Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, prior to yielding time, I yield myself 1 minute just to remind those on the other side of the aisle, who have lectured this side of the aisle on fiscal responsibility, that every Democratic Presidential administration since Kennedy left office with a better deficit situation than they inherited--every one, without exception. And every Republican since Nixon, every administration left office with a worse deficit situation than they inherited, without exception. President Trump was well on his way to fulfilling that trend before the pandemic. But hypocrisy is not much of an issue. I just wanted to remind people who is fiscally responsible and who isn't. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor and an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, would the Speaker advise how much time is remaining on both sides.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, while the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act does not solve the student loan debt crisis, it takes another sensible step to help borrowers separate with loans that do not belong to them. This legislation also comes at a critical time when many borrowers seek relief under President Biden's recently announced loan cancellation program. Unfortunately, not all borrowers with joint consolidation loans are currently eligible for relief, even if they meet all other criteria. Simply put, by advancing the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, we are providing borrowers with additional avenues of loan relief, ensuring survivors of domestic or economic abuse are not responsible for their spouse's or former spouse's debt. Again, I thank Senator Warner of Virginia and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) for their leadership on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1433, the Helen Keller National Center Reauthorization Act of 2022.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi), a cosponsor of the legislation.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1433) to reauthorize the Helen Keller National Center for Youths and Adults Who Are Deaf-Blind, as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1433, the Helen Keller National Center Reauthorization Act, which would reauthorize the Helen Keller National Center for 5 years. The Helen Keller National Center for Youths and Adults Who Are Deaf- Blind was first authorized by Congress in 1967 to assist the deaf-blind community in America. To this day, it is the only comprehensive national program that provides information, referrals, support, and training exclusively to Americans who have combined vision and hearing loss, while also supporting families and professionals who work with the deaf-blind community. Moreover, the Helen Keller National Center is the only comprehensive national program that provides for information, referral, support, and training exclusively to youth and adults who have combined vision and hearing loss. The center also supports families and professionals who work with the deaf-blind community. Thankfully, through our actions today, we will be one step closer to reauthorizing the center's important work through 2027. The Helen Keller center performs life-changing work. This work and the population it serves deserve all of our support. Lastly, I thank the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan), and the cosponsors, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi), and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), for their leadership on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the American deaf-blind community and support this bipartisan legislation before us. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will help members of the deaf-blind community across the country. I thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership, along with the sponsors and cosponsors of the legislation. I am proud that the House is considering this legislation today. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3157) to require the Secretary of Labor to conduct a study of the factors affecting employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees with professional credentials obtained in foreign countries.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 3157, the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, each year, millions of immigrants and refugees come to the United States to find a better life and achieve the American Dream. Many of these new Americans arrive with valuable experiences in specialized fields and international degrees that could help strengthen our communities and our economy. Regrettably, we know that these Americans face barriers that prevent them from utilizing their skills and credentials to contribute to our country and pursue their careers. In fact, nearly 2 million highly skilled immigrants are underemployed or working in low-skilled jobs instead of their expert fields. These barriers directly affect our economy, costing tens of billions of dollars in forgone wages and billions in lost Federal, State, and local tax payments each year. In response, the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act will help us better understand not only the employment barriers facing immigrants and refugees but also steps we can take to ensure that new Americans can join our economic growth and pursue careers in which they can succeed to their fullest potential. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow), the chair of the Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development of the Small Business Committee.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues have pointed out, the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act is particularly critical as we continue to recover from the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than ever, we must draw from the skills of our Nation's immigrants and refugees to accelerate our recovery and strengthen our communities. In other words, this bill will ensure that the new Americans can re- establish their careers, succeed to their full potential, and join the effort to build back a brighter future for all Americans. I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sempolinski), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow), the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), as well as Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota, Senator Cornyn of Texas, Senator Coons of Delaware, and Senator Murkowski from Alaska, for their leadership on this legislative priority. