Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of The Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia, which was founded in 1919 at Newport News Shipbuilding. The Apprentice School has been continually recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and globally as an extraordinary apprentice program. It is a leading example of how apprentice programs have been redesigned to teach a wide array of skilled trades, while also offering an educational program rich in academic instruction, craft training, leadership, and extracurricular activities. In its 100 year history, the Apprentice School has graduated more than 10,800 apprentices, with approximately 800 young men and women currently enrolled in 28 different, four-, five-, and eight-year apprenticeship programs. The Apprentice School provides an academic curriculum that includes studies in Mathematics, Physics, Strength of Materials, Drafting, Marine Engineering, Shipbuilding Operations, and Technical Communications, among other disciplines, leading to a strong technical education foundation. The Apprentice School has contributed significantly to Newport News Shipbuilding's reputation, tradition and success, producing complex sea-faring vessels and passenger ships to nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers with the craftsmanship of highly skilled graduates. Representing 13 percent of Newport News Shipbuilding's total current workforce, graduates of The Apprentice School comprise 60 percent of today's general foremen and 45 percent of the production management team. More than 70 percent of graduates are still with the company 15 years after graduation, and graduates are found at all levels of the organization, and all levels of management with more than 3,000 graduates currently employed in more than 230 different occupations. To ensure that apprentices have many education and employment opportunities, The Apprentice School partners with local community colleges and universities to deliver the related academic component of these apprenticeships, which culminates in associate and bachelor's degrees. In addition, the school has established articulation agreements with 10 colleges and universities, providing a seamless transfer of credits and continuing education opportunities for graduates. The Apprentice School is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. Their apprenticeship programs are also recognized by and registered with the Virginia Apprenticeship Council, allowing apprentices the opportunity to earn college credit, receive competitive pay and benefits, learn a trade, and foster the development of craftsmanship, scholarship and leadership. Over its 100-year history, The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding has proven its commitment to establishing robust training and development programs intended to develop and leverage the full potential of the future workforce, and provide high-quality opportunities for its students and the community. Madam Speaker, The Apprentice School and Newport News Shipbuilding will gather for a celebration this weekend to commemorate this important milestone for the school. So as they look back on the last 100 years, I know that The Apprentice School and its graduates will continue to make important contributions to our nation's shipbuilding industry over the next 100 years.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 3055, which would provide funding for the 400 Years of African- American History Commission. I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives John Lewis, Barbara Lee, and Rashida Tlaib for cosponsoring this amendment which would provide an additional $500,000 to support the work of this important commission. I would also like to thank Chairwoman Lowey, Chairwoman McCollum and the Appropriations Committee for working with me to include funding in the underlying bill and their support for this amendment. The 400 Years of African American History Commission is charged with planning programs and activities to commemorate the arrival of the ``twenty and odd'' enslaved Africans who arrived at Point Comfort, Virginia 400 years ago this August and to recognize the influence and contributions of Africans in America in the 400 years since. Unfortunately, that August day in 1619 was not the last time men, women, and children arrived to our country as slaves or were born into bondage here. The history of our nation cannot be fully understood or appreciated without knowing and acknowledging their stories and understanding the ramifications of slavery. We must not ever allow ourselves to forget that this country, including our nation's Capitol, was built through the forced labor of enslaved Africans and their descendents. More than a stain on our nation's past, racism in America did not end with emancipation nor the end of Jim Crow. We must recognize how it continues to impact our communities and our nation today as we address issues of environmental justice, voting rights, mass incarceration, police brutality, and inequity in education and housing. Only then can we begin to move forward together as a country. In the past 400 years, African Americans have struggled and triumphed, making important strides and innovations in science, medicine, business, politics, law, the arts, and more. As we remember, mourn, reflect, and study horrific parts of our nation's history and work to address systemic racism today, the Commission is also intended to celebrate the many accomplishments of African Americans. This body has a history of funding the work of similar commemorative commissions and I trust that our support for the work of this commission will be no different. I remember fondly the many