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Helping Address Memphis Veterans' Concerns

June 27, 2014
Enewsletters

This week marked one year from a misguided Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act, I brought a senior VA official to Memphis to address our veteran community’s concerns, spoke on the House Floor about the urgent need to restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act, and met with a talented young Memphis artist who won this year’s Congressional Art Competition in the Ninth District. Keep reading to learn what else happened this week.

Helping Address Memphis Veterans’ Concerns
Fighting to Protect the Right to Vote for All Americans
Helping Small Businesses and Minority-Owned Businesses Succeed
Building a Healthier Memphis
Promoting the Arts and Encouraging Talented Memphians
Working to Eliminate the Unintended Consequences of Overly Harsh Criminal Sentences
Remembering the Life of Late Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker
Honoring Former Israeli President Shimon Peres
Helping Reduce Homelessness in Shelby County
President Obama Seeking Mentors for Young People
Make Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property

Helping Address Memphis Veterans’ Concerns
Any delay in providing care to the brave men and women who risked their lives for our safety is unacceptable, and they deserve to receive the highest quality of care available. Since reports calling into question the quality of care provided at the Memphis VAMC were uncovered, I have repeatedly requested that high-ranking VA officials visit our facility to ensure that the agency fully understands the needs of the Memphis veteran community here on the ground.

I was pleased that my efforts to secure a visit from senior leadership at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs paid off today when Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management Jan Murphy joined me this morning in Memphis to tour the Memphis VA Medical Center and participate in a town hall meeting with more than 150Mid-South veterans to address their concerns.

This visit by Acting Deputy Under Secretary Murphy also served to reassure the nearly 200,000 veterans served by the VA Medical Center in Memphis that the Department takes safety concerns seriously and is working to address them. I will continue working to ensure that our veterans’ concerns are taken seriously and their complaints about care are heard and addressed by senior officials at the VA.

Fighting to Protect the Right to Vote for All Americans
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Wednesday marked the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s misguided Shelby County v. Holder decision that struck down several important protections of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Chief Justice John Roberts was wrong when he said the Voting Rights Act is no longer needed. In the past, people have been beaten or even killed in the struggle to ensure the right to vote was available to all Americans. But we are still seeing efforts to curtail this constitutional right throughout the country, and it is clear that the law’s protections are still critical in the fight against discrimination.

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I have cosponsored the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 to restore critical voting rights protections for all Americans, but sadly very few Republicans have signed on in support of the bill. Every Congressperson should support the Voting Rights Amendment Act to renew these protections that safeguard our democracy. It is nearly impossible to find a Republican to support the bill and those who could be persuaded have already done so, but I will continue to make the effort. The Supreme Court told us we need to modernize the Voting Rights Act, and we should not wait another day to do that. It’s time to pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act to ensure that the sacred right to vote is not denied to any American. I spoke out about the need to pass this bill on the House Floor and also spoke at a rally on Capitol Hill in support of our legislation with Leader Nancy Pelosi, Whip Steny Hoyer, and other civil rights leaders.

Helping Small Businesses and Minority-Owned Businesses Succeed
Memphis is home to many well-qualified small-business owners who do great work. They are the heart of the Memphis economy and play a critical role in our nation’s economic recovery. After years of hard work, my persistence paid off when the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a $1 million grant to start the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center in Memphis. The MBDA is the only federal agency created specifically to foster the establishment and growth of minority-owned businesses, and the Memphis Business Center has helped our minority businesses secure loans and expand. Earlier this year, I was happy to announce that the MBDA Business Center in Memphis had won an additional $250,000 of federal funding.

I am pleased to invite small business owners and entrepreneurs from the Ninth District to this year’s Federal Procurement Fair, which I’ve hosted annually since 2010 to help give our city’s minority-owned businesses and small businesses the expertise they need to navigate the federal contracting process and an opportunity to gain a competitive edge as they work to grow their businesses and create good-paying jobs right here in Memphis.

My Federal Procurement Fair will be held at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis next Monday, June 30th, beginning at 9am. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by emailing cohen.procurement@mail.house.gov.