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I thank her for her good work. Madam Speaker, the people, the American people deserve a government that puts people over politics and protects hardworking families, not billionaires and special interests. That is why, throughout the 117th Congress, the House Education and Labor Committee has advanced legislation that meets the needs of students, families, workers, and our economy. Over the last 2 years, Congressional Democrats and the Biden-Harris administration have made historic progress to rescue the American economy, create good-paying jobs, get students back on track, fight child hunger, and boost access to healthcare. Just in the Education and Labor Committee, there was a lot that was done. We helped create over 10 million jobs in our economy since January 2021: the most jobs in history for 20 months. We recovered all of the jobs lost during the pandemic. We reduced unemployment to historically low levels. We saved the pensions of over 1 million workers, and protected thousands of businesses by saving the multiemployer pension fund. We delivered the largest one-time Federal investment to K-12 education in the United States history. And we delivered that money and distributed it according to the Title I formula where poverty is the main factor, meaning that the districts that need it the most got the most. Those that are traditionally overlooked got more money than they have ever gotten before. We put money into school lunches so that students didn't go hungry during that period of time. We made sure that, with that money, the schools could open safely, stay open safely, and make up for lost learning. During that period of time, during the COVID relief bills, we had more money for historically Black colleges and universities than we ever have in history. Now, we also made sure that the number of Americans without health insurance, because of the actions that we have taken, is now the lowest it has ever been. We have made sure that they can get vaccines, and those vaccines were distributed equitably. That is not always the case. We made sure that drug prices were down, particularly insulin for seniors, no more than $35 per month for insulin. A lot of people right now before this bill were paying a lot more than that. That is just the kind of legislation that came through the Education and Labor Committee. But House Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus are committed to continuing this historic progress and building back a stronger economy for all Americans. That is why we passed the bipartisan infrastructure law, which not only modernized roads, bridges, and waterways, but will also create millions of good-paying jobs and will deliver broadband to areas that don't have broadband today. We will invest in neighborhoods that were destroyed by previous transportation plans going right down the middle of African- American neighborhoods, and we will invest in those neighborhoods to try to make up for that devastation. Moving forward, we are committed to committee work, advancing policies like the Raise the Wage Act, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act, the Strength in Diversity Act, and the Rebuild America's Schools Act to ensure that every worker, student, and family has the opportunity to succeed. We have done a lot. We haven't finished. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her leadership and the opportunity to remind the American public of what we have already accomplished.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Allen Ezail Iverson for his contributions as an amateur and professional athlete as Bethel High School, his alma mater, retires his football jersey in a ceremony today. As a student at Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, Allen was a standout athlete on the football field and on the basketball court. He excelled as a quarterback, punt returner and defensive back while leading his teammates to a Division 5 State Championship in 1992. Allen was equally talented on the basketball court, and he had the distinction of winning an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Under 17 National Championship in 1992 as a member of the Boo Williams AAU Team. Allen also excelled as Bethel's starting point guard. He led Bethel's basketball team to another Division 5 State Championship in the spring of 1993, which resulted in the rare feat of winning State Championships in two separate sports in the same school year. Allen was widely- recognized as one of the best athletes in the nation. During his high school career, he was named the Associated Press Group's AAA Football and Basketball Player of the Year and a McDonald's High School All- American in Basketball. After graduating from Bethel High School, Allen went on to attend Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he was a member of the basketball team. During his two years on the basketball team, he led the Hoyas to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Basketball Tournament with berths to the Sweet 18 and Elite 8. As a Hoya, Allen received the Big East Rookie of the Year Award and was selected for All Rookie Tournament First Team. He was also selected as Big East Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All American. To the delight of his fans, Allen was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996. He made an impact with the team immediately and was named the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Rookie of the year in 1997. During the 2000-2001 season, he was named Most Valuable Player and led the 76ers to the NBA Finals. Ultimately, Allen spent ten seasons with the 76ers before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He played for the Nuggets for two seasons before also playing for the Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies. He concluded his NBA career by reuniting with the Philadelphia 76ers for twenty-five games. Over the course of his career, Allen received numerous accolades. He led the NBA in scoring on four separate occasions. He was named to the All-Star team eleven times and was twice named the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player. He was named to an All-NBA Team seven times. Known for his grit and determination, Allen has had tremendous impact on the game on the court and basketball culture at large. Allen was rewarded for his many contributions with his induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. During the NBA's 75th Anniversary, Allen was recognized as one of the 75 best players in NBA history. Madam Speaker, Allen Iverson has inspired and impacted basketball fans in his hometown of Hampton, across our Nation, and around the world. Off the court, he has given so much back to his hometown community, including donating toys to children and helping to fund a new basketball court at the local Boys and Girls Club in Newport News where he played as a child. Bethel High School renamed its gymnasium the Allen Iverson Gymnasium and his basketball jersey was retired in 2003. As his family, friends, fans, and supporters gather this weekend to celebrate his numerous accomplishments and the retirement of his high school football jersey, I join them in congratulating Allen on a truly legendary career. I also want to thank his wife Tawanna, his mother Ann, his five children, and his family for all the support they have given Allen throughout his career. Allen, who is also affectionately known as ``AI'', ``the Answer'' and ``Bubba Chuck'', I thank him for representing our community during his career and congratulate him on the retirement of his Bethel High School football jersey.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, with the passage of this bill, Medicare will finally be able to negotiate for lower drug prices. The bill extends the American Rescue Plan's reduction in the cost of insurance under the Affordable Care Act, which has helped us reach the lowest number of uninsured people ever. The bill will make the largest ever investment to address climate change. I am especially pleased with the bill's provisions to turbocharge the development of offshore wind. As chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, I am encouraged by the permanent extension of the black lung excise tax. The extension will fund future benefits in healthcare for miners in southwest Virginia and across coal country who are suffering from black lung disease. Extending the tax will protect the long-term sustainability of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund by ensuring that the coal industry does not shift the cost of benefits from coal companies to miners, families, or the taxpayer. All of this while simultaneously reducing the Federal deficit. