This week, Michael and Lauren are joined by none other than House Speaker Don Scott to discuss his first session as Speaker--his relationship with the governor, the balance of power in the legislature, and the state of bills on gun control, skill, games and the arena.

Episode Transcript

Michael Pope  

I'm Michael Pope.

Lauren Burke  

I'm Lauren Burke.

Michael Pope  

And this is Pod Virginia, a podcast that's pleased to welcome the Speaker of the House for Virginia's House of Delegates, Don Scott; thanks for coming back on Pod Virginia.

Don Scott  

Wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Lauren Burke  

I love it. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask you about your working relationship with the Governor. You seem to have a good relationship with him. We can see obviously there's a prayer thing you guys do. Can you talk a little bit about your relationship with Governor Glenn Youngkin?

Don Scott  

Well, what I did was just continue the tradition. I think that Bill Howell, former Speaker of the House, started it. It used to be Speaker Prayer, then when Eileen Filler-Corn became Speake, her being from the Jewish faith, she changed it to, I think it was like a Bible study, she changed it to Interfaith Devotional. And I kept that tradition going, and the Governor, to his credit, we do it at 7am on Wednesday morning, and he never missed a meeting. And we did not have a relationship. When you're in the minority, nobody calls, and the Governor never calls. But now I'm in the majority; he's my new BFF. They text me and call me all the time; we are friends. And I like the Governor; he's interesting; we just don't agree on a whole lot philosophically and politically, but he's a nice guy. Good personality; I think there are things that we're both learning in our roles, and I think my primary responsibility is probably different than he is. My primary responsibility is to keep the House moving in the right direction, on time, and keep it efficient. And give people the room to make the arguments that they want to make and make the speeches that they want to make, with free dialogue going back and forth. And I think that was my goal getting us in session and out of session. As quick as possible. 

Michael Pope  

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask you about the arena. So, most of what I've heard. 

Don Scott  

Cutting right to the chase, huh?

Michael Pope  

Right to the chase, we've got a short period of time, so I want to maximize our efficiency. So, let's talk about the arena. Most of what I heard from you during the session was really more about the process, you know; it ain't over till it's over; this is politics; things can happen; it's not dead yet. Basically, that's all process stuff. Talk about your thoughts on the actual proposal here. Is this a good idea?

Don Scott  

I think, and I've always said this, and you may get frustrated because I am a process person. I don't think we have completed a process where we can evaluate the deal on its merits. All of the different things that have happened, I mean, we have 140 members. We also have specific committees that deal with issues like this. Sometimes, it's not unusual that two, sometimes three, committees will hear a bill idea to make sure it's properly vetted. I don't think we gave this arena the proper vetting and hearing that is required for a project of this magnitude so that we can evaluate whether it's a good deal. I've continued to say that, and I've seen the reports, and I've heard the Governor's view, I've heard Senator Lucas's view, I don't think we ever got a public breakdown in a real way. Where people can be challenged publicly, they can be transparent publicly about this deal. So, unfortunately, I think that's where we are, and that's what happened. And I respect all of the players involved in their goals, responsibilities, and their obligations. And I was trying to continue to be a person to keep, just like I am as the Speaker, to try to keep the conversation moving if I could, and if not, it's fine. And I was serious when I said if it dies, it dies. A lot of bill ideas that people may think are great, and they die all the time. There are things that people think are terrible, and they live. So, I'm not as emotionally invested in the arena or anything related to it. I am more committed to making sure that we fund public education and get teachers the pay they need. I'm much more emotionally invested in making sure that we get minimum wage done. Making sure that we provide some of the waivers that we need to take care of our sick, elderly, and those who have mental health issues and facing substance use disorder. That's where my focus is. I know it's sexy and fun to talk about this huge arena deal. But that's not where the real work is. The real work is in making sure that we take care of everyday Virginians, and that's what I've been focused on.

Lauren Burke  

On that note, Mr. Speaker, can you talk about any legislation that may have passed or maybe passing that we might not know about that would benefit your constituents in Portsmouth? Obviously, we know it's a divided government, but is there anything we should be looking out for?

