DAVID SCOTT - CONGRESSMAN, REPRESENTING GEORGIA'S 13TH DISTRICT

Diverse Issues in Higher Education, December 4, 2016

Land-grant HBCUs Seeking Aid from Congress ---

by Reginald Stuart

The nation’s 19 historically Black land-grant colleges (the so-called 1890 HBCUs), are expected this week to have a Congressional hearing on a plan to specifically strengthen the institutions’ financial abilities to provide formal education to minorities and others pursuing studies in the agricultural sciences.

The full House Committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, plans to hear Wednesday morning from two panels — one of lawmakers and one of university presidents — about a House resolution (6020) that would provide each of the 19 institutions $1 million a year for five years to fund scholarships for students planning to pursue careers in the field of agriculture.

The scholarship funds proposal by Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., represent what Scott notes is a “drop in the bucket” from the billions spent annually by the federal government to help higher education.

Still, he says, there is positive action on the proposal for a variety of reasons. It would come at a crucial time in history, as the ranks of the nation’s agricultural farming and producer population are declining rapidly. The average age of the declining ranks — 60 years old, according to federal population studies — is getting higher and higher.

Scott’s proposal also would give a needed boost to the 1890 colleges, a specific group of public colleges created to fulfill a post-Civil War effort by the government to provide agricultural education training and services to Blacks in 19 states.

The 1890s have never been funded to address their mission on a comparable basis to their historically White counterparts regardless of the potential size of their target population, federal, state and private research reports say.

The federal and state funding policies and practices are oft times cited as playing an important role in the demise during the last century of Black farms and Blacks in agriculture.

Until the 1950s, Blacks were legally barred from attending the historically White land-grant colleges in those states.

On Friday, November 11, 2016, Congressman David Scott will join leaders from the Jonesboro VFW Post 6330 Auxiliary, Jonesboro American Legion, city of Jonesboro and Clayton County to honor the service and sacrifice of 21.4 million American veterans across the country, including 751,763 in Georgia.

WHO:        Congressman David Scott

                   Jonesboro VFW Post 6330 Auxiliary

                   Jonesboro American Legion

WHAT:       1^st Annual Veterans Day Service

WHEN:      Friday, November 11, 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:     Lee Street Park

                     155 Lee Street

                    Jonesboro, GA 30236

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Don’t drown in your mortgage

Do you owe more on your mortgage than your home is worth?

A new, limited-time, federally funded state initiative called Underwater Georgia (www.underwatergeorgia.org) may be able to help.

For eligible applicants, Underwater Georgia may be able to provide a one-time payment of up to $50,000 to reduce the principal balance on your home.

From now until Oct. 18, visit underwatergeorgia.org to determine if you may qualify and begin a pre-application. Because demand for the program is expected to far surpass total resources available, Underwater Georgia will operate through a random third-party selection process. Once funds have been exhausted, the program will close.

To qualify, homeowners must meet several criteria about how long they’ve owned the home, total mortgage balance and loan to value ratio, total household income and assets, and other factors. Applicants cannot have previously received assistance through HomeSafe Georgia.

Don’t miss this limited-time opportunity to see if you qualify. Visit underwatergeorgia.org today.

The U.S. House of Representatives will hold a full vote on H.R. 4747, a bipartisan resolution introduced by Congressman David Scott (GA-13) to rename the Riverdale Post Office after fallen Riverdale police officer Major Greg Barney, on Monday, May 23, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. 

      Who:         Congressman David Scott

                        Congressman Lynn Westmoreland

                        Members of Georgia’s Congressional delegation

      What:        Floor Statements and Full House Vote on H.R. 4747 - Renaming the Riverdale

                        Post Office as the ‘‘Major Gregory E. Barney Post Office Building” 

      When:       Monday, May 23, 2016, 5:00 p.m.

      Where:      Floor of the House of Representatives, U.S. Capitol

                         Live on C-SPAN TV or via streaming at http://www.c-span.org/networks/

Background:

On February 11, 2016, Major Greg Barney, was shot and killed while giving chase to a suspect during a raid on an illegal drug operation.  He was the first Riverdale police officer to die in the line of duty.  During his 25 year career with the Riverdale Police Department, Major Barney was a school resource officer at Riverdale High School, a sergeant, a captain, and the first African-American to serve as Chief of Police when he was appointed interim chief in 2004.  In March 2016, Congressman Scott introduced H.R. 4747, with bipartisan support from Georgia’s Congressional delegation, to rename the post office located at 6691 Church Street in Riverdale, Georgia, as the ‘‘Major Gregory E. Barney Post Office Building.”  The Riverdale Post Office sits directly across Church Street from the city police headquarters where Major Barney reported for duty. 

On Saturday, May 7, 2016, Congressman David Scott will host a special presentation to honor all participating students of his 14^th Annual Congressional High School Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery.  To date, Congressman Scott has awarded over $392,000 in scholarships to local student artists. 

During the ceremony, the top winners of the competition will be announced.  The first place entry from Congressman Scott’s district will join other first place winners from around the country and be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.  Scholarships will be presented as follows: $12,000 – first place, $7,500 – second place, and $3,500 – third place, all by the Art Institute of Atlanta; and $3,000/ year to the first-place winner by the Savannah College of Art and Design. 

