Be really, really intentional about. Okay. Thank you very much. Great to have you here and thanks for participating. And i thought wed start whats before the senate, thats the next round of relief from the pandemic from the cares act, much has gone through. And whats next on the agenda . Were trying to get our friend on the other side to get to the table and talk about what should be next. So far theyve been unwilling to do so and weve worked hard on any version of the act to focus on a few tax revisions, increasing the charitable deduction and also something called a School Choice now act that will keep kids going to the same schools prepandemic. Were focusing on vaccines and therapy. Unfortunately, theres been so little cooperation on the other side, what they want and what we want are miles apart. Frankly, truly, and its hard to appreciate the challenge we are facing, the headwinds were facing. And i do think theres a moment that can be helpful to see how 4 trillion basically speaking is impacting the economy, the average person in our country. And come back to the drawing board, but theres been no one to negotiate with and thats been disappointing. And during an Election Year . All things politics, unfortunately, that means for the average person who is viewing this tape or sitting at home thinking about the future, between now and the election, i dont anticipate anything of substantial getting done except for a continuing solution that will kick the after the election. And your prediction is government will the continue resolution. The president s executive order may have been the last big thing on the cares front, on the pandemic front, i thought he was wise to use his authority to extend some benefits for a few more weeks, reduced amount. I think the amendment changed to 100 of your income, making more money. Do i stay at home and make more money than going to work . If you make what you were working because of the pandemic while youre at home, theres logic to that. Being paid more to be home, theres no you talked about the dignity of work and the opportunities. Well get to that in a little bit. Lets focus on the school of choice has an element of the next round of support of the federal government and you just said you dont see it happening before november. But the relief thats needed, particularly now as americans, are back to school and we were talking about this. And my kids are learning virtually. Theyre challenged in many communities across the country, public and private schools not having the resources and ability to do that virtually. Talk to me a little about the challenges that americans are facing with the education in this environment with the pandemic. Unlike, you a lot of parents are not cut out to be home school parents. My wife is laughing right now. Theres nobody here home schooled ill take it. And the home schooled parents. Unfortunately, one of the things we tried to solve in the america my Education Bill right now is the focus on helping parents keep their kids in the same education environment they were in prepandemic. Theres 105 billion in legislation thats designed around you get to choose the school you want for your kid because the more choice a parent has, the better the chance for success for that child and thats the focus we have on the school of choice now legislation and why its part of the apparatus for the cares response. The one thing you cannot do is, especially in title one, which is to force schools, performing schools, unfortunately in america, and one thing you cant do is keep that kid out of the cycle of success, which is education. When you take that child out it takes so much longer for them to catch up. We have to reinforce the importance of education and there are a couple of major pillars in the School Choice now bill. One of course is keeping your kids in the same education space they were in prepandemic and the other is to encourage folks to encourage to scholarship organizations and businesses and individuals can get tax credit so that they can provide scholarships for kids, that is absolutely, positively, unequivocally need Healthy School options. And let me drill down, ill get on the tax policy in a moment. But, the choice, youre a prominent advocate of school of choice, just for a moment, make the argument, even for the lay person. Just, as the parent who is not an education policy expert, but explain why this leads to the education that our children needs in your mind and the prosperity, the opportunity that you between choice and opportunity. Well, the simple explanation is this, that in many around the country, quality education is not an option for poor people. Having grown up, a household, poverty, and concerning for my mother. We were [inaudible] thats hard on a parent to be able to put their child in the right every child deserves quality education. Its not available everywhere in america, why wouldnt we give the parent an option in their neighborhood, near their neighborhood, so their child gets the highest quality education . So the short story is you live in a place where the education is bad, choice gives you a chance to go to a school thats good. Your zip code should not determine the quality of are your education. School of choice simply said, we hear you, and we see you, and you have incredible, unlimited potential and well help maximize that. What are the choices . The could be Virtual School, could be home school, i dont know what works in your zip code, but your parents do. Let me give you the resources to make the best choice for your kid and thats what we really want. We want every child to have quality education because their parents get to choose the lane that this goes back to your legislation, the School Choice now