Don Scott  

I think the number one thing that we've done is make sure that we increase teacher pay. We have an issue not only in the Commonwealth but across the country around attracting and keeping good teachers. I was in New York yesterday. And I went to the New York Stock Exchange. And there was a woman who worked in New York and in DC, and she lived in Arlington, Virginia. We were supposed to be talking about highfalutin ideas around the New York Stock Exchange and making sure that Virginia stays competitively economically, and those kinds of things. She started talking about how her kids didn't have a science teacher for a few months because they couldn't get a science teacher. Those are the everyday things that real people care about. I know we want to talk about this other stuff. But those are the things that we passed, and I think they make a huge difference. We should make sure that we take care of teacher pay and pass a bill to ensure we increase the minimum wage. I mean, these things are impacting Virginians every day, putting more food on the table and making sure that we take care of that. We put money into our higher education system, and we funded HBCUs at a historic level. So those are the things that will impact my city, the students who live here, and our communities. We put money in gun violence, real gun violence intervention programs, not just funding, Jason Miyares name ID recognition that he's doing these commercials. He's using that ceasefire money the wrong way, and it is irresponsible. And I wished that Republicans would tell him he's using that money to do commercials that feature him, as opposed to really putting that money in those communities. So I think those are the things that we that we've accomplished that I'm proud of.

Michael Pope  

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask you about the early actions that the Governor has taken on the seven-day bills. The bills he had to take action on immediately are a main attraction for things to come. 8 vetoes, 12 amendments, and 64 bills signed. The amendments we've seen so far aren't really surprising. He vetoed the bill, forcing Virginia to rejoin ERIC. Two amendments struck me as interesting. Giving religious exemptions for gay marriage so that you wouldn't force a pastor or religious organization to perform a gay marriage if they didn't want to. And then another was a similar religious exemption for contraception that you have to offer contraception on your health plan unless you got a religious exemption. Then you don't have to offer it. What did you make of the Governor's amendments that you've seen so far? And what kind of amendments are you expecting?

Don Scott  

I use this phrase, and I use it in a very serious way. I know some people may take it as if I'm joking or mocking, but I'm not. I think those amendments the Governor made were on brand. Those are the things that MAGA Republicans expect him to do. And that's what they've been doing. They say one thing, and they do something else. They say they believe all people are equal but then put restrictions to allow some people to discriminate. Now, I will put a caveat there. Basically, what we've done is codify what the Supreme Court has already said. The Supreme Court gave those folks in Colorado an exception not to make cakes for gay people. So we know that we're trying to make sure that we get some things done and codified, but we also want to make sure we stay realistic. And we have been able to make sure that we do things within the law. I think Virginia is really the last southern state that's a safe haven for reproductive health care and for gay marriage. I think we're the last southern state that still has a bit of common sense. So, we have to continue to make sure that we move in a way that is responsible and takes into account Virginia's unique role and unique responsibility in our nation right now. 

Lauren Burke  

Do you expect any surprises, Mr. Speaker? It may be something we're not expecting to be signed. Obviously, this is a moment where Youngking could break the veto record. But is there anything that sticks out in your mind that he might sign that we're not looking at or that the media is missing out on? Do you have anything to say about that?

