Summary
Current Position: US Representative of District 3 since 1993
Affiliation: Democrat
Other Position: Ranking Member, Education and Labor Committee
District: Cities of Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, and part of the independent city of Chesapeake.
In the 118th Congress, Congressman Scott serves as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce—his fifth term as the Committee’s Democratic leader. Throughout his tenure, he has advanced legislation that improves equity in education, frees students from the burdens of debt, protects and expands access to affordable health care, ensures workers have a safe workplace where they can earn a living wage free from discrimination, and guarantees seniors have a secure and dignified retirement. Congressman Scott also serves on the Committee on the Budget where he is a leading voice on fiscal policy. sponsored the Neighborhood Assistance Act, which provides tax credits to businesses for donations made to approved social service and crime prevention programs.
OnAir Post: Bobby Scott VA-03
News
About
Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott is currently serving his thirteenth term in Congress representing Virginia’s Third Congressional District. Prior to serving in the House of Representatives, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1978 to 1983 and in the Senate of Virginia from 1983 to 1993.
During his tenure in the Virginia General Assembly, Congressman Scott successfully sponsored laws critical to Virginians in education, employment, health care, social services, economic development, crime prevention and consumer protection. His legislative successes included laws that increased Virginia’s minimum wage, created the Governor’s Employment and Training Council and improved health care benefits for women, infants and children. He also sponsored the Neighborhood Assistance Act, which provides tax credits to businesses for donations made to approved social service and crime prevention programs.
Congressman Scott has the distinction of being the first African-American elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Virginia since Reconstruction and only the second African-American elected to Congress in Virginia’s history. Having a maternal grandfather of Filipino ancestry also gives him the distinction of being the first American with Filipino ancestry to serve as a voting member of Congress.
Congressman Scott currently serves as the Ranking Member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, a committee he has served on since his arrival to Congress in 1993. In his capacity as the most senior Democrat on the Committee, he is leading the fight for access to quality early, secondary and higher education for all of America’s children with an emphasis on solving the growing problem of student debt, closing the achievement gap and dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline. In 2015, he was one of the four primary negotiators of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for the first time in 13 years replacing the No Child Left Behind Act. Additionally, he is focused on ensuring that millions of Americans have the opportunity to go to work every day and know that they will be treated fairly, paid a decent and living wage, given a safe environment in which do their jobs and provided access to affordable health care.
From the beginning of his tenure in Congress, Congressman Scott has led efforts to pass comprehensive juvenile justice reform and crime prevention legislation. Towards that end, he has introduced the Youth PROMISE Act, which would provide resources to state and local governments for evidence-based strategies and programs to prevent juvenile crime.
As a part of his effort to provide universal health care for all, prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Congressman Scott sponsored the All Healthy Children Act, which sought to ensure that millions of uninsured children in the United States have access to a comprehensive set of health care services.
Congressman Scott is also a recognized champion of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and has fought to protect the rights and civil liberties of all Americans. In 1997, he protected the right of all children with disabilities to obtain a free and appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by leading a successful effort to defeat amendments aimed at curtailing that right for some children. Congressman Scott also actively opposed passage of the USA PATRIOT Act and has been a leading critic of both Republican and Democratic Administrations’ misuse of surveillance authorities. He is also a leading opponent of efforts to permit employment discrimination in federally funded programs.
As the former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Scott is also a leading advocate for reforming our nation’s broken criminal justice system. Congressman Scott sponsored the Death in Custody Reporting Act, which was originally signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 2000 and its subsequent reauthorization was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014. The law requires state and local law enforcement agencies to report to the U.S. Department of Justice how many individuals die each year while in police custody or during the course of an arrest. In 2010, Congressman Scott successfully led efforts in the House to pass the Fair Sentencing Act, one of the first successful reductions in a mandatory minimum sentence in decades. The law reduced the unfair sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.
From 2013 to 2014, he co-chaired the House Judiciary Committee’s Over-Criminalization Task Force with Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Based on the findings of their task force, Scott and Sensenbrenner co-authored the Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Effective (SAFE) Justice Act, which has been recognized as one of the most comprehensive criminal justice reform bills in a generation and has attracted significant support from across the political spectrum.
