Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 105, which proclaims Bernardo de Galvez to be an honorary citizen of the United States posthumously and recognizes his contribution in aiding the American colonists in the fight for independence against the British. Although he was born in Spain, General Galvez led masterful military campaigns against the British and played a crucial role in securing land and seaports on behalf of the American colonists. He additionally helped negotiate the terms of the treaty that ended the American Revolution and secured America's independence from British rule. This is only the eighth time that Congress has bestowed posthumous citizenship, most recently in 2009, when we honored Casimir Pulaski, a Polish military officer who, like General Galvez, fought alongside American colonists during the Revolutionary War. This honor is reserved for only the most highly-deserving individuals, but it should be noted that it is purely symbolic and does not have any substantive effect on the immigration status of surviving family members. In closing, General Galvez played an important role in the American Revolution, and he was recognized for his efforts by George Washington. The time has come for Congress to now recognize him by granting him posthumous citizenship. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, Friday, July 25th, marks the 40th anniversary of the Legal Services Corporation, which was established by Congress in 1974, with bipartisan support, including that of President Richard Nixon. LSC is a private, nonprofit corporation, funded by Congress. Its mission is to ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans by providing civil legal assistance to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it. LSC funds 134 local legal aid programs, with nearly 800 offices serving every state and U.S. territory. I have long been a supporter of legal assistance for low income Americans and of the LSC dating back to the 1970s, when I led the effort to establish the LSC funded Virginia Peninsula Legal Aid Center, Inc. So I know from first-hand experience that LSC-funded legal aid programs make a critical difference to low income Americans by assisting with their most basic civil legal needs. Many Americans are helped by this organization. Three out of four legal aid clients are women, and legal aid programs often identify domestic violence as one of their top priorities. LSC funded attorneys help women seeking protection from abuse, mothers trying to obtain child support, families facing unlawful evictions or foreclosures that could leave them homeless, veterans seeking duly earned benefits, seniors impacted by consumer scams, individuals who have lost their jobs and need help in applying for unemployment compensation and other benefits, and parents seeking to obtain and keep custody of their children. Today, 63.5 million Americans are eligible for LSC services, which is the highest number in LSC history. Unfortunately, LSC grantees are forced to turn away more than 50 percent of eligible clients who seek their assistance because of lack of adequate funding. With the growing number of Americans eligible for services and increased demand for legal services, the need for legal aid attorneys has never been greater. Mr. Speaker, on this 40th anniversary, I salute the Legal Services Corporation and LSC-funded attorneys for the vital work they do every day on behalf of millions of Americans who need qualified, competent legal counsel. Every day that a legal aid attorney protects the safety, security, health, and economic well being of our most vulnerable citizens, they bring this nation closer to living up to its commitment to equal justice for all.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4983, the Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act. It is critical that prospective students have access to information on institutions that they may be interested in attending, and the bill before us would provide the platform for these students to gather this information. This information is essential to ensuring that students will be able to make an informed decision on which institution to attend. While providing students with additional information on institutions of higher learning is important, none of the bills before us actually will do anything to actually ensure that every student is given every chance possible of receiving an education past high school level. Studies have consistently shown the value of higher education, and have also shown that two-thirds of the jobs in the future will require some sort of education past the high school level. Unfortunately, many students today find higher education unaffordable and out of reach due to the increasing cost of attending college and high student loan interest rates. Currently, the Federal Government makes a significant profit on student loans, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating that the Federal Government will profit $135 billion over the next 10 years off of student loans. We must continue to ensure that college remains affordable and accessible to all that seek it, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Education and the Workforce Committee towards that goal. On the bill before us today, however, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4983, the Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5076, the Enhancing Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act of 2014. I am honored to have joined my colleagues, Mr. Heck and Mr. Kline, and appreciate their leadership on this important issue. Our bill makes an important change in