Media

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) announced today that he will host a Youth Gang Violence Prevention Town Hall on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 in Richmond. In addition to other experts and community leaders, Congressman Scott will be joined by Clayton County, Georgia Juvenile Court Judge Steven Teske, who is a recognized national leader on juvenile justice issues. Judge Teske is visiting Richmond Tuesday and Wednesday to work with local juvenile justice professionals and the Juvenile Justice Collaborative on how the Clayton County, Georgia “Systems of Care” approach can work in Richmond.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott issued the following statement on the U.S. District Court in Richmond overturning the boundary lines of Virginia’s Third Congressional District and mandating the Virginia General Assembly redraw the district by April 2015: "I was not involved in this lawsuit. However, during the last round of redistricting in 2011, I was a strong proponent of the redistricting plan sponsored by State Senator Mamie Locke, which made all congressional districts in the Commonwealth more compact and contiguous. I hope and expect the General Assembly will more equitably and appropriately balance the influence of all Virginia’s voters, as mandated by this decision, when they redraw the third congressional district and adjacent congressional districts next session."

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s denial of a writ of certiorari in the case overturning Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriages: “Today’s decision by the Supreme Court will finally allow marriage equality to move forward in Virginia and many other states. With the circuit courts so far ruling unanimously on the issue of marriage equality, there was no conflict for the Supreme Court to resolve. Additionally, having allowed so many challenges to stand, today’s decision makes it a virtual certainty that whenever the Court does choose to weigh in on this issue, it will rule in favor of marriage equality. I now expect that there will be many more successful marriage equality cases, so that the right to marry will be extended to same sex couples living in every corner of our great nation.”

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on new guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to states, school districts and schools on standards set in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ensure that each student has equal access to educational resources: "I commend the Department's renewed commitment to equity, especially given the chronic and widespread disparities that still persist in our nation’s schools 60 years after the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. While we have made significant progress, the promise of equal educational opportunity envisioned by the Brown decision unfortunately remains unfulfilled today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations on the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement that he will resign from the Department of Justice upon the confirmation of his successor: “Attorney General Holder has diligently served as our nation’s top law enforcement official for the last six years. During his tenure, I have enjoyed working with him on efforts to reform our nation’s sentencing laws, protect voting rights, and guarantee the civil rights of all Americans. His leadership was instrumental in passage of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which I sponsored in the House.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott announced today that he will hold a town hall in Hampton, Virginia on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 to discuss issues impacting our nation’s veterans. The meeting will provide an opportunity for Congressman Scott to hear directly from veterans in his district about their experiences with the Hampton V.A. Medical Center and the V.A. claims backlog. The meeting will also include an overview of the recently enacted Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act and a discussion of mental health issues. This event is free and open to the public.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his vote in favor of the McKeon Amendment to the Continuing Resolution, authorizing the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the Syrian opposition and other appropriately vetted Syrian groups or individuals to combat ISIL. “The McKeon Amendment is not a formal authorization for this President or future presidents to use American military force in Syria. It has been argued that the President already has such authorization pursuant to the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations of Use of Military Force. I do not, however, believe these are sufficient authorizations to target terrorist groups that may not have even existed 13 years ago.