Having served for a total of six years on the House Budget Committee, Congressman Scott is also a leading voice on fiscal policy and reducing the deficit. He was an ardent opponent of the 2001 and 2003 Bush-era tax cuts that were skewed towards the wealthiest Americans and contributed trillions to the national debt. He opposed the 2008 taxpayer-funded bailout of Wall Street and the 2013 Fiscal Cliff deal that permanently extended most of the Bush-era tax cuts. He is dedicated to restoring fiscal sanity to the federal budget process in order to balance the federal budget and has advocated for the return of statutory Pay-As-You-Go budget rules, which helped bring the federal budget from deficit to surplus in the 1990s.
Congressman Scott is also a strong supporter of our nation’s military readiness as well as our troops and their safety. He is a leading advocate for improving and increasing funding for veterans’ benefits and health care, especially mental health care, and was the lead sponsor in the House of Senator Jim Webb’s Post-9/11 G.I. Bill that was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2008. Congressman Scott has routinely received an “A” from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for his service and commitment to our veterans.
In 2010, The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper, recognized Congressman Scott as one of the 25 hardest working Members of Congress. The Hill later recognized him in 2012 as one of Capitol Hill’s 50 most beautiful people.
Congressman Scott was born on April 30, 1947 in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Newport News, Virginia. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Boston College Law School. After graduating law school, he returned home to Newport News and practiced law from 1973 to 1991. He received an honorable discharge for his service in the Massachusetts National Guard and the United States Army Reserve.
Congressman Scott is a member of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Newport News and is a member of many professional, community, and civic boards and organizations.
Personal
Full Name: Robert ‘Bobby’ C. Scott
Gender: Male
Family: Divorced
Birth Date: 04/30/1947
Birth Place: Washington, DC
Home City: Newport News, VA
Religion: Episcopalian
Source: Vote Smart
Education
Offices
Washington Office
1201 Longworth House Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-8351
Fax: (202) 225-8354
District Office
2600 Washington Ave.
Suite 1010
Newport News, VA 23607
Phone: (757) 380-1000
Fax: (757) 928-6694 H
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Committees
Voting Record
See: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Source: Congressional website
Finances
SCOTT, ROBERT C (BOBBY) has recently run in 5 congressional races, winning 5 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $2,795,421.
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
For the 118th Congress (2023-2025), Congressman Scott has been assigned to the following committees:
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, RANKING MEMBER
Congressman Scott currently serves as Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and this is his fifth term as the Committee’s Democratic leader. During the 116th and 117th Congresses (2019-2023), he served as Chairman of what was then called the Committee on Education and Labor. As the Ranking Member of the committee, he is working to expand access to the building blocks of a strong middle class – a quality education, a rewarding job, and affordable health care. The Committee on Education and the Workforce’s purpose is to ensure that Americans’ needs are addressed so that students and workers may move forward in a changing school system and a competitive global economy. The Committee oversees education and workforce programs that affect all Americans, from early learning through secondary education, from job training through retirement. The Committee on Education and the Workforce has jurisidiction over a wide range of legislation, including the Workforce Investment Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act, the Older Americans Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Congressman Scott has served on the Committee since 1993, but took a leave of absence during the 108th Congress (2003-2005) to serve on the House Budget Committee. In 2014, he was elected by the House Democratic Caucus to serve as Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. In 2019, he was elected by the House Democratic Caucus to serve as Chairman of what was then called the Committee on Education and Labor, and reelected in 2020.
COMMITTEE ON THE BUDGET
Congressman Scott has been appointed to serve on the Committee on the Budget for the 118th Congress (2023-2025), and has previously served on the committee in the 108th (2003-2005), 110th (2007-2009), 111th (2009-2011), 116th (2019-2021), and 117th (2021-2023) Congresses. The Committee’s chief responsibility is to draft an annual concurrent resolution that provides a Congressional framework for spending and revenue levels, the federal surplus or deficit, and public debt. The budget resolution can contain reconciliation instructions directing authorizing committees to change laws in their jurisdiction to change revenues or mandatory spending levels. The resolution also can include mechanisms that aid in enforcing budget procedures in general or for particular purposes. In drafting the budget resolution, the Committee examines the President’s annual budget request, as well as economic and fiscal projections from the Congressional Budget Office. The Committee also has jurisdiction over budget process laws, and tracks the budgetary effects of legislative action.