Building a Healthier Memphis
More than 8 million Americans have enrolled in high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage through the marketplaces created by President Obama’s landmark health care reform law. With so many Americans now enrolled, President Obama is right when he says “the Affordable Care Act is here to stay.”

The Affordable Care Act is already helping millions of Americans get covered and receive the care they need, but we can do more. In February, I launched my “Building a Healthier Memphis” series on health and wellness in the Ninth District with a panel discussion and education session focused on racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes in Memphis; I continued the series in April with an event focused on stemming the rising tide of diabetes diagnoses in Memphis. During these events, experts have helped identify how Memphians can take advantage of provisions of the President’s Affordable Care Act that include no co-pay and no deductible preventive services to address the disparities and improve outcomes for themselves, their families, and their communities.

I am pleased to invite you to my next event in my “Building a Healthier Memphis” series on the Tuesday, July 8th at Church Health Center Wellness beginning at 9:30 AM. I hope you can join us for a discussion about maternal health and infant mortality, an issue that disproportionately affects Memphis families. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to 901.544.4131.

Promoting the Arts and Encouraging Talented Memphians
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Yesterday, I welcomed Southwind High School student Xavier Brito and his family to my Capitol Hill office to congratulate him on winning this year’s Congressional Art Competition. Xavier Brito’s artwork, entitled “Remember the Dream,” depicting the iconic Lorraine Motel sign highlights Memphis’ role in the ongoing struggle to secure and protect the civil rights of all Americans.

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His work shows just how talented and accomplished young Memphis artists are, and I was proud to select Xavier’s painting as the winner of the 2014 Congressional Art Competition. As the Ninth District’s winner, Xavier’s piece will hang in public view on Capitol Hill for the next year.

Working to Eliminate the Unintended Consequences of Overly Harsh Criminal Sentences
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On Thursday morning, I moderated a panel discussion that I hosted with Congressmen John Conyers and Bobby Scott about the collateral consequences of criminal convictions that occur after individuals have already paid their debts to society. “Orange is the New Black” author Piper Kerman and former New York City Police Commission Bernard Kerik joined our panel to share a personal perspective of how these unintended negative consequences—which disproportionately impact women of color—impair opportunities for employment, housing, public benefits, educational loans, and family connections.

Remembering the Life of Late Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker
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I was saddened to learn that this week we lost a great American and a great Tennessean, Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. Howard Baker served this country well, and he served it in a fashion that was worthy of admiration from both parties and from all people.

He was an American first, Tennessean second, and a Republican third. He served three terms in the United States Senate, serving as both Majority and Minority Leader. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan and as Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan. Howard Baker has been recognized since his retirement from the Senate on many occasions with several awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

His was a life well lived, and he should be remembered as a role model of a legislator who worked with both sides of the aisle and worked for America first. I paid tribute to the late Senate Majority Leader on the House Floor yesterday, you can watch my remarks here.

Honoring Former Israeli President Shimon Peres
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I was glad to be in the Capitol yesterday as Congress bestowed a Congressional Gold Medal to former Israeli President Shimon Peres. President Peres was a great leader of one of the few true democracies in the Middle East, and I am pleased that our nation has recognized his contributions.

Helping Reduce Homelessness in Shelby County
This week, I announced more than $1 million in federal funds for four Shelby County non-profits to help them continue their work to reduce homelessness in the Memphis area. You can read more about the organizations that will receive funding here.

President Obama Seeking Mentors for Young People
It is important that all children can count on caring adults who are engaged in their lives, but too many young people lack this important support. That’s why President Obama is calling on Americans to sign up as long-term mentors to young people through his new “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative. The President is seeking people from all walks of life who want to develop sustained and direct mentoring relationships that will play vital roles in the lives of young people in Memphis and around the country. If you are interested in signing up to help young adults in our city stay on track, you can do so 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!

Again, thank you for your interest.

Issues:9th DistrictArtsChildren and FamiliesEducationHealth CareJudiciaryMemphisMillingtonShelby CountyTennesseeVeterans' Affairs