U.S. Congressman David Scott | In The News
13th District Update |December 15, 2019
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Congressman David Scott, Representing Georgia's 13th District

Congressman Scott Votes to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

This week, I voted to pass H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act. This bill will help bring down prescription drug prices by giving Medicare the power to negotiate directly with drug companies and allowing private health insurance companies to make these same low prices available to their consumers.

Over 75,000 people in Georgia’s 13th District are enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan. Thousands of seniors in Georgia living with diabetes, arthritis, breast cancer, and other serious medical conditions spend between $10,000 and $40,000 every year for prescription drugs. The Lower Drug Costs Now Act would significantly decrease these prices by more than 70 percent and provide Medicare patients new dental, vision, and hearing benefits. This legislation also allows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reinvest $98 billion in savings generated from Medicare drug pricing negotiations in new drug research and development.

Congressman David Scott Votes to Fund Pay Raise for Military Servicemembers, Strengthen National Security

This week, I also voted in support of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, authorizing $738B for the U.S. Department of Defense.

I was proud to vote in support of the NDAA because our troops and their families deserve the best compensation, care, and benefits available. Securing this defense funding is critical for strengthening national security and advancing biomedical research to provide new treatments for veterans.

This bipartisan, bicameral bill includes a 3.1.% pay raise for military servicemembers, the largest military pay increase in a decade, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all federal civilian employees, including over 65,000 federal civilian employees in Georgia. This robust defense package repeals the SBP-DIC offset (also known as the widow’s tax) over three years for all of our nation’s Gold Star families and provides new comprehensive mental health care services for military servicemembers.

Congressman David Scott Applauds Historic Passage of FUTURE Act, $255M HBCU Funding

On Tuesday, the House and Senate joined together in passing H.R. 5363, the FUTURE Act, marking a pivotal moment in U.S. history for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the nation.  As a proud graduate of Florida A&M University, I support this legislation because it commits $255 million in mandatory federal funds to HBCUs and MSIs to support these critical educational institutions and the students who attend them. In Georgia, 10 HBCUs could benefit from the funding security provided by the FUTURE Act to strengthen their infrastructure, staff, and educational experiences.  The legislation will now be sent to the President’s desk

Congressman Scott holds Agriculture Subcommittee Hearing to Bolster Farmer Support

On last Wednesday, I was proud to chair a hearing in the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit examining the uncertainties and challenges facing today’s farmers.  Earlier in the week, Farm Credit announced a new initiative to address increased stress and farmer suicides due to the challenges facing the rural economy.  Extreme weather events, trade battles, and price uncertainty can cause significant strain on our farmers, who frequently suffer without access to needed health and support systems.  My subcommittee convened lenders familiar with the economic needs of farmers to review the critical link between financial stress and mental health and examine bipartisan solutions to provide relief to our rural communities. 

Congressman Scott Supports Passage of Voting Rights Advancement Act

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019.  I am a proud supporter of H.R. 4 so future Georgian voters are protected from flawed and oppressive voting procedures. This bill reinstates important provisions of the Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, allowing Federal courts to protect voters from discriminatory voting changes that would harm voters on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. In recent years, voters across the entire state have endured numerous attempts to limit access to the polls, leading to ongoing lawsuits related to voter suppression.  H.R. 4 puts the power of democracy back in the hands of the voter so that all forms of government are for the people, and by the people.

2020 1890 National Scholarship Application Cycle is Now Open!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2020 Application for the National Scholars Program is now open! The program provides students with full ride scholarships, including room and board, to attend one of the nineteen 1890s Land-Grant Universities. The program is designed to increase the number of minorities studying agriculture, food, natural resource sciences and related disciplines. The program also helps recipients realize a potential conversion to a full-time employment opportunity with the U.S. Department of Agriculture upon graduation. The deadline for the 2020 National Scholarship application cycle closes on January 31st, 2020. 


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WASHINGTON, DC OFFICE
225 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
T (202) 225-2939
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JONESBORO DISTRICT OFFICE
173 North Main Street
Jonesboro, GA 30236
T (770) 210-5073
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Smyrna, GA 30080
T (770) 432-5405
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