the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act so that victims of trafficking can be better served. We know that trafficking and youth homelessness often affect similar populations. Young people that have run away or are homeless are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and trafficking, and programs targeted towards runaway and homeless youth should be simultaneously equipped to support victims of trafficking when there is such an overlap. Research consistently confirms the correlation between running away and becoming exploited through prostitution. For example, according to a 2006 FBI Uniform Crime Report, girls who run away from their homes, group homes, foster homes, or treatment centers are at high risk of being targeted by a trafficker and becoming exploited. Street Outreach Programs were created to provide services to ``runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse.'' Every year, 25,000 of these young people find shelter as a result of these programs. The legislation being considered today ensures that Street Outreach Programs can rely on funding already available through the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. This allows the Department of Health and Human Services to provide street-based services such as individual assessments, treatment, counseling, or access to emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth who are also victims of trafficking. Because of the overlap that often occurs with homelessness and trafficking, this just makes good sense. Additionally, it is important that we provide the necessary resources to States, organizations, and other entities to train staff working with these victims. This additional training, authorized by this bill under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act research grants, will allow service providers to successfully address and respond to the behavioral and emotional effects of abuse and assault. Our bill ensures that staff training will also include ways to recognize and respond to the unique needs and circumstances of trafficking victims. This is a simple change but an important one necessary to improve services available. It is my hope that we can continue to work in this spirit of bipartisanship and work together to improve and strengthen programs that support our Nation's children, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5135, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2014. This bill is vital to identifying best practices and effective strategies to deter individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to prevent children from becoming victims, and it, therefore, enjoys bipartisan support in the House. This bill will encourage Federal, State, and local governments to work together as an Interagency Task Force to investigate and enforce the existing laws. This task force will emphasize prosecution of the purchasers of sex with children as child rapists. These purchasers are usually referred to as ``johns'' who pay for sex with children, but insofar as children cannot consent to sex, the johns are legally committing rape and should be prosecuted as rapists. The bill encourages law enforcement coordination with intergovernment organizations and academics who will put into practice what research and data demonstrate will work to prevent these crimes. The GAO will submit a report on how the Federal grant programs' funds have been used to combat human trafficking or to assist victims of trafficking. An Interagency Task Force will submit a report to Congress on its findings. The bill will also provide housing to protect and assist children in recovering victims of trafficking. To date, the number of victims, especially child victims, greatly exceeds the number of available shelter beds. Without a safe place to stay, many rescued victims will end up running away and returning to their abusers due to the unique trauma bond that occurs in these cases. Along those lines, we must do more to rescue child victims and expand the services they need. Our country has a moral imperative to protect and help these children who are vulnerable, warrant special protection, and need these services, even in the best of circumstances. This vulnerability is compounded amongst children who have been victims of sexual exploitation, physical violence, trauma, and extreme poverty. With our protection, support, and assistance, we can help them survive. I commend my colleague from Virginia, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for working to bring the bill to the floor, and I commend our colleague from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem) for introducing the legislation. I urge my colleagues to join me in prosecuting those who rape children, protecting and rescuing child victims, and providing the victims with the support that they need. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. As our Nation continues to recover from the Great Recession, we must continue to prepare our Nation's workers for the jobs of the future. