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Don't Forget Mother's Day on Sunday!

May 9, 2014
Enewsletters

Dear Friend,

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This week, I spoke with more than 14,000 Memphians in a telephone town hall meeting, introduced legislation to help the Memphis Aerotropolis develop more quickly, passed two bills that I helped lead through the House, and a lot more. Keep reading to learn what else happened this week, and don’t forget that Sunday is Mother’s Day. Although she passed away in 2010, I will be thinking of my mother (I'm sitting on her lap in the photo about surrounded by my brothers) on Sunday, as I do on all days.

Working for Regional One Health (The MED)
Listening to Constituents
Honoring Mothers and Reducing Infant Mortality
Helping Develop the Memphis Aerotropolis
Supporting Memphis Small Businesses
Protecting Homeowners and Helping Families Keep Their Homes
Promoting Diversity in Media
Helping Bring Our Girls Back
Working for Sane Marijuana and Criminal Drug Policy
Protecting Human Rights Around the Globe
Paying My Respects to the Late Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar
Protecting Privacy and Ending Domestic Spying
Mourning the Benghazi Tragedy
Protecting Precious Artwork and Helping Make It Available to Americans
Increasing Government Transparency
Make Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property
Helping Veterans Find Jobs

Working for Regional One Health (The MED)

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This week, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Tennessee Hospital Association, including several from Regional One Health (formerly The MED), St. Francis, and Baptist. Thanks to my work alongside members of Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation, our state’s hospitals are closer to being on level footing with other states’ hospitals in the way they are reimbursed for the charity care they provide. I am still working for a permanent fix, but our work has so far led to an amendment to TennCare that will allow Regional One Health to receive an estimated $10 million in payments they would not have otherwise received over the next year. Those funds will go a long way towards ensuring that Memphis and Regional One Health are able to continue providing care for those among us who need it most. However, some Tennessee hospitals have closed and others are in danger of closing. A huge help would be the State opting into Medicaid expansion provided by The Affordable Care Act which would benefit our citizens and our hospitals.

Listening to Constituents

On Tuesday, I hosted another telephone town hall meeting for the citizens of the Ninth District. I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to more than 14,000 constituents and discuss a number of issues, including my efforts to raise the minimum wage, concern for the nearly 300 girls kidnapped in Nigeria, the confirmation by the U.S. Senate of Sheri Lipman—my recommendation to the President—as a new Federal Judge, and my new legislation to help reformed ex-offenders re-enter the workforce.

These town hall meetings offer Memphians like you another way to speak directly with me and share what’s really on your mind. I appreciated having this opportunity to listen to your perspective on the issues facing our city and enjoyed discussing my work and legislation with you. Hearing the perspective, opinions and ideas of the citizens of Ninth District citizens like you help me best represent the Ninth District in Congress.

If you would like to sign up to participate in my future telephone town halls, please fill out this form. Please enter a landline phone number, as cell phones cannot be called during telephone town halls.

Honoring Mothers and Reducing Infant Mortality

Sunday, May 11 is Mother’s Day. While we all think about our Mothers and all they have done for us, it is important that we think of the many Mothers who need our help. Today, before I flew back to Memphis I reintroduced my NEWBORN Act, which would help reduce tragically high rates of infant mortality in this country. For every 1,000 children born in this country, more than 6 die before their first birthday—and almost 11 out of 1,000 die in Shelby County. That puts us far behind other developed countries like the United Kingdom where about 4 out of every 1,000 die and even further behind Japan, where just slightly over 2 of every 1,000 infants die before they turn one. We cannot claim to care about children if we do not seek to help the mothers who will provide them the care they need to survive and thrive.

Infant mortality rates are important indicators of the overall health of our country. Sadly, Memphis has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation—but high rates are a troubling issue that is not isolated to urban communities. They are seen throughout our country in rural areas as well. We must do more to make sure women have the resources they need to deliver healthy babies, and my NEWBORN Act is a step in the right direction.

Helping Develop the Memphis Aerotropolis

Last night, I reintroduced two bills aimed at boosting the development of “aerotropolis” transportation systems both in Memphis and across the country. My bills, the Aerotropolis Act of 2014 and the Leading and Expediting Aerotropolis Development (LEAD) Act of 2014, would enhance economic competitiveness and spur job growth in cities like Memphis by helping to increase the pace at which burgeoning aerotropolis projects can develop. In 2010, I also helped secure $1.26 million in funding for the Memphis Aerotropolis master plan, which Mayor A C Wharton released to the public last week at the University of Memphis FedEx Institute of Technology.

