Bobby Scott

Democrat

In OfficeUS House · District 3 RunningUS House · District 3 · Democratic Primary

About

Service in Virginia General Assembly

Prior to serving in Congress, Bobby served 15 years in the Virginia General Assembly where he focused his legislative efforts on creating jobs, increasing access to affordable healthcare, improving education and economic opportunities, promoting evidence-based crime prevention strategies and enhancing consumer protections. Bobby's legislative successes in the General Assembly include raising Virginia's minimum wage, enhancing opportunities for Virginia's families, and establishing the Governor's Employment and Training Council.

Historic Election to Congress

With his first election to Congress in November 1992, Bobby made history by becoming the first African-American elected to Congress from Virginia since the Reconstruction-era. Because his maternal grandfather immigrated from the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, Bobby also has the distinction of being the first voting member of Congress with Filipino ancestry.

Positions

Fighting for our Students

In January 2019 when Democrats took the majority in the House of Representatives, Bobby was elected Chairman of the powerful Education and Labor Committee. As Chairman, Bobby is fighting to make sure that all children in America have access to a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code.

Fighting for Working People

Minimum wage workers have not seen an increase in the federal minimum wage in over a decade. In 2019, Bobby introduced the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 a hour by 2025. Bobby’s bill would deliver a long overdue raise to 33 million American workers and lift 13 million Americans out of poverty, including 600,000 children. Bobby’s Raise the Wage Act passed the House of Representatives in July 2019.

Affordable Health Care

Bobby worked with President Obama to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. The ACA helped millions of uninsured Americans gain access to health insurance, many for the first time. Obamacare also ended the practice of private insurance companies from denying insurance to individuals with pre-existing conditions and capping the amount of care an individual can receive.

Criminal Justice & Gun Violence

Bobby has spent his career in public service advancing evidence-based criminal justice reform. He led efforts as a freshman congressman against the 1994 crime bill that helped create our nation's mass incarceration problem and destroyed countless families and communities.