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will make long-needed improvements in workforce investment programs and services, including many that will benefit those who are often left behind. The legislation contains an enhanced definition of ``individuals with barriers to employment'' that explicitly includes workers over the age of 55 as well as the long-term unemployed. This means State and local workforce plans must include goals and strategies for serving these and other disenfranchised groups. Additionally, the bill requires that 75 percent of youth funding in the bill support out-of-school youth. Once a juvenile falls off of the right track, he or she will face a range of problems that taxpayers will be on the hook for, especially social services and possibly incarceration. By investing in out-of-school youth, we are investing money on the front end so we won't have to end up paying the bill on the back end. This bill represents a good faith compromise, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Raymond H. Boone, Sr., who passed away on June 3, 2014. Ray devoted his entire life to fighting for justice and equality, becoming one of the most trusted voices in news in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Born in Suffolk, Virginia, Ray earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Boston University and a master's degree in political science from Howard University. Ray's first foray into the newspaper business was as a reporter for the Quincy, Massachusetts Patriot-Ledger and later he worked for the Suffolk, Virginia News-Herald. He also worked as a reporter for the Norfolk, Virginia Journal and Guide. He eventually made his way to Richmond, where he became the editor of the Richmond Afro-American Planet, a position he held for 15 years. Ray temporarily left Richmond to be the editor and vice president of the Baltimore-based Afro-American Newspaper Group. He also served as a correspondent for the National Newspaper Association where he reported from Germany, Finland, the former Soviet Union, Israel and Cuba. And for nine years, he was an associate professor of journalism at Howard University in Washington, DC. In 1992, after returning to Richmond, Ray founded the Richmond Free Press, a progressive weekly newspaper that gave a voice to Richmond's voiceless. Under Ray's leadership as editor and publisher, the Free Press quickly emerged as an honored newspaper in the Richmond region. The Free Press has become a critical source of news and information for the Richmond community, often covering issues and stories left unnoticed by larger media organizations. For his reporting and writing, Ray received the Oliver W. Hill Freedom Fighter Award, the DaimlerChrysler Entrepreneurial Award, a first-place Virginia Press Association editorial writing award, the International Toastmasters' Leadership Award, and the A. Philip Randolph Messenger Award. The Free Press also won eight national awards for journalist excellence from the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Throughout his life and career, Ray received numerous other awards, including the Dominion Resources Strong Men and Women Excellence in Leadership Award, the Metropolitan Business League Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the National Conference for Community and Justice Humanitarian of the Year Award, and the United Negro College Fund Flame Bearer for Education Award. He was also honored by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida for his ``outstanding teaching in journalism.'' Ray will be missed, not only by family and friends, but also by the many people who enjoyed his analysis on the day's news. As a reporter, correspondent, editor, newspaper executive and publisher, Ray always had a unique perspective and a thoughtful approach to disseminating the news to the African-American community and the public at large. A fixture in the Virginia Press Corps for decades, Ray was recognized numerous times, not only for his contributions to the community and the media, but also for excellence with his craft. His legacy lives on in the award-winning and influential paper he leaves behind, the Richmond Free Press. His legacy can also be found in the thriving African- American media landscape which blossomed as a result of his contributions and hard work. On a personal note, I will always cherish Ray's friendship. Ray was a newsman first and he never allowed our friendship to prevent him from covering me in an objective manner. I will always cherish our many interviews and editorial board meetings and I will miss talking politics and policy with him. Most importantly, I will miss his thoughtful approach to presenting the news. The Virginia Press Corps and the Commonwealth of Virginia have lost a powerful and unwavering voice. Mr. Speaker, Raymond H. Boone, Sr. will be sorely missed by his family and friends, and by the countless people he gave a voice to through his writing and reporting. My thoughts and prayers are with Ray's wife, Jean, their children, Regina and Raymond Jr., and the staff and many devoted readers of the Richmond Free Press.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I join the author of the bill, the gentleman from Wisconsin and chair of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Mr. Sensenbrenner; my colleague from Virginia, the chair of the full committee, Mr. Goodlatte; the gentleman from Michigan and ranking member, Mr. Conyers; Mr. Nadler; and my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) for proposing this amended version of the USA FREEDOM Act. I commend my colleagues for working together to develop a bipartisan approach to addressing some of the shortcomings in our foreign intelligence surveillance statutes. As recent revelations about the way that some of these statutes have been used have come to light, members of the Judiciary Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over the statutes, studied the issues, proposed solutions, and worked together to find a way forward. We have also worked with our colleagues from the Intelligence Committee to find common ground in order to bring meaningful surveillance reform to the floor today. The bill, as amended, addresses abuses, enhances privacy protections, provides more rigorous review of critical questions of legal