Previous Committee Assignments:
- Committee on the Judiciary (1993-2015)
- Subcommittee on the Constitution, Ranking Member (1997-1999)
- Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, Chairman (2007-2011), Ranking Member (1999-2007, 2011-2015)
- Committee on Ethics (2008-2009)
- Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (1993-1995)
- Select Committee on U.S. National and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China (1998-1999)
- Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans (2018)
Member, Congressional Army Aviation Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Bike Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, present
Co-Chair/Member, Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking, present
Member, Congressional Crime Prevention & Youth Development Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Firefighters Caucus, present
Member, Congressional LGBT Equaltiy Caucus, present
Co-Chair, Congressional My Brother’s Keeper Caucus, present
Member, Congressional National Parks Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Pre-Kindergarten Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Submarine Caucus, present
Co-Chair, Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, present
Member, Disaster Relief Caucus, present
Member, Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus, present
Member, House Small Brewers Caucus, present
Member, National Marine Sanctuaries Caucus, present
Co-Chair, United States-Philippines Frienship Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Arts Caucus
Member, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Member, Congressional Black Caucus
Member, Congressional Center Aisle Caucus
Co-Chair, Congressional Chesapeake Bay Watershed Caucus
Member, Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus
Member, Congressional Children’s Caucus
Member, Congressional Coast Guard Caucus
Member, Congressional Commuter Caucus
Member, Congressional Democratic Caucus
Member, Congressional Diabetes Caucus
Member, Congressional Empowered Communities Caucus
Member, Congressional Fire Services Caucus
Member, Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus
Member, Congressional Hellenic Caucus
Member, Congressional India Caucus
Member, Congressional Infant Health and Safety Caucus
Member, Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus
Member, Congressional Military Family Caucus
Member, Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus
Member, Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
Member, Congressional Science and National Labs Caucus
Member, Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus
Member, Congressional Steel Caucus
Member, Congressional Tourism Caucus
Member, Congressional Urban Caucus
Member, Congressional Veterans Mental Health Caucus
Member, Defense Communities Caucus
Former Ranking Member, Education and the Workforce Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Chair, House Committee on Education and Labor
Co-Chair, House Democratic Caucus Crime and Drug Task Force
Member, House Zoo and Aquarium Caucus
Member, International Religious Freedom Caucus
Former Member, Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Judiciary Committee, United States House of Representatives
Member, Member Congressional Army Caucus
Member, Metropolitan Mobility Caucus
Former Member, Over Criminalization Task Force, United States House of Representatives
Former Chair, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, United States House of Representatives
New Legislation
Issues
Source: Government page
As a co-chair of the Congressional Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, Congressman Scott believes the Chesapeake Bay is one America’s greatest treasures and that it is vital that we protect and pr
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus.
Protecting and conserving our environment is one of Congressman Scott’s top priorities.
Religious organizations have long been recepients of federal funds.
Congressman Scott is a vice-chair of the House Democratic Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which was convened by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in response to the tragic mass shooting at Sand
Social Security is one of the most successful and important government programs ever enacted.
Below are statements Congressman Scott has released on Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Congressman Scott believes that voting is the very foundation of our democracy. To underscore his belief, he often quotes the Supreme Court’s decision in Wesberry v.
Better guide well the young than reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling.
‘To rescue the fallen is good, but ’tis best
Governance
Voting Rights
Congressman Scott believes that voting is the very foundation of our democracy. To underscore his belief, he often quotes the Supreme Court’s decision in Wesberry v. Sanders (1964), where the Court states:
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.
Congressman Scott is an ardent supporter of the Voting Rights Act and was instrumental in the passage of the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, César Chávez, Barbara C. Jordan, William C. Velásquez, and Dr. Hector P. Garcia Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, a ruling that significantly undermined the effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act, Congressman Scott joined a small group of his colleagues in Congress to delicately craft a bi-partisan legislative fix to appropriately address the Court’s concerns in Shelby County and ensure that the core protections of the Voting Rights Act are restored.
Congressman Scott is working tirelessly to ensure that this legislation passes Congress so that no one’s right to vote is infringed.
June 25, 2019 Press Release
March 8, 2019 Press Release
June 12, 2017 Press Release
September 4, 2016 In The News
July 23, 2016 Press Release
August 6, 2015 Press Release
October 7, 2014 Press Release
September 25, 2014 Press Release
August 6, 2014 Press Release
April 2, 2014 Press Release
Federal Budget
Important Budget Links | Statement & Press Releases
Congressman Scott supports reducing our budget deficit and balancing the federal budget, but not at the expense of cutting vital government functions, such as defense, education, transportation, Social Security and Medicare.