act. Yes. How is it an advanced choice . What is this notion that in this environment you would have that ability to choose, you know, any of those five options . Well, one thing says that wherever you are you can stay. And which i think its really important is my mother, who made a little bit more than minimum wage all of my childhood, she would not have been able to afford a school of choice option for me even if it was available. What were going to do, have a scholarship grant organization, make a contribution and get a tax credit, and a kid, typically a poor kid have access to resources so they get to go to the school operation, even with the scholarship opportunity and you didnt have the ability to pay for one of those choices . Because the only people who dont have school of choice are poor kids. Middle income folks and affluent people have an option to either choose the house in the right School District or send their child to the right school. The only people in america that do not have that choice are poor folks. Another thing thats happening right now with the pandemic and children going back to school the decisions that the state or county level. You cant go to school because of the risk, were going virtual. And give me your take on those communities and those districts where going virtual is not an option because the brad broadband is not there or you dont have the devices. Give me your take. Last week they were having a drive because one of the title one elementary schools, the kids that had an ipad or a phone, they why in good shape. And they were having a drive to help provide the resources for these kids to have the tools necessary to connect. Now, the first tool thats necessary to connect is broadband. You have to have the connection at your home and unfortunately, over 40,000 students in South Carolina, were lost because of connection issues. How are you going to get an education if you cant even get online to your Virtual School . You cant. Well, if you cant get on line because you dont have the physical tangible ability to get online, what do you do then . In my opinion thats part of the existential threat to america, having people who are desperately looking for opportunity. We can do better and we should do better and broadband and connection issues are something that we should solve. Is that a federal rule . I think that the fact of the matter is in the environment where you have the celebration of the gig economiment and you see access to telehealth weve seen never in a way before. Theres the connection because its your education, its your work and its your health. Last one on the education play, but the issue of choice and just seeing its hotly debated and not only breaks down, what is the misconception . What is what you hear on those across the aisle from you with respect to choice that you feel theyre missing or you love to correct . I think sometimes people think that school of choice is about middle income families, or multifamilies getting more dollars for their kids to go to school. Thats not the way it really is. The way it breaks down is that literal literally, the kids who desperately need more options are the kids that benefit from the school of choice. Those kids are typically kids that in a Title One School living in poverty, too often in single parent households, similar to my circumstances. So giving those parents more arrows in the quiver, it just levels the Playing Field because in education the field is not level. Its not all racial, but income thing. And when they have that opportunity, something that i understand it, is that the school that theyre leaving was within that zip code, will have the enrollment and funding. What about the schools . I think its a perfect example in new york where theres the charter school, and the academy. They receive about 40 cents on the dollar and produce results, 83 or 93 africanamerican kids outperform the white kids in new york city. What were learning they produce higher results. The funding equity in my opinion is a trail weve 750 or 760 billion dollars k through 12 and according to the competition were mediocre or getting worse. Its not money, in South Carolina, the county 9700 per kid. Fairfield, one of the counties in South Carolina, 16,000 per student. So, we have to change the formula and the focus. We need outcomes not simply a funding conversation because its obvious that theyre Getting Better results for 97,000 than 16,000 there may be more to the formula than money. Lets transition because were talking opportunity, education and equity is an element in this. A couple months ago you were in the midst of the discussions with regard to your justice act bill and responding to the tragedy of Breonna Taylor and george floyd and the civil unrest across the country. That bill did not go through, it wasnt adopted by the senate though you had a majority. A couple of things about it, for those watching and listening, tell us whats in that the bill and your attempt to get that through and conte contextualize it. Three major pillars in the justice act. Some of those pillars are similar to what was in the house tax bill. Number one, its the whole Data Collection. In order for us to resource the right outcomes, you have to have the right data. This is something that both side agreed upon, which is not necessarily agreed upon. When you start collecting the data. My thought that they wanted misdemeanors, traffic stops and everything else. Thats not to figure that out. Second area is the resourcing. So its in the grants that are relied on. Provide a grant for body cameras, deescalation training, the duty to intervene. And on the side to to improve the training. And the third part, of course, is how you respond to bad