RICHMOND—Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, grew up splitting time between the city and the country.

“I speak country, and I speak urban,” he said to farmers at the recent Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Legislative Day orientation. “I learned a lot in the country that you don’t learn in the city.”

He expressed pride in his agricultural education at Texas A&M University and in having worked for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service while in college.

“We appreciate his willingness to help us facilitate conversations with other urban legislators and candidates,” said VFBF President Wayne F. Pryor. “He’s truly been a partner in bridging conversations with rural Virginians and urban legislators in our organization.”

VFBF AgPAC, a political action committee, endorsed Scott each term he has served in the
Virginia General Assembly.

Scott said he has been welcomed into the homes of farm families he has visited.

“I became family,” he recalled. “Those are the kind of folks who work out here on the farm. They’re making sure they can make a living for their families, put food on the table and keep small family farms working.”

He visited Southwest Virginia at the invitation of Sen. Travis Hackworth, R-Richlands.

“We came out to visit Tazewell County, and got to see the needs Southwest Virginia has,” Scott said. “They have a lot in common with communities I serve, like health care deserts.”

Scott’s first official action as speaker was convening a house select committee to address rural health care access.

If you don’t have access to health care, he asked, “how can you take care of your family if you can’t take care of yourself?”

Scott tasked the committee with developing at least five pieces of legislation and budget amendments to address rural health care access.

Additionally, “protecting the Chesapeake Bay is paramount,” he continued, “but farmers need full funding of the tools that make it happen.

“You can’t do government mandates without giving folks the resources they need,” Scott said.

“The governor and I do see eye-to-eye on some things, and one is protecting our farm and
forestry industry here in Virginia, and we will continue to do that.”

Media: Contact Martha Moore, VFBF governmental relations, at 804-347-5752; or Amanda Pittman, Scott’s press secretary, at 804-698-1088.