Congressman Scott understands that deficit reduction requires making sometimes tough, unpopular choices. During his first year serving in Congress, Congressman Scott supported the 1993 Clinton budget, which narrowly passed the House and the Senate. The 1993 Clinton budget, also known as the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, helped put the nation on a strong fiscal path and turned federal budget deficits into federal budget surpluses. By 2001, the Congressional Budget Office projected a ten year surplus of $5.6 trillion. At the time, that would have been enough to completely eliminate the national debt held by the public by 2008, and we would owe nothing to China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Citing likely fiscal disaster, Congressman Scott opposed President George W. Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Congressman Scott correctly pointed out that these tax cuts were not paid for and would wreak havoc on the budget. Combined with the Bush Administration’s unpaid for Medicare prescription drug plan, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an economy deep in recession, and these tax cuts, by the end of the Bush Administration, the annual federal budget deficit had climbed to $1.4 trillion and instead of paying off the national debt held by the public, the total national debt ballooned from $5.7 trillion in 2001 to $10.7 trillion by the end of 2008.
In late 2010, when these Bush-era tax cuts were set to expire, Congressman Scott opposed the two year extension because the nation could not afford them and if they continued to be extended, it would likely force Congress to make deep cuts in vital government services, including Social Security and Medicare.
In 2011, Congressman Scott opposed the Budget Control Act, which conditioned an increase in the nation’s debt ceiling on Congress cutting approximately $2.2 trillion from the federal budget over the next 10 years. $1.2 trillion of those $2.2 trillion in cuts was contingent on whether a Congressional deficit reduction committee, commonly referred to as the “Super Committee,” reported out a deficit reduction plan totaling $1.2 trillion by the end of 2011. If the Super Committee failed, which it did, the $1.2 trillion in cuts would be implemented through a draconian across-the-board budget cutting process known as “sequestration.” Congressman Scott voted against the Budget Control Act because Congress failed to address a driving factor of the nation’s budget deficit – the Bush-era tax cuts – and its failure to do so would set the stage for sequestration and cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
In early 2013, during the fiscal cliff debacle, Congress permanently extended a majority of the Bush-era tax cuts at a ten-year cost, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office, of $3.9 trillion and failed to cancel the $1.2 trillion sequester. Congressman Scott opposed the so-called “Fiscal Cliff Deal” because it permanently extended these unaffordable tax cuts and did nothing to address sequestration, which would and has had a significant negative impact on the Commonwealth of Virginia and his constituents.
In order to responsibly reduce our deficit, Congressman Scott believes that it is imperative that Congress go back and review the Fiscal Cliff Deal and cancel some of the tax cuts that were permanently extended in order to cancel the sequester. He also believes that Congress should review our tax code and end the numerous special interest tax breaks that riddle our tax code.
- House Budget Committee: Majority Site | Minority Site
- Congressional Budget Office
- Office of Management and Budget – Executive Office of the President
- Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
- Urban Institute and Brookings Institution: Tax Policy Center
- Download Rep. Scott’s Budget Handout
- Chart on Fiscal Cliff Options
Budget News & Editorials
MORE ON FEDERAL BUDGET
July 30, 2019 Press Release
July 25, 2019 Press Release
June 25, 2019 Press Release
March 11, 2019 Press Release
January 24, 2019 Press Release
January 11, 2019 Press Release
December 22, 2018 Press Release
August 30, 2018 Press Release
June 7, 2018 Floor Statements
April 12, 2018 Floor Statements
Human Rights
Civil Rights
Congressman Scott is an ardent defender of civil rights. Although America has made great strides in civil rights in the past few decades, current events have shown that we still have a long way to go. The current threats to civil rights are not the explicit actions our predecessors may have seen and experienced. Instead, they are subtle actions that, if allowed to continue, could threaten our rights and lives in the future. Examples of such actions include religious and racial profiling, xenophobic rhetoric in political discourse, expelling minorities from school in disproportionate rates, uneven application of justice, employment discrimination, restricting the right to vote, and pay inequality.
As one of the chief authors of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in 2015, Congressman Scott ensured the bill lived up to the promise of Brown v. Board of Education and the original Elmenatary and Secondary Education Act by guaranteeing the right to an equal educational opportunity for every child, regardless of race, income, language status, or disability. As Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor he has also authored the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act and the Strength in Diversity Act of 2019. These bills will help guarantee equity in educaiton and help address racial inequities in public schools.