apples. And these part of the conversation, and they report for the conversation. And in the legislation we have aspects how to improve the outcome for the person who is in the middle of the situation, and make sure that we kept the officers on the right track. The things that were not in our bill were more important than the continuation things in our bill. They wanted to demonize Law Enforcement. Im not going to do that. How do you demonize the very people that you want to respond to the situation, to the circumstances, that are absolutely volatile and explosive . We have to have eek lquilibriue. And you talked about on the senate floor and theres no binary choice between Law Enforcement and community of color and having reform legislation that speaks to the outcome you want without demonizing one side or the other. And [inaudible] i dont like stereo typing. Dont stereotyping me, why in the world would i stereotype every Law Enforcement officers. If its wrong for you to stereotype me, its wrong for me to stereotype you. Thats a binary choice. Where are we going next . Are we going to see legislation because there seems to be bipartisan agreement on the issue. Ive spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus and they walked up and said send me your bill. If we could get it to conference, we would be able to work for it, when it gets to conference. Its the Senate Democrats involved in president ial politics, like the for the bill. The congressional backlog and post november . In the aftermath of the election, the lame duck session, is the best chance to and you think the same legislation modifications and you talked about on the senate floor would be an updated version . Amended, but im not going to amend it. In order to get this passed, thats good for the community, not good for the country. Im willing to negotiate on Data Collection and negotiate how to use the resource, to negotia negotiate certification of officer we cant demonize every officer because i dont want you ster stereotyping every officer because i dont want you to stereotype every black person. And the proponent of not only legislation, but talk to the issue that is dividing the country right now. How much would this legislation if adopted kind of address the division in the country or how much of it resides outside of the particular policy that needs to be addressed in terms of police, Police Issues of Police Brutality . Well, really quick, great quick and ill get it quickly. First, in my opinion had the justice act been law we could have had more resources for deescalation training. I dont know, but certainly, wed have more arrows in the quiver. More tools in the tool kit for that situation. Thats exactly the situation that needed to be dehe escalatd. Back on the ground. Killings are happening and murders are not repeating itself. Let us not be deceived. All of these are not federal issues. The Kenosha Police department, like the Minneapolis Police department, could have had Police Reform done in their cities. It doesnt take the federal government to come in and say dont use chokeholds. It doesnt take all we need to do is to simply have local decision makers, city council, do their job. Mayors do their job. Theyre asking the federal government to come up with a solution to something that is not our problem. Thats really important to remember that. Thats the mentality, look to washington, but i imagine it has some influence when the federal government acts, whatever constitutional way it can. Yes. And then filters down across the state and localities. We see that happening now . That is a potential. Joe biden has talked about stuff the president and i have worked on. Hes talking about something similar and thats interesting, President Trump on this issue, concept of best practices National Police commission. We embrace that because its in the bill. So literally here is a chance for us to see things get better because 18,000 departments all need a High Standard and a High Standard could be established. And when youre in your state and youre talking to Police Officers and maybe national or even here in d. C. , what are they telling you . A, theyre frustrated. B, they feel like its a sma small a hard job to do and you can see that in the response times. Right after the incident, [inaudible] the response time, now the officer feels in jeopardy so theyre thinking about their families and their homes and thats not what we want them to do. We want them thinking about the situation. You put them in the precarious ability, you expect a dual track. Were seeing the challenging situation around the country. We can do better. We should make it easier to protect freedom around the officer so theyll do the best job for the citizens without having to worry about their personal families, personal assets and the liability. Well talk about the other side. Those who have been victims of Police Brutality. Young people who are questioning whether they can rely on their execution, rely on the police . What do you tell those that are protesting part of the black lives matter movement. What are you hearing and what is that conversation . And the guy earlier, in the last two decades. Seven times elected official in one year, three times last year, two times already this year. I said, i understand what it feels like to be accused of something that you did not do, one of the more dehumanizing things that you can experience. How we respond to that in a peaceful way is prudent and necessary. John lewis, great civil rights member of congress. He allowed me to the be cochair of the 50th anniversary of the and think in 1965 police came to beat and brutalize the people. That was 2017, there we are together on pettus bridge being protected by the same