Don Scott  

I apologize. I know you'll want to make news, but I'm not going to. If I say he might shock me and sign it, that guarantees a veto. I'm going to withhold my comments on that. I've been very direct. I'm really disappointed that the Governor has decided to politicize the budget. One of the things that makes Richmond unique from DC is that we've always had a balanced budget. And we always have to buy into the budget from both parties. We've had bipartisan budgets, but this budget is about partisanship. I think we had 11 or 12 Republicans in the House vote for the budget. And I can tell you for a fact that morning, Saturday morning, the Governor went and spoke to the Senate Republican Caucus and the Senate House Republican caucus, I mean, not the Senate, the House Republican caucus, and asked them not to vote for the budget, which is crazy. He comes in lobbying against the budget that morning, taking over and trying to usurp the role of the legislature. And thank God, many Republicans, at least in the House, didn't give up their responsibilities and obligation to pass a budget. In fact, I know some members who said, I've been here X number of years; I've never voted against the budget cause there have always been things in it for my community and things in it for other communities. And I've never had a reason to vote against the final budget. And to see him come in, heavy-handed, and try to overturn the will of the legislature just tells me he still has some leadership growing to do. And personally, we have a good relationship. But politically, I think he's naive, I think the way he's dealt with the arena was naive. I said it from the beginning, you can't do this arena. A conversation should have been had with all the principals, those in the minority and the majority, back in September and October. It has been reported that this conversation happened months before the election. Regardless of whether Democrats prevailed or Republicans prevailed, this is an economic opportunity for the entire Commonwealth, allegedly. The leaders on both sides of the aisle should have been brought into one room, done a presentation, had a conversation, dived into the details, and then come out United. Regardless of the election, after the election, everybody should be in the room at a minimum. We've never had everybody in the room to talk about this specific project. And I think that's the Governor's responsibility to do that. I think he has the bully pulpit, and he has the opportunity to bring folks into the room. He spoke to me, he spoke to Luke Torian, he spoke to Senator Lucas. He spoke to folks one-on-one, in a way. Still, I don't think he ever got a consensus in a room with everybody, including those in the minority, Ryan McDougal, the Senate Minority Leader, and Todd Gilbert, the House Minority Leader; we should have all been in a room at one time because it's not about politics. And I think that it got made into politics early on. And one of the things I've been doing similar to Lucas for a while is you're not gonna change your morals. In fact, she's going to double down; you're not going to change her mind on making a political case because she is very, very smart. She's a businesswoman in her own right. She has been here 32 years, I think, 32 years, and she got elected in 1992. So, she has earned the right over decades to be in this position to call the shots. There's nobody more qualified than she is, based on her longevity, her knowledge, and our understanding not only of business but the politics of how to make this thing go. So, I was trying to be in grown-up conversations. And unfortunately, we never got to a conversation that said; everything's on the table, let's negotiate, we never got there. And I think everybody had deal breakers before they started speaking about this thing. And I think we never got to the merits of whether it was a good deal or not. I know a lot of people are talking about stadium deals. But I don't think we ever have to seriously consider a marriage setup of economics in this deal.

Michael Pope  

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask you to look ahead to what you expect from the Governor in terms of vetoes. So, former Governor Terry McAuliffe holds the record for the all-time high in the number of vetoes. I think the number was 40 vetoes in one year. Governor Youngkin could actually exceed that because you guys sent him a bunch of legislation that everybody expects him to veto, including retail sales for marijuana, raising the minimum wage, and anything dealing with abortion or guns. Are you expecting Governor Youngkin to break the all-time record for vetoes this year?

Don Scott  

I would be surprised if he doesn't. And I think the veto record is a lot higher than what you said. I want to say it's a hundred and some odd that Terry did, 124 or something like that. Something crazy, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I mean, he has 1400 bills. So, I think he may end up doing a lot more. But that's his prerogative. And I tell folks all the time that's why we have divided government. And so I'm not going to try to predict what he may veto or let go through. Because, again, if I want to guarantee a veto, let me try to predict. Do you know what I think Terry did, 120 total? You're right, I think he did 120 total; I looked it up. So yeah, the Governor probably will break that record. I'm sure he will. I'm gonna have to be boring. I'm not going to predict what this Governor will allow to go through and not go through. I'm disappointed that he has decided to make the budget a political football like they do in DC, as opposed to doing what I said he should be doing. Sitting down with the principals, both sides of the aisle, identifying the priorities, seeing what's negotiable and what's not negotiable, and then sit down in a room and hash it out with those given authority to negotiate and come back. But I mean, these are not secrets that I'm telling you; I've told the Governor this; I've told the other folks that this is what I think needs to happen. 

Lauren Burke  

Mr. Speaker, can you talk about getting back to guns for a second here. And full disclosure, I'm working with the 5/31 families; as you remember, there was a massacre on 5/31, 2019, in Virginia Beach. And they are pressing for money. And it kind of reminds me a little bit of the case of the teacher in Newport News, where Virginia has this sort of prohibition on people being able to sue after something happens at work. And in this case, it was 12 people murdered at work. And I'm asking, should the legislature be looking at the survivors of victims of gun violence differently? Do you mean monetary payouts and not just turning to everybody and saying it's workers comp? And then that's it? Or what do you think about that? Obviously, we had Virginia Tech, and we had the 12 murders in Virginia Beach in 2019. And certainly, we have the everyday homicides. Should the legislature think differently about how we treat the victims of gun violence?

