FLORIDA - SENATOR RICK SCOTT'S WEEK IN REVIEW 10/09/2020

 

This week, Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Marco Rubio to a introduce a resolution congratulating the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the team’s loyal fans, on winning the 2020 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Finals.  Senator Scott and Senator Marsha Blackburn also introduced the Chinese-Backed Media Accountability Act to create accountability for Communist China’s censorship of free speech and failure to treat American journalists fairly. See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.

Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio Introduce Resolution Congratulating 2020 Stanley Cup Champions Tampa Bay Lightning Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio introduced a resolution congratulating the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the team’s loyal fans, on winning the 2020 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Finals.  Senator Rick Scott said, “It is my honor to introduce this resolution recognizing the Tampa Bay Lightning for winning the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals. After years of hard work, a difficult season away from family and playing without fans in the seats, the Lightning made Floridians proud by bringing the Stanley Cup back to Tampa Bay for the first time since 2004. I join all Floridians in celebrating this victory, and in looking forward to another great season next year. Go Bolts!” Read more HERE. —  Sen. Rick Scott Introduces Chinese-Backed Media Accountability Act Senators Rick Scott and Marsha Blackburn introduced the Chinese-Backed Media Accountability Act to create accountability for Communist China’s censorship of free speech and failure to treat American journalists fairly. In March, the Chinese Communist Party expelled more than a dozen U.S. journalists, and required other outlets to submit written reports of their staff, finances, operations and real estate in China. The Chinese-Backed Media Accountability Act establishes reciprocity between the U.S. and Communist China by preventing new visa issuances to Chinese state-run media until an accurate account of Chinese journalists in the United States can be provided to Congress. It also limits these visas to no more than the number of American journalists operating in China. Senator Rick Scott said, “For years, the Communist government in China has tried to push its propaganda in America through state-owned media outlets, while refusing to treat American journalists in China fairly. General Secretary Xi wants to punish anyone that disagrees with him and has built his regime on censorship of free speech. We can’t allow this to continue and we have to take action. The Chinese-Backed Media Accountability Act prevents new visas from going to media backed by the Communist Party of China until we know exactly how many Chinese propaganda outlets are operating in the United States. It also creates reciprocity by making sure the number of Chinese-backed journalists in the United States is equal to the amount of independent American journalists allowed in China. We have to stand up and say that this behavior by Communist China is unacceptable, and I look forward to my colleagues supporting this proposal." Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott to Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Pass Resolution Urging International Olympic Committee to Move 2022 Games out of Communist China Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations urging them to immediately consider and pass his resolution condemning the gross human rights violations in Communist China and urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the 2022 Games out of China, where more than one million Uyghurs are being held in concentration camps while the people of Hong Kong are being arrested and denied the basic rights they were promised. Read more, including the full letter, HERE. — Senator Rick Scott Joins Colleagues in Amicus Brief Supporting Religious Freedom in Nation’s Capital Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Roger Wicker and colleagues in filing an amicus brief supporting Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s lawsuit against the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser. Mayor Bowser has permitted and participated in several mass protests in recent months, several of which involved thousands of individuals and a lack of social distancing in violation of the Mayor’s own COVID-19 orders. However, the District has categorically refused to grant a waiver of the Mayor’s COVID-19 restrictions for a religious gathering of more than 100 individuals, despite the church’s proposal to conduct its services outdoors with strict adherence to social distancing and face mask protocols. The Senators argue that the selective enforcement of the District’s rules violates the church’s First Amendment rights and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Read more from Senator Wicker’s office HERE.

Sen. Rick Scott on Fox Business: The U.S. Senate Will Confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court Safely and Quickly  Watch the full interview HERE or below. — Sen. Rick Scott in National Review: House Democrats Want to Force You to Pay for Abortion Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for the National Review on how House Democrats are trying to abandon an amendment to prevent elective abortions from being funded by federal taxpayers, which has had overwhelming bipartisan support for the past 44 years. In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “… In 1976, Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois first offered an amendment to the appropriations package to prevent elective abortions from being funded by federal taxpayers through Medicaid and other federal health-care programs. His amendment was accepted on a bipartisan basis and has enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support for the past 44 years. It has been included in every annual spending package, including this year’s. But if House Democrats and abortion activists on the radical Left have their way in the next Congress, this will be the last year that taxpayers are not forced to bear the burden of funding abortions. … Americans should believe in the sanctity of life, that all human beings have equal dignity and worth because they are endowed with rights from our Creator. As a father and a grandfather, I value all life, including the unborn. My mom was a single mom to two little boys before she met my adopted dad. We were very poor, and we struggled, but my mom always figured out how to make ends meet. And she taught me the importance of always choosing life. … Congress should not throw away the Hyde Amendment and force American taxpayers to fund the widespread destruction of innocent life. Congress should instead find ways to cut taxes, cut spending, and support priorities important to all American families — and that certainly doesn’t include requiring every American to fund abortions." Read the full op-ed in the National Review HERE. — Fox News: Sen. Scott: Don’t think Senate’s COVID-19 cases are going to upend Barrett’s nomination Fox News: Sen. Rick Scott provides update on coronavirus in Florida Fox News: Lawsuit against DC mayor’s COVID crackdown on Baptist church draws 34 senators’ backing: report The Hill: Scott asks Senate panel to pass resolution pushing to strip 2022 Olympic games from China Newsmax: Sen. Rick Scott: House Dems Want Taxpayers to Fund Abortions Florida Daily: Rick Scott Ready to Ask Twitter, Google, Facebook CEOs About Censoring Conservatives Florida Daily: Florida’s Senators Honor Stanley Cup Champs Tampa Bay Lightning on Capitol Hill Florida Daily: Rick Scott Introduces Chinese-Backed Media Accountability Act Florida Daily: Rick Scott Urges Senate Committee to Back Bill Urging IOC to Move 2022 Olympic Games Out of China

As Florida’s Panhandle works to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Sally, every Florida family should take the opportunity to make sure they are prepared for any future storms throughout the 2020 Hurricane Season. Severe weather can approach quickly and should never be underestimated. Although preparing for a storm might look a little different amid the coronavirus, we cannot let our guards down, and must do everything we can to ensure our families stay safe. See more in Senator Scott’s Hurricane Season PSA, in partnership with The Weather Channel, HERE.  Read more on how to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus while preparing for hurricane season from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) HERE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) HERE, or by visiting www.RickScott.senate.gov/Hurricanes. Floridians in need of assistance with federal resources following the impacts of Hurricane Sally can contact Senator Scott’s office HERE.

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