Additional scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $1,500 will be presented to the top winners by AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Power, and Greystone Power.

WHEN:  Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

WHERE:  Douglas County Courthouse Art Gallery, located on the third floor of the Douglas County Courthouse at 8700 Hospital Drive, Douglasville, GA 30134.

WHO:  Participating high schools include:  Alexander; Arlington Christian; Chapel Hill; Charles Drew; His Master’s Voice; Jonesboro; Langston Hughes; Lithia Springs; McEachern; Mundy’s Mill; New Manchester; Our Lady of Mercy; Pebblebrook; Stockbridge; and Vidalia Academy.

This year’s competition includes a special partnership again with the Douglas County Government and the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville and Douglas County.

MEDIA CONTACT: Chandra Harris, Office of Rep. David Scott. 770-210-5073; Chandra.Harris@mail.house.gov.

Service Academy Day is Saturday, April 30 from 10:00 - 11:30 am at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.  Academy Day Poster

Each and every person in your party must complete a registration form online. You MUST register by 5:00 pm on April 22, 2016 by registering online at Academy Day Registration Web Form or by calling Nancy Brooks at 770.661.0999. The registration deadline is April 22, 2016 at 5:00 pm.

Persons who have not completely registered, including date of birth, will not be admitted onto the military base. This information is being used for background checks to preserve the safety of all guests.

You will receive a confirmation sheet within 10 days after registration via e-mail.

The confirmation sheet should be placed in your front window for entrance to the military base. You will be asked to provide identification at the guard gate at Dobbins ARB located on Cobb Parkway. You will also be asked to pass through metal detectors before entering the event so please arrive between 8:45 A.M. and 9:45 A.M. to allow time for these safety measures.

For directions, a list of prohibited items and a map visit: www.dobbins.afrc.af.mil

By Jon Shirek and Julie Wolfe , WXIA 10:27 PM.
GMT April 01, 2016

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (WXIA) -- Thousands of job seekers jammed the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park Friday for the annual jobs fair organized by Metro Atlanta Congressman David Scott. And among the employers who are hiring -- Homeland Security agencies, looking for people to help fight the war on terror.

Officer Arrisia Sims of U.S. Customs and Border Protection was there with some of her fellow officers trying to hire more than five hundred additional people to help secure the nation’s borders.

"We're actually looking for fresh, young, people with experience in law enforcement," Officer Sims said.  "What you'll be doing is, you'll basically be dealing with the entry to the U.S.,” Officer Sims said, “and just making sure that we keep a hold on terrorism, and making sure that we weed out all the people that don't need to be here."

The FBI was there, hoping to hire 200 new employees.

This is the 13th annual jobs fair that Rep. David Scott, (D) GA-13, has organized, and this year, he said, there was special emphasis on putting people to work protecting the U.S.

"A war has been declared on us with this terrorism.” Scott said, “But, through this jobs fair, you can see that we're declaring war back…. We’re beefing up.  We’re getting more secure because of the threat of terrorism and the actuality of this violent, radical terrorism that we’re faced with…. We’re at war with radical Islam… And we put money in the budget now" for more federal, Homeland Security agents.

More than 6,300 jobs, in all, were available Friday.  There were private sector jobs -- Delta Air Lines had the longest lines of applicants – as well as the government jobs.
 

And more than 21,000 people showed up -- Silas Bankston, among them.

"It's wonderful in here,” Bankston said, “everybody has high hopes, everyone's thinking positive.  I feel like I'm going to come away with a good job today!"

And by Friday afternoon, Bankston had secured three appointments, for next week, for final interviews with three companies interested in hiring him.
 

In 2012, Verlicia Carroll lost her job.  In 2013 she came to the jobs fair.  Glock, based in Cobb County, hired her.  This past August, Glock promoted Carroll.  Now she’s in charge of Glock’s recruiting.  And she was back at the jobs fair on Friday, looking to fill 13 openings.

"It changed my life," Carroll said.  "I didn't just get a job, I got a career.  I was here three years ago, I was one of them.  And I'm here now.  So, it can happen.  It can happen."

A year ago, Metro Atlanta's unemployment rate was 6 percent.  Now it's 5.3 percent.  Those are the official rates.  No one knows how many of the tens of thousands of people at Friday’s jobs fair were not even being counted among the unemployed because they'd given up and dropped out – people re-entering the job market, now.  Full of hope, now.

"I see so many people who are out here, hungry, and have a desire," said Officer Sims of Customs and Border Protection.  "I look at [this recruiting] as being a light in a dark place, to be able to come out here and say, guess what, if I can do it, you can do it, as well.  I have a lot of compassion for people... we just try to come down here and show some love and tell them you, too, can qualify, not just for a job, but a career." 

Cong. Scott’s mission is to reduce the unemployment rate even more, even as the numbers of job seekers and jobs increase.

“I very affectionately refer to the jobs fair as doing God’s work.  Because, if you get somebody a job… getting them started, building wealth” and becoming self-sufficient, “that’s what’s so important.”

Those who missed the job fair can still see who's hiring by visiting Rep. Scott's website here.