The Tim Scott Strategy

Scott's less than usual start to his tenure in the Senate limited him in terms of passing legislation and imposing his agenda in Congress.  Scott was originally appointed by the Governor of South Carolina to take the place of retiring Senator Jim DeMint.  However, after winning a special election this past year, Scott now has two more years of DeMint's original term left in order to make his mark in Congress and on the country.  

When it comes to lawmaking, Scott is one of the most infrequent members of the Senate to introduce legislation.  According to OpenSecrets, Scott sponsored only 7 bills and co-sponsored 156 during the 113th Congress.  Three of Scott's 7 sponsored bills are part of his pet project since he entered the Senate, the Opportunity Agenda.  According to GovTrack.us, this makes Scott the lowest freshman senator in terms of bills introduced and 16th lowest in all of the Senate in terms of co-sponsoring bills.  

A few of the popular bills Scott has co-sponsored are S.2880 which is a bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline and the CASE Act, which attempts to prohibit the EPA from lowering the ambient air quality standards. In regards to the Keystone XL Pipeline bill, Scott released a statement saying, "Now the President will have to decide whether to construct the Keystone XL Pipeline, creating tens of thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars for America's economy, or continue to restrain our nation's energy future."

While Scott has not been the most active in the quantity of his legislation, he has been very active in pushing his Opportunity Agenda and overall want to reduce poverty, increase educational opportunities, and create a better future for America's youth. According to Scott's personal Twitter account, he has been speaking about these issues throughout the state of South Carolina by holding "community office hours" in towns throughout the state.  Also, according to the local South Carolina newspaper the Aiken Standard, Scott recently visited North Augusta Middle School where he spoke of the positive possibilities of the school's apprenticeship program.

                            President Obama's (not)official press release after vetoing the Keystone XL Pipeline bill

The Opportunity Agenda: "A New Way Forward"

The goal of Scott's Opportunity Agenda is to "refocus Washington on expanding economic activity and unleashing the potential of all Americans." As part of his broader Opportunity Agenda, Scott has introduced four corresponding bills in order to achieve this plan.  The first bill Scott has introduced is the CHOICE Act, which seeks to give parents more choice and influence on educational choices for their children. The second part is the SKILLS Act, which aims to better train individuals in their desired work-relataed skills and was passed into law last July. The last two parts of Scott's Opportunity Agenda are the SEA Jobs Act and LEAP Act, which seek to expand energy exploration in the Atlantic states and increase apprenticeships in the U.S., respectively. 

Senator Scott speaking on Fox News about the CHOICE Act