During his 15-year tenure in the Virginia General Assembly, Rep. Scott successfully sponsored laws that are critical to Virginians in healthcare, education, employment, economic development, crime prevention, social services and consumer protection.  His legislative successes included laws that improved healthcare benefits for women, infants and children, increased the Virginia minimum wage and created the Governor's Employment and Training Council.  He also sponsored the Neighborhood Assistance Act, which provides tax credits to businesses for donations made to approved social service and crime prevention programs.

In November 1992, Rep. Scott was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.  Through this election, Rep. Scott made history by becoming the first African American elected to Congress from 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 Rep. Scott the distinction of being the first American with Filipino ancestry to serve as a voting member of Congress.

Rep. Scott currently serves on the Committee on the Judiciary, where he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Rep. Scott also serves on the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on the Budget.

In his 17 years in Congress, Rep. Scott has become known as a champion of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, fighting to protect the rights and civil liberties of all Americans.  For example, in 1997, he protected the right of all children with disabilities to obtain a free and appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by leading a successful effort to defeat amendments aimed at curtailing that right for some children.  Another example is a bill Rep. Scott sponsored, the Death in Custody Reporting Act, which requires states and localities to report information regarding the death of any person in the custody of law enforcement officials.  It was signed into law by President Clinton on October 17, 2000.  Rep. Scott is also a leading critic against warrantless wiretapping and a leading opponent of efforts to permit employment discrimination in federally funded programs based on religion.

Rep. Scott has opposed the War in Iraq since its beginning, having voted against the initial resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq.  At the same time, Rep. Scott is a strong supporter of our nation's military readiness as well as our troops and their safety.  He is a leading advocate for improving and increasing funding for veterans' benefits and health care, especially mental health care, and was the lead sponsor in the House of Senator Jim Webb’s Post-9/11 G.I. Bill that was signed into law on June 30, 2008.

From the beginning of his tenure in Congress, Rep. Scott has led efforts to pass comprehensive juvenile justice reform and crime prevention legislation and is doing so now by sponsoring the Youth PROMISE Act, which provides resources to state and local governments for research and evidenced-based strategies and programs to prevent juvenile crime.  He is also leading efforts to enact legislation designed to reduce high school dropout rates and increase access to a college education for all students with the Every Student Counts Act.  And, as a part of developing universal health care for all, Rep. Scott sponsored the All Healthy Children Act to ensure that the 9 million uninsured children in the United States have access to quality health care.

Rep. 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 from law school, he returned 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.

Rep. Scott is a member of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church in Newport News and is a member of many professional, community and civic boards and organizations.