Congressman Scott has is also one of the chief sponsors of the Do No Harm Act, a bill that ensures nobody can use religious freedom as an excuse to discriminate against another person. He has also co-sponsored several pieces of legislation aimed at correcting or preventing the furtherance of discriminatory acts, such as the Equality Act and the End Racial Profiling Act of 2013. He also supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and the first bill passed by the House under his leadership as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor was the Paycheck Fairness Act.
MORE ON CIVIL RIGHTS
July 30, 2019 Press Release
July 17, 2019 Floor Statements
July 9, 2019 In The News
June 20, 2019 Floor Statements
June 18, 2019 Press Release
May 21, 2019 Press Release
May 21, 2019 Press Release
May 20, 2019 Floor Statements
May 17, 2019 Press Release
May 17, 2019 Floor Statements
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
My office offers internships in both my Washington and District offices throughout the fall, spring, and summer semesters for college and graduate students, as well as recent graduates (no more than six months after graduation). Work hours are flexible to accommodate a student’s school schedule. Internships in my office are paid.
The following resources are for people seeking information or assistance applying for Federal Grants.
District
Source: Wikipedia
Virginia’s third congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving the independent cities of Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, and part of the independent city of Chesapeake. The district is represented by Democrat Bobby Scott. VA-03 is majority-minority and has a plurality Black electorate, and is heavily Democratic.
In 1788 Virginia’s 3rd congressional district consisted of all of modern Virginia including and west of the counties of Carroll, Floyd, Roanoke, Botetourt, Augusta and Rockingham. It also included what is today Pendleton County, West Virginia and also about the southern third of West Virginia which in 1788 was all Greenbrier County. This area that is today about 48 counties and 13 independent cities was in 1788 only nine counties.
In the 1790 census, this area had a population of 66,045. For the 1792 congressional elections the number of congressional districts in Virginia rose from 10 to 19. The only county that remained in the third district was Pendleton County. Harrison, Randolph, Hardy, Hampshire, Monongalia and Ohio Counties, all now in West Virginia were also in the district. This was all of northern West Virginia except the far eastern panhandle area. The new district’s 1790 population was 30,145
The 1800 census lead to another increase in Virginia’s congressional districts in 1802. The third district was again moved, this time to what was then Frederick and Shenandoah Counties in Virginia, which besides those counties also included the modern counties of Clarke, Warren and part of Page. The new 3rd district had a population of 38,767 in 1800.
For most of the time from the end of the Civil War to 1993, the 3rd district was a relatively compact district centered on Richmond. The district’s current configuration dates to 1993, when the Justice Department ordered Virginia to create a majority-minority district. At that time, portions of the old 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th districts were combined to create a new 3rd district.
The Virginia Legislature’s 2012 redistricting was found unconstitutional, in part because of racial gerrymandering, and replaced was with a court-ordered map on January 16, 2016 for the 2016 elections. From 1993 to 2016, the 3rd had covered most of the majority-black precincts in and around Hampton Roads and Richmond. The court-drawn map shifted the area near Richmond to the 4th district.
Wikipedia
Robert Cortez Scott (born April 30, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 3rd congressional district since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the dean of Virginia’s congressional delegation and the first Filipino American voting member of Congress. The district serves most of the majority-black precincts of Hampton Roads, including all of the independent cities of Norfolk, Newport News (where he resides), Hampton and Portsmouth, and parts of the independent city of Chesapeake.[1] From 2019 to 2023, Scott was chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. He has been ranking member on that committee since 2023.
