David Scott's attempt to tie 'Black Lives Matter' to the Keystone pipeline

May 6, 2013 - Decatur - Rep. David Scott speaks to the media after a visit to the VA Medical Center. The head of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, led an oversight visit to the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur Monday. The delegation included Rep. Phil Gingrey (from left), Rep. Paul Broun (behind Scott), Rep. Miller, and Rep. John Barrow. The visit comes on the heels of two recent reports that detail serious mismanagement and understaffing in the facility's mental health department. Three deaths occurred over the past two years under the center's watch after it lost track of mental health patients referred to the DeKalb Community Service Board. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, in 2013 (AJC/Bob Andres).

Credit: Jim Galloway

Credit: Jim Galloway

May 6, 2013 - Decatur - Rep. David Scott speaks to the media after a visit to the VA Medical Center. The head of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, led an oversight visit to the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur Monday. The delegation included Rep. Phil Gingrey (from left), Rep. Paul Broun (behind Scott), Rep. Miller, and Rep. John Barrow. The visit comes on the heels of two recent reports that detail serious mismanagement and understaffing in the facility's mental health department. Three deaths occurred over the past two years under the center's watch after it lost track of mental health patients referred to the DeKalb Community Service Board. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, in 2013 (AJC/Bob Andres).

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate this afternoon is beginning amendment votes on a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project, which President Barack Obama has already vowed to veto.

But Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, thinks there's a middle ground here by linking the project to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Here is his House floor speech on the matter.

The Senate is attempting an open amendment process, as opposed to the more regimented House, so Scott has been working Senate Democrats to find a sponsor for his amendment. It would encourage the hiring of more young black men to work on the pipeline, through existing apprenticeship programs and without spending more federal money.

Here's the text of the amendment Scott is shopping in the upper chamber:

These Labor Union Apprenticeship programs will be conducted in conjunction with the National Electrical Contractors Association, under the auspices of the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) which allows apprentices to "Earn While You Learn."

According to a Scott aide, he has met with a lead Senate sponsor for the amendment, but nothing is final yet.