interpretation, and increases transparency so our citizens will know what is being decided and done in their name. While the administration has already indicated that it will change its procedures, to paraphrase President Reagan, I think the best course is to ``trust but codify.'' While this version of the USA FREEDOM Act does not accomplish all that we had hoped for, it is, in fact, a significant step in the right direction. I therefore urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, we come together today at the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month to address sexual assault in its most harrowing context, the rape of a child. After our recent hearing on domestic minor sex trafficking, H.R. 3530, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, is an important step in combating the crisis of child sex trafficking in our country and helping survivors begin their lives anew. Victims of child sex trafficking have suffered the worst trauma imaginable. As a result, they require comprehensive and tailored services to assist their recovery, but funding for the comprehensive care that survivors need is lacking. For example, only 20 beds exist for more than 2,200 children trafficked annually in New York City. This bill is a step in the right direction, providing $5 million in grants for the comprehensive services that victims of trafficking need and correcting an administrative barrier that keeps domestic victims of trafficking from the services given to foreign victims. While the rescue of trafficking victims is necessary, so is the prosecution of child rapists and traffickers. Federal courts have interpreted the existing statute to cover the acts of patronizing and soliciting. Therefore, the addition of these terms under this bill is a mere clarification. Individuals who patronize and solicit already have been held criminally liable under the language of the existing law-- specifically under the provision criminalizing those who obtain those services in the original section 1591. The Justice for Victims Trafficking Act ensures that law enforcement receives funds necessary to train, investigate, and prosecute more cases, which will send the message that the rape of a child is a crime that can be punished by local, State, and Federal officials. Child rapists will find refuge in no jurisdiction. This bill will aid in the coordination of investigations among Federal, State, and local law enforcement and enhance reporting data for missing children. Human trafficking is the second fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating over $32 billion annually, and H.R. 3530 is the most comprehensive piece of legislation to deal with this issue in years. I want to commend our colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) for introducing the legislation and want to commend him and our full committee for working together across the aisle to reach compromise on the spending and foreign impacts of this legislation to streamline its passage. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3530. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), the lead cosponsor on the legislation who has introduced many bills on this issue and who has really been a fighter for those who have been trafficked.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a member of the Judiciary Committee, a former judge and hard worker on this issue.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), who has been working to help these victims, particularly those in foster care.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional minute to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support H.R. 3530, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2014 is another weapon in the bipartisan war against sex trafficking in this country. I commend my colleagues, Representative Paulsen and Representative Moore, for introducing the legislation, which contains important victim-based initiatives to combat sex trafficking. One of the initiatives, the national safe harbor law, is essential to making sure that child victims of sex trafficking are not treated as prostitutes and criminalized, but, rather, are diverted into Child Protective Services. Only 12 States have passed safe harbor laws for minor victims of sex trafficking. Now, Madam Speaker, as my colleague has pointed out, there is no such thing as a child prostitute. Children cannot consent to any sex act; therefore, any sexual act involving a child is child rape. As my colleague, again, has pointed out, paying for the sex does not diminish the crime. Children who are bought and sold for these services are not prostitutes, but are victims. Those adults who sexually exploit them should not be called johns, but instead be called what they truly are: child rapists. We should punish those who prey on the vulnerable, and we cannot continue to criminalize the victims. In an effort to help this recovery, H.R. 3610 empowers victims with a national hotline to request help, and it empowers them with restitution grants and with the eligibility for Job Corps programs. The bill leads to an annual report by the Department of Justice on the amount of restitution ordered to victims in these cases. It will also include information about the number of convictions the Department has secured under all statutes that criminalize sex trafficking. It will provide important information on the focus of investigative and prosecutorial efforts. It will ensure that victims of sex trafficking are treated as victims across all geographical and jurisdictional boundaries. So, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3610. I reserve the balance of my time.