Early life, education and legal career
Scott was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Newport News, Virginia. He is of African American and Filipino descent.[2] His father, Charles Waldo Scott, was a pioneering African American surgeon.[3] and in 1952 became the first African American appointed to the Newport News school board in the 20th century.[4] Scott’s mother Mae Hamlin-Scott, a graduate in chemistry of the University of Michigan, was an educator who taught science in the Newport News public schools.[5]
Scott graduated from Groton School in 1965. He received his B.A. in government from Harvard College in 1969 and his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1973. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He was a lawyer in private practice in Newport News from 1973 to 1991.[6]
Scott is an Episcopalian.[7]
Military service
Scott is a former member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard (1970–73) and Army Reserve (1974–76).[8]
Virginia legislature
Scott was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1977 and to the Senate of Virginia in 1982, after a census-based reapportionment changed district numbers (thus, his nominal predecessors were in fact representatives from Northern Virginia). In the Virginia legislature, Scott worked to allow the poor and children greater access to health care, as well as to increase the minimum wage, and increase job training. He also authored legislation providing tax credits to business that provide donations to serving local communities in preventing crime or improving social service delivery.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
- 1986
Scott first ran for Congress in 1986 in the 1st district, which included his home in Newport News. He lost to Republican incumbent Herb Bateman, 56%-44%.[9]
- 1992
In 1992, the Department of Justice directed the Virginia legislature to draw a black-majority district after the 1990 census. The legislature responded by shifting most of the black residents of Hampton Roads and Richmond into a newly created 3rd district. Scott won a three-way Democratic primary with 67% of the vote,[10] which was tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic district. In the general election, he defeated Republican Dan Jenkins 79%-21%.[11]
- 1994-2008
During this period, Scott was reelected every two years with at least 76% of the vote, except in 2004. That year, he was challenged by Republican Winsome Sears, a former State Delegate. He won with 69% of the vote, now the second-lowest winning percentage of his career. In 1994, Scott won 79.44% of the vote, defeating Republican Thomas E. Ward. In 1996, he won 82.12% of the vote, defeating Republican Eisle G. Holland. In 1998, he won 75.97% of the vote, defeating Independent Robert S. Barnett. He ran unopposed in 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2008.
- 2010
Scott defeated Republican Chuck Smith, a former JAG, 70%-27%.[12]
- 2012
After redistricting, Scott’s district was made even safer; he picked up all of Portsmouth and Newport News, as well as Petersburg. In 2008, President Barack Obama had carried the district with 76% of the vote; Scott won the new district with 78%,[13] defeating Air Force officer Dean Longo.[14] He easily won an 11th term with 81.26% of the vote.
Scott joined Obama in kicking off his campaign at Virginia Commonwealth University. The focus of the rally was largely on Obama’s timeline for leaving the Middle East.[15]
- 2016
The 3rd was reconfigured as a result of a court-ordered redistricting in 2015. It lost its territory in and around Richmond to the neighboring 4th district, but the new 3rd was no less Democratic than its predecessor.
Scott defeated Republican Marty Williams, 66%-33%, the lowest winning percentage of his career.
Tenure
Scott is the first African American Representative from Virginia since Reconstruction. Also, having a maternal grandfather of Filipino ancestry makes Scott the first American of Filipino descent to serve as a voting member of Congress. His congressional district is the only one with a majority black population in Virginia. It was created in 1992 and has remained the state’s most Democratic district.[16]
Scott’s annual Labor Day picnic, usually held at his mother’s residence in Newport News, is a major campaign stop for statewide and federal candidates in Virginia.
In 1997, Scott was one of two votes against the creation of a national registry for crimes against children and sexually violent offenders.[17]
On November 7, 2009, Scott voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962).
Scott has voted progressively in the House. He has supported increases in the minimum wage and has worked to eliminate anti-gay bias in the workplace.[18] In 2010, Scott co-sponsored the “Lee-Scott bill” with Barbara Lee to make it easier on individuals who had been on unemployment for 99 weeks without finding work. Of the bill, Lee said, “it is important that we put in place a safety net for those still looking for work. We cannot and will not allow our fellow Americans to fall by the wayside. Congressman Scott and I plan to continue to push for passage of this legislation because it is simply the right thing to do.”[19]
Scott supports LGBT rights. In 2009, he voted in favor of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a bill that expanded the federal hate crime law to cover crimes biased by the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.[20] In 2010, he voted in favor of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act.[21] In 2019, Scott voted in favor of the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,[22] and urged Congress members to support the legislation.[23]
Scott was an outspoken opponent of the Bush administration. He opposed the Patriot Act, explaining that officials could abuse their power by promoting anti-terrorist security and develop unfair “racial profiling”. In 2002 Scott voted against the Iraq war resolution and did not support any of the Bush Doctrine in reference to the Iraq war.[16]
