Media
Latest News
Kevin Ring worked on Capitol Hill during the crafting of the 1994 Crime Bill, which imposed tougher prison sentences and bolstered the War on Drugs. As he remembers it, members of both parties were obsessed with appearing tough on crime. “You couldn’t go far enough,” said Ring, who’s now the president of sentencing reform organization Families Against Mandatory Minimums. “Three strikes? How about two strikes? How about one strike? We couldn’t be punitive enough to satisfy what we thought was public anger about crime and drugs.” Over 25 years after the 1994 Crime Bill and 35 years after the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, the War on Drugs is considered by experts and government officials alike to be one of the biggest failures of American governance in the 20th century.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021: “Today, I was proud to vote in favor of the American Dream and Promise Act. In 2012, we asked undocumented immigrants who were brought here at a young age, through no fault of their own, to step out of the shadows and undergo robust background checks in exchange for work authorization and temporary relief from deportation. We promised them an opportunity to legally contribute to their communities. Under the DACA program, they have been able to fulfill their dreams of completing college, getting a job, buying a car and owning a home, thereby contributing to our economic growth that benefits all Americans.
Issues:Immigration
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education announced it would provide full debt relief to roughly 72,000 borrowers that were defrauded by Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute. “Today’s announcement means that tens of thousands of defrauded student loan borrowers will finally be granted the debt relief that they are legally entitled to receive. It has been more than four years since the Department of Education first concluded that these students had been cheated by their institutions and were deserving of full debt relief.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, and Rodney Davis (IL-13) led a bipartisan group in introducing the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA), a proposal to strengthen anti-discrimination protections for older workers. They were joined by six Republicans and six Democrats, including Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee Chair Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chair Alma Adams (NC-12).
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAOO) looking at the risk cybersecurity threats pose to retirement plans that serve over 100 million people. GAO conducted its investigation in response to an inquiry the Members sent in 2019. “The hard-earned retirement savings of Americans must remain safe and protected against potential cyberattacks. That’s why Senator Murray, Senator Hassan, and I asked GAO to conduct this critical review.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a Vice Chair of House Democratic Caucus’ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, a bill that closes the “Charleston” loophole which allows someone to purchase a firearm three days after a background check begins even if it hasn’t been completed: “For too long, Americans have been forced to live with gun violence and mass shootings at our schools, places of worship, concerts, and in our neighborhoods.
Issues:Gun Safety
WASHINGTON, DC – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairwoman Alma Adams (NC-12) released the following statement after the Department of Labor proposed a withdrawal of Trump-era rules that would have given companies broad power to misclassify employees as independent contractors and use subcontractors to evade responsibility for upholding workers’ rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act. "Today, the Biden Administration is once again delivering on its promise to stand up for workers and their families.
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes a version of Worker Health Coverage Protection Act that Chairman Scott introduced last year along with robust investments in the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. “The American Rescue Plan will expand access to affordable health care for millions of Americans during this global health pandemic. Because of the disastrous economic fallout from COVID-19, laid-off workers across the country have lost their job-based health coverage at a time when they need it most.
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes important provisions that he helped craft to address the multiemployer pension crisis and protect workers’ retirement benefits. “The American Rescue Plan is a historic victory for more than 1 million retirees who have been at risk of losing everything they had worked so hard to save. Because of this relief package, construction workers, truck drivers, industrial bakers, grocery store workers, and many other hardworking Americans will have the retirement security they deserve.
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House voted to approve the American Rescue Plan, which provides nearly $40 billion for institutions of higher education. “The COVID-19 pandemic is causing severe financial hardship for institutions of higher education and the students they serve. The American Rescue Plan provides significant relief to help colleges weather the pandemic, including more than $800 million for Virginia institutions alone, and delivers emergency support to students facing food insecurity, homelessness, and other hardships.