celebrations surrounding the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement in 2007, just a few miles up the James River from historic Point Comfort. As we look forward to the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment next year, I am grateful for the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission and the funding they have received to support their important work. I am also grateful for this body's generous support of the United States Semiquincentennial Commissioners as we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026. It was the successes of those previous commemorative commissions that Senator Tim Kaine had in mind when he initially developed the concept for this commission and asked me to introduce his bill in the House of Representatives. Each of these commissions received generous federal appropriations. While we were successful in getting our bill enacted and the commission established, Congress has yet to appropriate any federal funds to support the work of the 400 Years of African American History Commission. That changes with the Fiscal Year 2020 Interior bill, which already included $500,000 for the commission. The additional $500,000 of funding provided in my amendment will ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for the American people to gather, to study, to reflect, and to fully appreciate the story of African Americans, their contributions to the fabric of our nation, and their resilience over the last 400 years. Mr. Chair, while it is imperative that we observe this year, 2019, as the 400th year since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the English colonies with reverence, it is equally important that we celebrate all that our communities have achieved throughout those 400 years. I hope that my colleagues will join me in marking this occasion, as this body has so many other anniversaries, by fully supporting the Commission's ongoing work. Their efforts to preserve history and invite all Americans to reflect and remember is essential as we continue to work towards creating a more perfect union. Ms. MOORE, Mr. Chair, I rise to thank the chair and ranking member for including my amendment to increase funding to help low-income households replace lead pipes in this en bloc amendment. Even with the plus-ups in this bill for a number of programs within the EPA's State and Tribal Assistance Grant account, and I thank the subcommittee and full committee for their work there, the amount of resources we are providing pales considerable in comparison to the need to address water infrastructure needs. Let's just look at this program that I am amending today. The program is authorized at $60 million. Even after the subcommittee provided a $5 million boost (and I thank the chairwoman for that), it still is only funded at a third of the authorized level. This is a critical program because grantees are able to provide aid to low-income homeowners to replace lead service lines. Unfortunately, those households most affected by this problem often have the fewest resources to replace the pipes. Recent media reports indicate that the EPA may be finally closer to issuing its new lead in drinking water regulations. And while better and stronger regulations help, we won't regulate our way out of the lead poisoning crisis that is afflicting our communities. We must put our funding where our mouths are. We must help get the lead pipes out of the ground and help homeowners get them out of their homes. We must ensure children get tested and treated, if they need it. We must ensure that homes with lead paint get remediated. And all of that takes funding--there is no substitute for that funding. Just this past weekend, the city of Milwaukee had the honor of hosting the Great Lakes Governors and Premiers, the chief executives of what would be the third largest world economy if you added up the GDP of the individual states and provinces. At the top of their agenda was addressing how to provide clean drinking water for the over 105 million residents of the Great Lakes region on both sides of the international border. According to the Governors and Premiers, the Great Lakes region contains the highest concentrations of lead service lines in the United States. I want to echo the call of the Great Lakes Governors & Premiers for the federal governments ``of both the U.S. and Canada to provide appropriate resources . . . to support the accelerated replacement of Lead Service Lines.'' They also called for a comprehensive approach that leverages ``a variety of funding sources and flexibility to match the right tool with each project.'' This bill moves us forward--no question. The THUD bill that we are tackling later this week also provides increased funding for HUD's housing lead control programs. But we need to start taking much bigger steps if we are ever going to get to the point where all children will be safe from this scourge. That's the goal of this amendment. And I thank the chairwoman for her support.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Chairwoman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Chairwoman, I rise in support of this amendment. It is a straightforward amendment transferring $13 million from the Federal Prisoner Detention account to support local delinquency prevention grants authorized under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Last Congress, I was honored to work with my colleague, the gentlewoman from North Carolina, then chair, now Ranking Member Virginia Foxx, to reauthorize JJDPA, and it passed without opposition and was signed by the President last year. Included in that bill was an overhaul of title V of the act which authorizes grants for local delinquency prevention. That overhaul included provisions of the Youth PROMISE Act which I first introduced in 2007. The Youth PROMISE Act model is based on what we all know, and that is, that evidence-based prevention and intervention programs can stop young people from heading down the wrong path and instead, keep them on the right track, usually saving more money in the long run than the programs cost. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Chairwoman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Chairwoman, investments in prevention can avoid the necessity for incarceration. Texas found this out several years ago when their appropriations committee was told that they needed to come up with $2 billion--one State--$2 billion in prison construction to deal with their increasing prison population. They, instead, invested about 10 percent of that in prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation effectively, and found that after that investment, they didn't need to build any new prisons at all. That is the focus of the Youth PROMISE Act. I hope we can adopt the amendment's focus on prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation rather than just mass incarceration. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk made available by the rule.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment to protect construction and shipyard workers from exposure to beryllium, an ultra-toxic metal. When beryllium dust is inhaled, it can trigger chronic beryllium disease, an irreversible lung disease that suffocates victims and often leads to a painful death. Beryllium is also a known human carcinogen. For decades the Federal Government has relied on an arbitrary standard created in 1948 to limit workers' exposure to beryllium. In January 2017, after almost 20 years of consideration, OSHA issued a standard that cut permissible worker exposure levels by 90 percent for general industry, construction, and maritime workers, and improved early detection of beryllium-related health effects through medical monitoring. But this victory was short-lived. Less than a year later OSHA moved to weaken protections against exposure to beryllium for 11,500 maritime and construction workers. This is the first time in its nearly 50-year history that OSHA has proposed to roll back an existing worker health protection for a substance known to cause cancer. While keeping lower exposure limits, the new OSHA proposal would eliminate vital ancillary provisions that protect workers from beryllium. If this proposal is finalized, workers would have no way of knowing if they are being exposed to harmful levels of airborne beryllium. Worse still, workers would have no way of knowing if they or their employers need to take measures to address a beryllium-related disease or adverse health effect. OSHA's unprecedented move ignores scientific evidence showing that, even with the 90 percent reduction in the exposure limits, there remains a significant risk to worker health from beryllium, and when a significant health risk remains, the courts have affirmed that OSHA should maintain ancillary requirements. Furthermore, OSHA has presented no evidence that construction and maritime workers are at any less risk of beryllium-related diseases than general industry workers. Nonetheless, the agency's proposal would discriminate against construction and maritime workers by leaving them with inferior protections compared to general industry workers. Finally, OSHA's unprecedented action was not based on science or evidence that the ancillary requirements were not feasible. Construction companies and shipyards across the country already implement other OSHA standards with ancillary provisions for toxic metals such as chromium, cadmium, and arsenic. Mr. Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment to protect construction and maritime workers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, OSHA did not originally propose to cover shipyards or construction, but asked about coverage in its proposal, it was extensively discussed during the comment period, and those comments are noted in the Federal Register, Volume 80, Number 152, page 47569. I would hope that we would protect the shipyard and construction workers from beryllium, also the people who are nearby, bystanders and everybody else who are protected by this new standard. In order to protect those workers we need to pass this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Providence United Church of Christ in Chesapeake, Virginia on its 165th anniversary. Providence Church began as an informal group of slaves and freed blacks coming together to worship. In the beginning, they gathered for worship in parishioners' homes and in public spaces. This time together was important for African-Americans because it provided spiritual support and a sense of community. In 1854, Providence Church was officially organized by Reverend Scott. Under his leadership, the congregation met every Sunday and grew in size. As the number of parishioners increased, the church was able to purchase property on Railroad Road and build a church. The church was built in 1872 and was located in the city of South Norfolk, Virginia. South Norfolk later became Chesapeake, Virginia in 1963. Providence Church was renamed Providence United Church of Christ in 1957 when they joined the United Church of Christ family. Twenty years after joining the denomination and more than 100 years after the church's founding, Providence United Church of Christ expanded again in 1978. They were fortunate to build another addition in the form of an educational wing in 2003. Today many of their ministries take place in this new space. Over the