The Memphis Aerotropolis is more than a transportation network—it is an economic development engine for the Mid-South. The need to ship and receive goods more quickly and over longer distances is increasing by the day. Establishing aerotropolis transportation systems in Memphis and across the country will kick-start economic growth, create jobs, improve our freight transportation network, and enable us to compete more effectively in the modern global economy.

Supporting Memphis Small Businesses

This week, I announced that Immuno Technologies, Inc., a Memphis-based medical research and development company, was awarded $1 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further develop a new technology. This funding will support an innovative Memphis small business developing new technology to help with rapid diagnosis and treatment of Americans suffering from Lyme disease.

Protecting Homeowners and Helping Families Keep Their Homes

Foreclosures in Memphis have unfairly hurt the middle class, put unneeded stress on already-struggling families, and torn apart local communities and neighborhoods. On Wednesday, Congressman Jim McDermott of Washington State joined me in reintroducing the Limiting Investor and Homeowner Loss in Foreclosure Act, which would prevent foreclosures and help struggling families. Our bill would help families keep their homes and cut down on foreclosures by giving banks and homeowners a chance to sit down and hammer out a resolution that allows both sides to benefit, and I hope the bill gets a vote as soon as possible.

Promoting Diversity in Media

On Wednesday, I met with Alfred Liggins, the President and CEO of Radio One, the largest African-American-owned broadcasting company in the nation which also co-owns TV One. We discussed the need to ensure a diversity of voices in radio and television, especially as large media companies continue to consolidate. As the Ranking Member on the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees civil rights, and a member of the Intellectual Property Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over a variety of media issues, I will continue to advocate for diversity in media.

Helping Bring Our Girls Back

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Last month, more than 200 young Nigerian girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists—and over the weekend, the terrorists kidnapped an additional 8 girls. In recent years, Boko Haram has targeted churches, schools, mosques, government installations, educational institutions, and entertainment venues across Nigeria to strike fear in local communities. As a member of the Human Trafficking Caucus, I am concerned about the trafficking of children both throughout the world and right here in the United States.

Last week, I reached out to the U.S. Department of State and the House Foreign Affairs Committee to see what we could do to help rescue the kidnapped girls. This week, after President Obama’s Administration announced that they had sent an interdisciplinary team to help Nigerian authorities save these girls, I helped lead a bipartisan Congressional letter to Secretary of State John Kerry stressing our commitment and support of the Administration’s efforts to help resolve this tragedy.

Working for Sane Marijuana and Criminal Drug Policy

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This morning, I joined a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Washington, D.C.’s new law that decriminalizes possessing small amounts of marijuana. Already, 2 states allow personal use of the drug, 21 states allow for the medical use of marijuana. Late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said that states should be the laboratories of democracy, and while Washington, D.C., is not a “state” it is still a local government with more than 600,000 citizens and it should be able to determine its own laws. I strongly support the District’s autonomy. You can watch my opening remarks from this hearing here.

Protecting Human Rights Around the Globe

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On Tuesday morning, I joined my colleagues on the Helsinki Commission U.S. Senators Ben Cardin of Maryland and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut as well as Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Jeff Flake of Arizona in meeting with and welcoming to the U.S. Capitol Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot. Both women have experienced firsthand the harsh and political nature of Russia’s judicial system after they were jailed for a musical performance. You can watch my remarks following our meeting here.

In 2012, when I heard about the fate of these young women, I sent a letter to President Putin urging their release. In the nearly two years since, I’ve met with members of Pussy Riot and their representatives and responded to their requests to keep their situation in the public eye. Nadya and Maria are heroes to people everywhere – they stood in the face of danger, and they were imprisoned for their beliefs. They have risked their lives and liberty for things Americans enjoy but often take for granted like free speech. As we reflect upon their courage, our nation should reinvigorate our resolve when it comes to defending and protecting human rights and free speech throughout the world. We must stand up against violations wherever they occur and do everything in our power to ensure that all human beings have the same rights we in this country enjoy: the rights to free speech, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Paying My Respects to the Late Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar

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Over the weekend we lost a great man from Minnesota, Congressman Jim Oberstar. Congressman Oberstar chaired the House Transportation Committee for the first four years of my tenure on the Committee, departing Congress at the end of 2010. He knew more about—and cared more about—our nation’s infrastructure and transportation systems than just about anyone I’ve ever known. He was also a strong advocate for bicycling and making bikes an important part of our nation’s transportation system, and he was an avid biker himself. He often said that the nation needs to switch “from a hydrocarbon-based system to a carbohydrate-based system.”

Chairman Oberstar was also passionate about energy efficiency and successfully passed legislation requiring solar panels to be installed at the U.S. Department of Energy headquarters. The photo above is from one of his last days on Capitol Hill. Chairman Oberstar was the epitome of a fine public servant. He loved our country and he worked on a daily basis to make it a better place for all of us.