For his tenure as the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee in the 116th Congress, Scott earned an “A” grade from the nonpartisan Lugar Center’s Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.[24]
Scott was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[25]
Scott voted with President Joe Biden‘s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[26]
Scott was one of two Democrats along with Nikema Williams who voted against the expulsion of former New York representative George Santos.[27]
Legislation sponsored
Scott introduced the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (H.R. 1447; 113th Congress) on April 9, 2013.[28] The bill would require the United States Department of Justice to collect data from U.S. states and territories about the deaths of prisoners in their custody.[29] States and territories would face monetary penalties for noncompliance. It would also require federal agencies to report on the deaths of prisoners in their custody.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Education and Labor (ranking member)
Caucuses
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus[30]
- Congressional Black Caucus[31]
- Congressional Arts Caucus[32]
- Congressional Cement Caucus
- Climate Solutions Caucus[33]
- Medicare for All Caucus
U.S. Senate speculation
When then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton selected Tim Kaine, a U.S. Senator from Virginia, as her running mate in July 2016, speculation arose about who would be nominated to replace Kaine in the Senate should the ticket win. In August 2016, former Democratic Governor of Virginia Douglas Wilder stated that he would want Governor Terry McAuliffe to appoint Scott to the seat, stating that it “would be good for the commonwealth, good for the Democratic Party, of which Bobby has been most supportive, and great for our nation.”[34] On November 8, Clinton and Kaine lost the election and Kaine remained in his Senate seat.[35]
Controversies
2017 sexual harassment allegation
On December 15, 2017, Marsheri Everson (also known as M. Reese Everson), a former congressional fellow who had worked in Scott’s office, alleged that Scott had sexually harassed her in 2013, touching her on the knee and back on separate occasions, then propositioning her with an inappropriate relationship after asking, “if you travel with me, are you going to be good?”[36] Scott strongly denied Everson’s claim.[36]
Everson was represented by two attorneys, one Jack Burkman, known for his involvement in the conspiracy theories surrounding the murder of Seth Rich[36] as well as his alleged involvement in a scheme to pay women to lie about sexual harassment claims against special counsel and former FBI Director Robert Mueller.[37][38]
Everson’s case against Scott is ongoing.
Knowledge of sexual assault allegations against Justin Fairfax
Scripps professor Vanessa C. Tyson alleged in 2019 that Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax sexually assaulted her in 2004 and approached Scott, a longtime friend, about these allegations between the time of Fairfax’s election in November 2017 and inauguration in January 2018; The Washington Post also contacted Scott about the allegations.[39][40][41][42] In a 2019 statement, Scott said, “Allegations of sexual assault need to be taken seriously. I have known Professor Tyson for approximately a decade and she is a friend. She deserves the opportunity to have her story heard.”[40][41][42]
Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Bobby Scott | 63,364 | 44% | Herbert H. Bateman | 80,713 | 56% | * |
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1986, write-ins received 9 votes.
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Bobby Scott | 132,432 | 79% | Daniel Jenkins | 35,780 | 21% | Write-ins | 261 | ||||||
| 1994 | Bobby Scott | 108,532 | 79% | Thomas E. Ward | 28,080 | 21% | Write-ins | 8 | ||||||
| 1996 | Bobby Scott | 118,603 | 82% | Elsie Goodwyn Holland | 25,781 | 18% | Write-ins | 34 | ||||||
| 1998 | Bobby Scott | 48,129 | 76% | (no candidate) | Robert S. Barnett | Independent | 14,453 | 23% | * | |||||
| 2000 | Bobby Scott | 137,527 | 98% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 3,226 | 2% | |||||||
| 2002 | Bobby Scott | 87,521 | 96% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 3,552 | 4% | |||||||
| 2004 | Bobby Scott | 159,373 | 69% | Winsome Sears | 70,194 | 31% | Write-ins | 325 | ||||||
| 2006 | Bobby Scott | 133,546 | 96% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 5,448 | 4% | |||||||
| 2008 | Bobby Scott | 230,911 | 97% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 7,377 | 3% | |||||||
| 2010 | Bobby Scott | 114,656 | 70% | Chuck Smith | 44,488 | 27% | James Quigley | Libertarian | 2,383 | 2% | * | |||
| 2012 | Bobby Scott | 259,199 | 81.27% | Dean J. Longo | 58,931 | 18.48% | * | Write-ins | 806 | 0.25% | ||||
| 2014 | Bobby Scott | 139,197 | 94.43% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 8,205 | 5.57% | |||||||
| 2016 | Bobby Scott | 208,337 | 66.70% | Marty Williams | 103,289 | 33.07% | Write-ins | 714 | 0.23% | |||||
| 2018 | Bobby Scott | 198,615 | 91.02% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 19,107 | 8.08% | |||||||
| 2020 | Bobby Scott | 233,326 | 68.35% | John Collick | 107,299 | 31.43% | Write-ins | 736 | 0.22% | |||||
| 2022 | Bobby Scott | 139,659 | 67.02% | Terry Namkung | 67,668 | 32.06% | Write-ins | 523 | 0.2% |
See also
- List of African-American United States representatives
- List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
References
- ^ “3rd District of Virginia”. Congressman Bobby Scott. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- ^ Edmund Silvestre (November 8, 2008). “Fil-Am elected to US Congress”. The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on November 10, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2008.Jon Sterngass (January 1, 2009). Filipino Americans. Infobase Publishing. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-4381-0711-0.