last 165 years, Providence United Church of Christ has continued to be a leader in the Hampton Roads community. The church serves the community through several ministries including the Christian Education Ministry, Senior Citizens Ministry and the Foodbank Ministry. Annual events include vacation bible schools, Kwanza celebrations, community confitmation classes, youth revivals and senior citizen celebrations. A unique feature of the church is that its congregation is divided into 12 tribes. These tribes provide a way for Providence United Church of Christ to reach different parts of the community. It is impossible to commemorate the 165th anniversary of Providence United Church of Christ without recognizing its former pastors who helped build and grow this historic church--Reverends Scott, J. Jones, A. Harris, G.T. Hall, A.B. Jones, J.J. Faulk, J.R. Alston, R.R. Briggs, Ben E. Cox, V. Chambers, Clifton Thomas, Dr. Isaac McDonald, Dr. Samuel Varner, Dr. Alexander Jamison, Sr. and currently Dr. A. Jerome Danage, Sr. Madam Speaker, as Providence United Church of Christ celebrates this historic milestone this weekend, its congregation can take pride in an inspiring 165 years of fellowship, worship and service. I would like to congratulate Reverend Dr. A. Jerome Danage, Sr. and all the members of the church's congregation on this joyous occasion, and I wish them many more years full of growth, prosperity and service to our community.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the SECURE Act, a bipartisan proposal to address our Nation's retirement security crisis. Several of the bill's provisions are under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Education and Labor, and I would like to discuss two of them. First, the SECURE Act makes it easier for small businesses to band together to form multiple employer plans. This is expected to increase workers' access to retirement savings programs with potentially lower cost investment options. Second, the SECURE Act includes a carefully and narrowly tailored safe harbor for the selection of an annuity provider for 401(k) plans. This limited safe harbor is intended to ease employers' concerns about their fiduciary liability and to expand workers' access to annuities and other lifetime income options. I thank Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady for their leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support the SECURE Act.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank Dr. Schrier and Mr. Comer for sponsoring this important legislation. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or Stronger CAPTA. Congress has a vital role in helping States protect children from physical injury and emotional trauma associated with child abuse and neglect. Stronger CAPTA will fulfill that role by increasing investment in both treatment of child abuse and neglect, and programs designed to prevent maltreatment from happening in the first place. Specifically, this bill would provide States with resources to strengthen prevention programs, invest in child protective service agencies, and streamline communication between those agencies across this country. It would also build upon the bipartisan commitment to keep families together when it is in the best interests of the child. Last Saturday, May 18, was the 1-year anniversary of the tragic death of Heaven Watkins, an 11-year-old girl in my community who lost her life because of child abuse. Had the reforms in this bill been in place, Heaven's death could have been prevented. Specifically, investing in prevention strategies and improving the collection and sharing of vital information can help children like Heaven from slipping through the cracks. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank, again, Dr. Schrier and Mr. Comer for their leadership, as well as Ms. Bonamici, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Stefanik, and, of course, the ranking member, Dr. Foxx, for their work in bringing this bill to the floor. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Stronger CAPTA.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, today is a historic day. Sixty- five years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racially segregated schools were inherently unequal and, therefore, unconstitutional. Today is also a historic day for the LGBTQ community, because today the House of Representatives will pass the Equality Act. Over the last decade, we have made progress in securing rights for the LGBT community, including marriage equality and the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. However, many legal barriers still remain. Only a handful of States have explicit laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and even fewer have protections for gender identity. The inconsistent patchwork of State laws leaves many people vulnerable to discrimination at work, at school, and in many other parts of their daily lives. As chairman, I was proud to hold a hearing on this important civil rights legislation in the Committee on Education and Labor. Witnesses testified that all too many Americans are experiencing discrimination in their everyday lives, especially the workplace, and even in the educational system, where many of them are experiencing discrimination, even in elementary school. This is not acceptable. This bill also ensures that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the RFRA, cannot be used as a free pass to discriminate. RFRA was originally enacted as a shield to serve as a safeguard for religious freedom, but recently it has been used as a sword to cut down the civil rights of too many individuals. Freedom from discrimination is a core American value. Madam