Law Enforcement agency that years ago unbelievable process. The thing thats missing is it a fair and balanced perspective on where we are been and where we are now. Thank god were not where we used to be even though were not where we want to be. Until we have both on the table, to see the future. And the joke in terms of civics on the floor and since high school. We think about education and our young people, havent we sent that message . How are we getting that across in the classroom and the community . Well, theres a reason why i believe in education reform and the opportunity for education, i think in america, its the education, good curriculum, too. Unfortunately today youre not being taught how to think. Youre being taught what to think. Weve got to change that for a better option for this country. Theres a lot in our past, a lot who we are and we should focus on those so that the average person and average student get the bull education, in with the flaws that are in our system. A different set of views, but a lot of discussions are the same. Plus, you have to be taught how to think, not what to think. I need to draw my own conclusions, even though liberal teachers in high school, they had to teach me what they taught me how to think, they did not try to indoctrinate me. They came to a relevant conclusion. If i try to teach my kids how to think that and [inaudible] were talking about opportunity and one of the things i want to hit on before we conclude this conversation is another element of what youve done as a congress and i dont know, really has consequential across the country. And its another component and you talk about education layer, right, and then you have the kind of economic and opportunity. Talk about that for a second. How it is, to interact more than others and where its happening across the country. So, we have 8700 around the country we have about 75 billion targeted already. 75 billion. B as in boy, billion. All private dollars, investors and entrepreneurs looking for ways to make a difference, a longterm difference from the way the legislation is designed and thats one of the stresseden communities in america. And i can get the philanthropist, but why would the investor whose motivation is profit. Why is that appealing to that were borrowed the adam smith rule and what we do for the investors, we will take we will defer and delay your Capital Gains tax and even if you stick there long enough, its 10 years, you could see the elimination of your Capital Gains tax, if you make investment in one of the distressed communities. Absolutely, what that does, it brings job creators, not the government, but job creators into the communities to create jobs. What weve seen, according to the president s advisors on economics, is an 8 increase in wages and opportunities. And these are the majority and minority communities seeing an increase in their wages about 250 faster than the average wage increase, prepandemic. And thats nationally or in at that same area . National. Wow. 8700. Give me an example of what comes to mind and speaks to you and might capture the policy conversation to form a real community, real [inaudible] hampton, South Carolina, the largest actual, money in the ground now, 315 Million Dollars creating 1500 jobs in a hydroponic agriculture building. You sound like having the ability to do things inside and its 1500 jobs created. 300 plus Million Dollars and its the first of its kind. So, thats the future of agriculture. Its in South Carolina. And its also spread across the country. But hvcu, a college and university. Owns 300 acres and theres the hydroponic concept around South Carolina and the country. In south dallas theres a 2000 new jobs, 400 Million Dollar investment happening, south of chicago 3,000 Affordable Homes in rockville, and the mayor says opportunities are bringing Affordable Housing to the downtown area of my city in the first time in over four decades. So better housing. Better housing, better jobs. How does that connect education . What would happen to that community, the Educational Opportunities . Sure, im working on opportunity education, to okay. Unfortunately a lot of these schools in america are located in on contiguous with opportunity zones. Can you imagine school of choice, education reform in these opportunity zones so that the poorest kids in america have the best quality education, high school, college or beyond or training popping up in the back yard so they get the requisite schools and becoming plumber 100 an hour or and the educational component opportunity. Fantastic. Before we end this conversation, were going to go ask you kind of anything that comes to mind when we think about ronald reagan, maybe a book, a speech, or a quote, or any way, you know, you may have impacted you in your political way or before, something we do to our discussion here . Ronald reagan and art laffer. The laffer curve. And in government, when you lower taxes you see an increase in production, but also, an increase in revenues. So, the laffer curve that art laffer became my economic mentor when i ran for congress, because i learned about the laffer curve, and so in the end, 2017 when i was assigned to be one of the four. Senators in charge of tax reform, tax reform bill, one thing i thought about was the laffer curve. It ultimately occurred and we passed it in 2017 and 2018, but lower taxes we had an increase of money to the treasury. So ronald reagan, not only created raing reaganomics, years later, do it again, do it again reagan senator scott. Thank you for spending time with us, looking forward to having you back and doing another round of discussions. I look forward to it. Thank you. Good mornin
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