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NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement regarding today's announcement that Newport News City Councilman Joseph Whitaker will not seek another term on City Council:"I congratulate Councilman Whitaker on a distinguished career in public service. Councilman Whitaker has served the South District with distinction since his election in 2004.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on this morning's jobs report for January 2014:"Today's jobs report marks the 47th consecutive month of private sector job growth. During this span, our economy has added more than 8.2 million private sector jobs and the unemployment rate has dropped to 6.6 percent. Despite these gains, too many Americans still remain out of work or underemployed.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the Ranking Membership of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for the 114th Congress:"With the retirement of Ranking Member George Miller and today's announcement that Congressman Rob Andrews will be leaving Congress at the end of this month, the House Education and the Workforce Committee is losing two staunch advocates for America's students and workers. Their expertise, passion, and leadership on the Committee have improved the lives of millions of Americans.

In 1964, the Supreme Court noted in Wesberry v. Saunders, "No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined." While this is certainly true, there is an unfortunate history in our country of blocking access to the ballot box for minorities. For this reason, Congress passed and President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965.The Voting Rights Act contains several important provisions; however, the pre-clearance provision in Section 5 is the essence of the law's protections. Section 5 requires states and jurisdictions with a documented history of discrimination to submit changes to their election laws or procedures to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval.

WASHINGTON, DC – Reps. Raúl Labrador (R-ID) and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), authors of H.R. 3382, theSmarter Sentencing Act, commended the Senate Judiciary Committee today for approving S. 1410, the Senate version of the bill. The Smarter Sentencing Act would reform criminal sentencing laws, empowering judges to make individualized assessments in nonviolent drug cases. This would ensure that limited resources are focused on the most serious offenders, while maintaining public safety.

WASHINGTON, DC – Reps. Raúl Labrador (R-ID) and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), authors of H.R. 3382, theSmarter Sentencing Act, commended the Senate Judiciary Committee today for approving S. 1410, the Senate version of the bill. The Smarter Sentencing Act would reform criminal sentencing laws, empowering judges to make individualized assessments in nonviolent drug cases. This would ensure that limited resources are focused on the most serious offenders, while maintaining public safety.

Fifty years ago this month, President Lyndon B. Johnson proposed anti-poverty legislation and declared a War on Poverty. Fifty years later, we are still fighting to eradicate poverty in the United States.Poverty rates have declined from the 19% that existed in 1964, but we have never seen the rate in single digits and today it is still a troubling 15%. President Johnson said that, "Very often a lack of jobs and money is not the cause of poverty, but the symptom. The cause may lie deeper in our failure to give our fellow citizens a fair chance to develop their own capacities, in a lack of education and training, in a lack of medical care and housing, in a lack of decent communities in which to live and bring up their children." Those words could not be truer today.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his Yes vote on the Conference Report on H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act:"I voted in favor of the conference report on the Farm Bill because it is the best compromise that can be achieved in our divided government. The bill continues to authorize critical funds to preserve and restore the Chesapeake Bay through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. This will allow states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including Virginia, to continue to work with the Federal government to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy the Bay. Additionally, the bill includes increased investments in our nation's food banks, which will help ensure that more families can get access to nutritious foods in times of need.