Speaker, passage of this bill is long overdue. We must affirm that all Americans are equally protected from discrimination under the law. I, therefore, urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a historic neighborhood in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The Historic Truxtun Community in Portsmouth, Virginia will celebrate its centennial on May 18, 2019. To mark the occasion, I would like to take a moment to highlight the history of this neighborhood and recognize its contributions to our community. The community of Truxtun was named after Thomas Truxtun, a Revolutionary War sailor who was known for successfully capturing British ships during the Revolutionary War. He went on to captain the USS Constellation and the USS President. There have been six United States Navy ships named in his honor. The Truxtun community sits on 43 acres of land within walking distance of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. It was constructed in 1918 as a project of the U.S. Housing Corporation to address the housing shortage for shipbuilders employed at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. At the time, the United States had just entered World War I and the newly developed Naval Operating Base was gearing up to assist with the war effort. Truxtun stands out in United States history as the first government housing project developed for African-Americans. The neighborhood had 250 lots consisting of duplexes and five-bedroom single family homes. The homes in Truxtun had a distinguished style--exposed rafter ends, jerkinhead roofs, and central chimneys. Truxtun homes also offered indoor plumbing and electricity at a time where many people, especially African Americans, did not have access to such amenities. Despite the modern architecture and amenities in Truxtun, it was still a segregated community. Because of the Supreme Court's 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, Jim Crow segregation laws forced blacks to reside in Truxtun while whites lived in their own nearby government housing project called Cradock. Those who relocated to Truxtun considered the community tightknit and vibrant. Rents were affordable and started at $17.50 per month. Southern black workers were happy to abandon their agricultural lives and start fresh with higher wages and improved working conditions. Truxtun helped transformed the Hampton Roads region and the region benefitted economically, socially and culturally. The Truxtun community was developed with a ``new urbanism'' style and had everything a town needed to thrive. From its own convenience store, school and church to civic leagues and sporting events, this town provided residents a place to live, play and shop within an easy commute to the shipyard. The neighborhood had four policemen, a town manager and even a townhouse to do official work. Since Truxtun was formed as an independent township within what was then Norfolk county, its locally elected town manager could levy taxes and provide public services. That is, until Portsmouth acquired the community in 1923. 100 years after its founding, Truxtun is experiencing a revival that places it as one of Portsmouth's most prized cultural centers. In 1982, Truxtun was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was one of the first out of about 100 federally financed housing projects during World War I, and it remains a national model for communities that are looking to plan and build inclusive, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. Madam Speaker, I congratulate the residents of Truxtun on their centennial celebration and for helping to make Portsmouth a great place to live and raise a family.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this bill to improve access to quality health coverage, protect the Affordable Care Act, and cut prescription drug costs for consumers. Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, the administration has consistently undermined quality, affordable coverage that Americans have come to expect. House Republicans actually passed a bill last year that CBO concluded would provide coverage for over 20 million fewer people, would increase premiums 20 percent the first year, would cover less, and would jeopardize protections for those with preexisting conditions. We can do better. Mr. Chairman, I want to speak on one important provision of H.R. 987 that reverses the administration's attempt to proliferate junk insurance plans. Mr. Chairman, for healthier, younger Americans, short-term junk plans may sound like a good idea. Unfortunately, those policies will fail to cover essential benefits and will lack consumer protections. They may not provide decent coverage for when they get sick. The major problem with the proliferation of junk plans is the fact that they allow insurance companies to sell plans to healthy people only, meaning that everybody else would be in an insurance pool that is sicker than they are today. While a privileged few may pay less, everybody else will pay more. In fact, one study showed that the combination of all these junk plans and lack of mandates and other sabotage of the Affordable Care Act could result in thousands of dollars more for everybody else to pay. These plans will raise costs for most Americans, and that is a step in the wrong direction. Mr. Chairman, we should be reducing the cost of insurance for most Americans, not increasing the cost. Mr. Chair, this bill will prevent the administration from going in the wrong direction, so I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 987. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Shalala).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time each side has remaining.