Protecting Privacy and Ending Domestic Spying

This week, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a bill that would end the bulk collection of telephone metadata of Americans. The bill was the result of bipartisan negotiations and compromise, and I was pleased to support it. I will continue working, as I have been with my FISA Court legislation, to protect personal privacy and liberty while keeping our nation safe and secure from terrorists.

Mourning the Benghazi Tragedy

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The death of four Americans in Benghazi, including Ambassador Stevens, was and remains a national tragedy. Using their deaths as a political and campaign strategy is wrong. House Republican leaders are doing everything they can to politicize the killings and distract America from issues that can help make our country better like raising the minimum wage, renewing unemployment insurance, and passing a jobs bill. This week, Republican leaders chose to form a Select Committee to investigate Benghazi, despite the fact that four Republican House committees have already investigated it and found no evidence of a conspiracy or cover-up. The American people deserve better than a partisan political stunt like this, but when Democrats proposed that the Select Committee’s membership be even between Democrats and Republicans, we were blocked by the GOP. On Monday, I went on FOX News to discuss this issue, and later that night joined MSNBC’s Chris Hayes to discuss the Republican’s Benghazi Derangement Syndrome.

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Even a Republican Committee Chairman, Buck McKeon of the Armed Services Committee, is now criticizing how partisan these investigations have become. The Select Committee is just another effort to obscure the facts and there’s no reason to think it will uncover anything the other partisan committee investigations haven’t. It’s time for Republicans to stop politicizing this tragedy and work with the Administration to make the changes we need to make so that it can never happen again.

Protecting Precious Artwork and Helping Make It Available to Americans

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This week, the House of Representatives passed the Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Act, a bipartisan bill that I helped lead with Republican Congressman Steve Chabot of Ohio which would make foreign art more accessible in American museums. Currently, American museums and universities are too often denied the opportunity to borrow art owned by foreign governments due to unnecessary legal barriers and the fear of artwork being caught up in our legal system. Our bipartisan legislation, which I spoke about on the House floor, would remove those barriers and make foreign artwork and artifacts more accessible to the public to view, study and appreciate in American schools and museums while preserving important protections in current law for Holocaust-related claims. I am pleased that it passed and I hope the Senate takes it up soon.

On Wednesday, I also enjoyed the opportunity to see Robert Edsel, the author of The Monuments Men book (which led to the recent film of the same name) about the men and women who helped rescue priceless artwork from the Nazis during World War II. In 2007, I voted for the first Congressional bill to recognize the work that the Monuments Men did to protect and preserve important art and culture, and I have joined my colleague Congresswoman Kay Granger, a Republican from Texas, to see that they receive the Congressional Gold Medal that they deserve.

Increasing Government Transparency

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On Tuesday night, the House also passed a bipartisan bill that I introduced with Republican Representative Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming to increase government transparency. Our bill, the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act, would reinstate tracking and reporting requirements of certain payments awarded through the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) to help ensure the American people have access to this important information.

Americans have a right to know what their government is doing and their government has a duty to be as transparent as possible. Without adequate reporting, citizens’ rights cannot be fully protected and the government risks failing in its duty to its people. I am glad our bipartisan Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act passed the House and I appreciate all of Representative Lummis’s work to reopen the government’s books and help ensure that all Americans have access to this information. You can watch my speech in support of the bipartisan bill here.

Make Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property

The State of Tennessee maintains a searchable database of unclaimed property, which can include bank accounts, stocks and dividends, wages, refunds, insurance payments, gift certificates, credit balances and overpayments, and a number of other things. There is no cost for accessing the database, and you may find that you are owed money or property. If you have not searched the database yet or if you haven’t searched in a while, you can visit https://www.claimittn.gov and see for yourself whether the state is holding any property or assets for you. And you may pass this information along to your friends and family as well!

Helping Veterans Find Jobs

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden recently announced the launch of a new integrated employment tool to connect veterans and service members with employers, and to help translate military skills into the civilian workforce. The Veterans Employment Center, an integrated, online tool connecting veterans, transitioning service members and their spouses with both public and private-sector employers, is the result of an interagency effort to improve, simplify and consolidate the current array of employment resources for veterans. Additionally, this will provide one comprehensive database of resumes for employers who are seeking to leverage the skills and talents of veterans, service members, and their spouses. A video tutorial on how to use the Veterans Employment Center can be viewed here.

Happy Mother’s Day!

As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,

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Steve Cohen
Member of Congress

Issues:9th DistrictArtsChildren and FamiliesEconomy and JobsEducationForeign AffairsGovernment ReformHomeland SecurityJudiciaryMemphisScience and TechnologyShelby CountyTennesseeTransportationVeterans' Affairs