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 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.
NATIONAL VISIBILITY AWARD
Congressman Bobby Scott is a recipient of the Visibility Award. Congressman Scott has been a tremendous friend to the secular community throughout his distinguished career in public service. As the ranking Democratic Member on the House Education and Workforce Committee, Congressman Scott continues to champion legislation that promotes and protects the rights of all Americans. He is the author, with Congressman Joe Kennedy III (Massachusetts) of the Do No Harm Act, which the Secular Coalition will lobby for at our 2017 Lobby Day and Secular Values Summit. Mr. Scott has spoken to the Secular Coalition on several occasions and addressed the 2016 Reason Rally.