Don Scott  

Yeah, that's a difficult situation because I believe that we are trying to hold gun manufacturers accountable for some of this stuff, for ammunition and guns. And I think they've been protected. The NRA and the Republicans have done a good job of protecting our gun manufacturers from violence. Just yesterday in Portsmouth, we had a tragic bus shooting; two kids, one got guns and shot each other to death, kids, middle school kids. Back in the day, we might have had a fight, with some words, and we had the fight and went on about our business. Some people might have watched, but now people are killing each other kids. And so you're right, I think we need to think about it differently. We would go bankrupt if we started paying every time somebody got shot. That's how prevailing mass shootings are in America. We have to come up with a smarter solution. And I'm not opposed to compensating families in situations where it was clear there was negligence. I'm a trial attorney; I sue people for stuff like that gross negligence. But we have a difficult time trying to parse this thing out and making sure we hold the right people accountable. Is it the taxpayers that should be accountable? Is it manufacturers that should be accountable? Because it seems like we've given them a pass. Every other industry does product liability for that, but they're protected. And we need to have some conversations about this as we move forward.

Michael Pope  

So, I'm glad that you brought up Portsmouth because I want to ask you about your district in particular and the Hampton Roads region in general. So, during this session, we've seen a shift in power away from Northern Virginia toward Hampton Roads, with the Speaker of the House representing Portsmouth. The Senate Finance Chairwoman is also a Hampton Roads person. Tell us about the residents of Portsmouth and the residents of Hampton Roads; what can they look to as accomplishments with this new shift in leadership?

Don Scott  

Well, the first thing I'm gonna say is I'm not going to agree with the premise of that question. Number one, when Todd Gilbert took over as Speaker, nobody said the power shifted to Shenandoah Valley. I didn't hear that speech. So, we have to stop trying to create controversy when there is not. Two separate people are leaders. Senator Lucas has been around for 30, Sme years. I've been here, well, this is my fifth session. We are totally different. 

Lauren Burke  

Mr. Speaker, we have the other great Scott from Hampton Roads. And that, too, adds to Hampton Roads's power, don't you think?

Don Scott  

Well, I think we all are people who like to serve and do serve in our communities. But that's no less than when Shenandoah Valley and Scott County had Terry Kilgore as the majority leader. Nobody said the power shifted to Scott County and Shenandoah Valley. So I think we have to stop saying that all of a sudden, just because these two people who are in leadership and who have the area of their caucuses now can just make everything and make it rain in Hampton Roads. That's not gonna happen. But I think we were able to demonstrate that there's leadership that comes from here and that our voices are relevant. This is a blue-collar town when you talk about ports in Virginia, so it is a blue-collar town. It's not the wealthiest city in Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, their wealthiest Suffolk and Norfolk. And so Portsmouth is a blue-collar town. We have the Norfolk Naval Shipyard here. I tell people all the time it's an open-collar town with white-collar views because we have a beautiful landscape, and we're sitting on the water. And we have hard-working people here every day. And so that's kind of the viewpoint and the DNA that Senator Lucas brings to the table, and I'm not gonna speak for her. But that's definitely the DNA that I bring to the table. I deal with regular folks every day. I was laughing; I went to court today, and nobody's saying, hey, Mr. Speaker, they said, Don. You know what I mean? Because they're not caught up in these titles that we hold. If you want to be humble, come back to Portsmouth quick after you've been thinking you've been running something; come back and forth, and you'll be humbled quickly. When I stopped somewhere in the homeless, my brother came up to me at the Wawwa, and he was like, ain't you Don's Scott? I was like, yes, sir. I felt like I had made it, though. When the brother that's trying to get in comes up to you, and they know you, I feel pretty good. That means the streets know me. The real people and authentic people know me, and Portsmouth is the right time for that. But I think, you know, we're going to be able to continue to bring resources to our port, which is vital for the economic development, not only in this region, but in the state, and continue to make sure that we protect our cities because we have some flooding issues, we got to see that the sea level rise is here. We're going to be at the tip of the spear when it comes to offshore wind here in Virginia Beach, off the shore. And we're supposed to be installing and manufacturing those windmills right here in Portsmouth. So I'm excited about all of the things that we have here. And we have two people here from Portsmouth, including Bobby Scott, our congressmen, who understand how to get things done. And I think people expect us to cut through the BS and get things done. I think that's what we've been able to do.

