In maiden speech, Scott jokes he’s the only senator to have ‘failed civics’

Scott, who serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he would focus on education, the economy and limiting government spending while serving in the Senate.

{mosads}He used his story of growing up a single-parent household in South Carolina to explain his personal and political beliefs. Scott wasn’t doing well in high school until a small business owner befriended him and taught him that he would have to work hard to succeed rather than rely help from the government.

“I also failed Spanish and English,” Scott recounted. “When you fail Spanish and English, they don’t call you bilingual, no sir. They call you biignorant because you can’t speak in any language.”

Scott said the Senate should have a broader conversation on school choice and charter schools.

“Parents need more choices so their kids will have a chance,” Scott said. “Whatever can improve our education system should be on the table for discussion.”

Scott also called for the repeal of ObamaCare less than a week after the Obama administration pushed back the employer mandate from 2014 to 2015.

“We do not simply need a delay in the employer mandate,” Scott said. “We need a repeal in the employer mandate.”