Scott Wallace
Office Sought: U.S. House (Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District)
Political Party: Democrat
Age: 66
Career: Attorney; board member, family charitable foundation
Campaign Website: scottwallacepa.com
No. of Tweets: 378
No. of Facebook Followers: 7,622
Biography: Scott Wallace is running for Congress to be a voice for Pennsylvania families, working to end the dysfunction and division in Washington. Born and raised in Bucks County, Wallace graduated from Haverford College and eventually Villanova Law School. He touts experience with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Veterans affairs, various nonprofit work in the criminal justice system, and co-leadership of the Wallace Global Fund, a charitable foundation working to empower women, fight climate change, and create the clean energy jobs of the future.
On the Issues:
Climate Change
"We need to reinstate the Paris climate treaty and the Clean Power Plan. I want to restore the EPA’s power to regulate climate pollution and change our system of tax incentives to move away from carbon-based fuels toward renewable energy. Climate change is not just a crisis, but an opportunity to create millions of new jobs and protect our planet."
Good Government
"I will introduce legislation to require that any candidate for President must disclose their tax returns, saying that any person elected President must immediately divest from profit-making business enterprises which may present a conflict of interest or violate the Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution, and he or she must place all assets into a blind trust managed by an independent trustee; the same requirements for divestment and blind-trust will apply to presidential appointees."
Gun Violence
"I’ll push to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, bump stocks and silencers; hold background checks on EVERY gun purchase, closing the loopholes for gun shows, internet sales and transfers to a “friend” or family; and hold gun manufacturers to the same legal standard as every other industry whose products negligently cause death – from cigarettes to cars to oil wells." His campaign has been granted the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.
Healthcare
"Medicaid is a lifeline to millions of Americans with disabilities, those who live in poverty, children, and seniors in nursing homes. We must protect it, and work to preserve and expand the Medicaid expansion that was a part of the Affordable Care Act. We must fight to preserve the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. Prescription drug prices in America are the highest in the world, because the government is legislatively prohibited from negotiating lower prices. This must change. I believe health policy should be driven by what’s good for the American people, not for the pharmaceutical companies or the health insurance lobby."
Immigration
"We do need sensible laws to regulate immigration, but Trump’s proposed border wall is offensive and impractical. Congress must ensure that families are reunited, and prevent our immigration system from ever again being used to inflict such pointless trauma on children. I do not support abolishing ICE. We must restore the pathway to legal status for Dreamers, the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to America as children by their parents. Nine out of 10 Americans support reinstating Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Ultimately, Congress must enact comprehensive immigration reform that includes not just sensible immigration controls, but also a pathway to legal status for the millions of undocumented residents who have been tax-paying, law-abiding, productively engaged members of American society."
International Relations
"Our job in Congress must be to prevent conflict, not stoke it. Preventing it means not only smart and careful diplomacy to recognize the warning signs and negotiate de-escalation and nonviolent resolution, but also looking further upstream to the root causes of conflict... I would introduce legislation putting teeth in the Constitution’s mandate that only Congress has the power to declare war. This would allow the dedicated public servants in the nuclear chain of command to refuse to implement an unlawful order from the President without fear of punishment from their Commander in Chief."
Israel
"Israel unequivocally has the right to defend itself and keep its people safe against threats from both military aggression and terrorism. That is the most fundamental and sacred responsibility of any free nation, and the right of any free people. America has a special obligation to help safeguard Israel’s security, and continuing to do so is in our mutual best interest. I see no alternative to a two-state solution...Israel has to be recognized as a Jewish democratic state alongside a non-militarized Palestinian state."
Jobs and Education
"A critical part of sustainable jobs is building a clearer, cheaper pathway to employable skills for young people. I support vocational-technical schools and low-cost community college, and I want to help every single student in America graduate without debt... our economic future lies in a well-trained workforce and matching that workforce to the needs of industry."
Womens' and LGBTQ Rights
"Fifteen years ago, my wife, Christy, and I inherited my family’s foundation, the Wallace Global Fund, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to family planning and abortion rights worldwide. We have rededicated the foundation more broadly to advancing women’s rights, fighting against harmful patriarchal practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation, promoting women’s economic empowerment through access to microenterprise loans, educating investors about the value of investing in women-run businesses, and promoting access to family planning and girls’ education — which is critical to ensuring that women have agency over their own bodies and can participate fully in society. I support equal pay for equal work, the right of women to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions, and combating sexual assault and harassment."
"Even now, in the 21st century, people are facing discrimination based simply on their sexual orientation or gender identity. I will enact the Equality Act to prohibit discrimination or segregation in employment, housing, credit, education, and federally funded programs, amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act so that it cannot be misused to justify discrimination on the pretext of religion, and demand oversight and accountability for the Trump administration’s attacks on the rights of transgender people. I will also support legislation banning the Gay and Trans “Panic” Defense, which is a legal defense that excuses violence based on bigotry and ignorance against the LGBTQ community, and legislation to study and address the particular barriers encountered by LGBTQ people of color, in areas such as education, employment, economic insecurity and criminal justice."
Wallace has been endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign and Equality PAC.
Government Reform
"We need a nonpartisan redistricting process at both the state and federal level. I will commit to carry the battle in Congress for fair federal congressional districts. This is not a partisan issue. It is equally wrong, whether done by Republicans or Democrats. The people must rule, not the politicians."
"When it comes to elections, corporations are not people, and money is not speech, and Congress should be able to impose reasonable limits on the timing and amount of campaign fundraising and spending. But the reality is that amending the Constitution is extraordinarily difficult. In the meantime, we can: pass a law mandating that corporations disclose all their political spending; support public financing; and refuse to take money from corporate PACs or lobbyists."
Opioid Crisis
"Every prosecutor, every judge, every public defender knows that every unaddressed problem of addiction, mental illness, homelessness or PTSD is an invitation to more recidivism. I served years on the board of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, where judges, prosecutors and public defenders came together to make sure that criminal-case outcomes were focused on addiction and recidivism prevention. And I’ve worked on numerous projects for the U.S. Department of Justice exploring ways that judges, prosecutors and public defenders can collaborate on constructive crime-prevention case resolutions. Opioids present a special challenge — unlike illegal drugs, there are huge opportunities for regulation and training via the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession. And an ounce of prevention, education and treatment is worth a pound of punishment."
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