- ^ “About Dr. Charles Waldo Scott”. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016.
- ^ KNEMEYER, Nelda (January 11, 1993). “C. Waldo Scott, Civil Rights Pioneer And Physician, Dies”. Newport News Daily Press.
- ^ “Mae Hamlin Scott, Rep. Scott’s mother and Mayor McKinley Price’s mother-in-law, dies at age 89”. Newport News Daily Press. November 25, 2010.
- ^ Democratic Party of Virginia-Hidden History: Congressman Bobby Scott
- ^ “Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress” (PDF). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023.
- ^ “Rep. Robert C. Scott (D-Va.)”. Roll Call. Economist Group. 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
Military Service: Mass. National Guard, 1970-74; Army Reserve, 1974-76
“Rep. Scott, Huntington Ingalls President to Deliver Addresses at ODU’s 121st Commencement Exercises”. News @ ODU. Old Dominion University. November 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.He received an honorable discharge for his service in the Massachusetts National Guard and the United States Army Reserve.
- ^ “Our Campaigns – VA District 1 Race – Nov 04, 1986”. www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ “Our Campaigns – VA District 3 – D Primary Race – Jun 09, 1992”. www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ “Our Campaigns – VA District 3 Race – Nov 03, 1992”. www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ “Our Campaigns – VA – District 03 Race – Nov 02, 2010”. www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ “Daily Kos Elections 2008 presidential results by congressional district (old CDs vs. new CDs)”. docs.google.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ “CAMPAIGN 2012: Dean Longo challenges Bobby Scott”. CBS6. May 19, 2012.
- ^ “Obama kicks off campaign in Richmond”. Daily Press. May 5, 2012.
- ^ a b The Almanac of American Politics, National Journal Group, 2009.
- ^ “FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 420”. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ [1], Project Vote Smart.
- ^ “Barbara Lee, Bobby Scott Introduce Bill For 99ers”. Huffington Post. December 20, 2010.
- ^ Final Vote Results for Roll Call 223
- ^ Final Vote Results for Roll Call 317
- ^ Final Vote Results for Roll Call 217
- ^ “House Debate on the Equality Act”. C-SPAN. May 17, 2019.
- ^ “Congressional Oversight Hearing Index”. Welcome to the Congressional Oversight Hearing Index. The Lugar Center.
- ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). “Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no”. The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Schnell, Mychael (December 1, 2023). “House expels George Santos in historic vote”. The Hill. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ “H.R. 1447 – Summary”. United States Congress. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ Kasperowicz, Pete (December 6, 2013). “House bill would require states to report on prisoner deaths”. The Hill. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ “Members”. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- ^ “Membership”. Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ “Membership”. Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ “90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members”. Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ Vozzella, Laura (August 9, 2016). “Douglas Wilder wants Rep. Bobby Scott for Kaine’s Senate seat”. The Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ Flegenheimer, Matt; Barbaro, Michael (November 9, 2016). “Donald Trump Is Elected President in Stunning Repudiation of the Establishment”. The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
- ^ a b c “Former staffer accuses Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott of sexual harassment, Scott ‘absolutely’ denies claim”. Richmond-Times Dispatch. December 15, 2017.
- ^ Cummings, William (October 31, 2018). “Jack Burkman: The conspiracy theorist accused of offering money for Mueller allegations”. USA TODAY. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ Goldman, Adam (October 30, 2018). “Plot to Smear Mueller Unravels as F.B.I. Is Asked to Investigate”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott knew of Justin Fairfax allegation in late 2017 — but says he had few details (Virginian-Pilot)
- ^ a b Rep. Bobby Scott learned of sexual assault allegation against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax a year ago from the accuser: Aides (ABC News)
- ^ a b Dem Rep. Bobby Scott learned of accusation against Virginia Lt. Gov. Fairfax last year (Fox News)
- ^ a b Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott knew of Fairfax allegations a year ago (Axios)
- ^ a b “Election Statistics, 1920 to Present”. US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
External links
- Congressman Bobby Scott official U.S. House website
- Bobby Scott for Congress
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 3rd congressional district | ||
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