Michael Pope  

All right, one last question, Mr. Speaker; we really appreciate your time; I want to ask you about skill games. This is going to the Governor, and he's going to have to make a decision. He has also said he's concerned about this legislation. Supporters say the businesses that own the convenience stores will benefit by having these machines. They're in convenience stores and truck stops. But there are lots of opponents, I'm sure you've heard from these people who think of them as neighborhood slot machines that they take advantage of people who don't understand gambling or how gambling works. And then there's this debate about whether or not it's actually gambling at all. Is this essentially a video game where you can develop a skill, and you're not really gambling? You're employing a skill to use these machines. So, this is one of the great unanswered questions of the General Assembly session for 2024. What is going to happen with skill games?

Don Scott  

Well, I think the Senate and House passed it with bipartisan support. I think the Governor has a decision to make if he wants to put further guardrails, amend, or veto it. That's his call; I have no idea what's gonna happen. But I do know this. Since I have been in the legislature, even before the casinos came, I have always been interested in making sure that small businesses, Black folks, and minorities got a piece of the pie in the casino business. And with any of the entertainment and gambling businesses. If we're going to do it, I'm not picking winners and losers. I want everybody to participate in it if it's going to create money. But I also want to make sure we protect our kids. Make sure that we protect people who may have an addiction. So, I continue to not pick winners and losers. But I do want to make sure we have guardrails that protect folks. And I want to make sure that it is people who look like Don Scott who get an opportunity to participate because so far in this business, it has not been as diverse as I would like it to be. That's why I'm supporting some of the smaller providers that do this work and would like to do it. 

Michael Pope  

All right, Lauren, anything else? 

Don Scott  

You're not even going to give me credit for getting through the session and finishing on time, y'all gangster. I finished the session, the first Black Speaker, on time with a budget for the first time since 2017. And you know you're going to sit here and act like this, I'm telling you, bro. 

Michael Pope  

Breaking down stereotypes. 

Don Scott  

Yeah, bro. Come on, now. We ran that thing like a fine-tuned machine.

Lauren Burke  

Tell us, Mr. Speaker. How was your first time as Speaker? How was it up there? I'm sure it was very hectic for you. But I've talked to some of your colleagues and some of the Delegate about your leadership style, and many of them like it a lot. They say you know every bill number, and you know everything going on. Can you tell us about your experience up there? How was it? 

Don Scott  

It was not hectic. It was fun. As you know, for those of you who do this stuff, every time is fun when you're prepared. I was preparing for this. I literally studied these speakers in the past. I literally watched the boring YouTube. I was ready. And so it was fun for me. And I'm not bragging; I'm just telling you that this is what I think is expected. I think the chamber wanted discipline. I think the chamber wanted to make sure things moved and ran on time, which they did. And one of the best compliments I got was not probably meant to be a compliment. They were like you're a real stickler, and I wanted it to be done that way. Because my first job as Speaker, the first Black Speaker, is to make sure that the second Black Speaker, so I want to make sure that I set the right example and tone. So, it won't be unusual to see someone of color be in leadership. And so that's what I'm most proud of this first session. That everything went smoothly, and I think people had a good time. I think people on both sides of the aisle had a good time and knew what to expect. There was no favoritism exercised on the floor. And that's what I wanted to do. That's what I wanted to do, and I think I did it. If I do say so myself since y'all aren't saying it.

Lauren Burke  

Okay, Mr. Speaker. 

Michael Pope  

All right. He is the historic Speaker of the House. Don Scott, thanks for coming back to Pod Virginia.

Don Scott  

Thank you for having me. As usual, I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to coming back.