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Huntington High School on the anniversary of its founding more than 100 years ago. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Huntington High School was opened in 1920 as the first public high school for African-American youth in the city of Newport News. The school was named in honor of Collis Potter Huntington, founder of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and a developer of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, which he helped bring to Newport News. Huntington High School began as a class of just 52 students with one teacher in a small room at John Marshall Elementary School. The school eventually moved to its own four-room building on 18th Street in Newport News. The school continued to expand adding four additional rooms, making the structure two stories high. Huntington High School's growth eventually required additional staff as well as the construction of a new campus on Orcutt Avenue that was completed in 1936. Additions were made to that new building in 1945, 1947, and 1949. Huntington's ``Mighty Vikings'' excelled in academics, sports, and music and helped earn Huntington a reputation as one of the most outstanding schools in Virginia. The spirited marching bands were renowned for their famous ``Viking Call,'' which could be heard throughout the neighborhood. The 48th and final class graduated in 1971, ending Huntington High School's five decades of fostering community hope, unity, and pride. It's proud name and tradition continued on as an intermediate school for eighth and ninth grades, and in 1981 the school's storied building on Orcutt Avenue became Huntington Middle School, serving students in sixth through eighth grade. Madam Speaker, as the Newport News community gathers to celebrate over 100 years since Huntington's founding, I want to congratulate the alumni of this historic school and the work they have done to serve the City of Newport News and the greater Hampton Roads community.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Pembroke High School Class of 1972 which will be holding its 50th reunion next week. Located in the City of Hampton in Virginia's 3rd District, Pembroke High School, originally named the George P. Phenix High School, was opened in 1940 to educate African Americans living in the area. In 1954, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling which struck down segregation in public education. The high school was moved to a new building in 1962 but was not fully integrated until 1967. In 1968, George P. Phenix High School was renamed Pembroke High School as part of the Hampton School Board's efforts to integrate all public schools. The school would continue to serve the Hampton area, including students from Fort Monroe and Langley Air Force Base, until 1980 when Pembroke High School would be forced to close its doors due to low enrollment and low capacity. Now, the former Pembroke High School building continues to serve the Hampton community by housing the Hampton City Social Services office as well as the Hampton Family YMCA. Madam Speaker, as the Pembroke High School Class of 1972 gathers to celebrate a truly momentous anniversary, I want to congratulate the members of this historic class and the work they have done to serve the City of Hampton and the 3rd District of Virginia. I thank Pembroke High School Class of 1972 for their service, and congratulate them on their 50-year reunion.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk made in order under the rule.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, this amendment is simple and straightforward. It requires the Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation within 1 year after the date of enactment to issue a public request for information regarding ways to ensure the long-term solvency of the PBGC's insurance programs, and then within 2 years after the date of enactment, the Director shall issue a report to congressional committees with recommendations on how to ensure the long-term solvency of the insurance programs. As my colleagues know, the PBGC administers two insurance programs, one for multiemployer pensions and the other for single-employer pensions. PBGC's multiemployer program has been on the brink of insolvency. It was projected to run out of money in just a few years, but thanks to the Biden administration and congressional Democrats stepping up and passing the American Rescue Plan last year, millions of Americans' pensions have been saved. Because the law requires participating businesses to pay into those failing plans until the businesses go broke, tens of thousands of businesses have been saved, and the solvency of the PBGC's multiemployer program has been extended for at least 30 more years. For the single-employer program, the PBGC's most recent annual report indicates that it is financially healthy, with a positive net position of over $30 billion at the end of fiscal year 2021 compared to just over $15 billion at the end of fiscal year 2020. So, fortunately, it is not at the near-term risk of becoming insolvent. A few years ago, I had the honor of being one of the four House Democrats selected for a special committee charged with addressing the multiemployer pension crisis. We tried to address the immediate crisis facing multiemployer pension plans with their participants and employers while also considering other long-term reforms to pension programs, but unfortunately we could not reach any agreement before the clock ran out. Now that congressional Democrats and the Biden administration have solved the immediate crisis, and it looks like we can solve this crisis, we should take action to ensure that this doesn't happen again. We will do this by getting policy recommendations from the PBGC on how we can ensure long-term solvency of both insurance programs and avoid the possibility that 20 years from now pension plans would again be on the brink of insolvency. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Madam Speaker, the distinguished ranking member pointed out that the saving of the multiemployer pension fund would cost about $90 billion. That is right. What she omitted was that estimates of doing nothing with the people losing their pension, they would pay less in income taxes, they would use more social services, and the Federal Government was on the hook for $170 billion if we had done nothing. In other words, we would have to spend $80 billion more to help the people who lost their pensions and the businesses that went broke trying to save those pension plans. But in any case, Madam Speaker, the time to fix the roof is when the Sun is shining. We have gotten past the crisis. Let's find out what we need to do to avoid the possibility that these pension funds might be back here 20 years from now in a state of failure. We need to make sure we fix it. Let's get these recommendations. That is why this amendment is so important that it will guarantee getting the information so we can fix these plans once and for all. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.