law can already be fired for cause. Due process protections for civil service employees began well over a century ago to protect employees from arbitrary and political firings.
Issues:Veterans