Wishing You a Safe and Happy Fourth of July
Dear Friend,
I hope you and your family have a safe and happy Fourth of July tomorrow. This week marked the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the landmark Civil Rights Act into law, a new report was released showing just how many Tennesseans are hurting because Governor Haslam refuses to act on TennCare expansion, and I hosted my annual Procurement Fair to help Memphis small businesses compete. Keep reading to learn what else happened this week.
Continuing the Fight for Civil Rights and Voting Rights
Join Me Tuesday to Help Build a Healthier Memphis
Helping Small Businesses and Minority-Owned Businesses Succeed
Pushing to Ensure More Tennesseans Have Health Coverage
Fighting for Women’s Health Care Rights
Working to Reduce Homelessness in Memphis
President Obama Seeking Mentors for Young People
Make Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property
Continuing the Fight for Civil Rights and Voting Rights
Yesterday marked 50 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law is among the most significant in our nation’s history, and it represents a culmination of years and years of a difficult struggle. Many brave Americans were mistreated, hurt, and even killed as they fought for the rights we hold dear, and each of us owes a debt to the courageous leaders of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
While the landmark civil rights law helped bring an end to the Jim Crow era by banning discrimination and segregation in public places, 50 years later vestiges of injustice still remain. I was proud to author the first and only official Congressional apology for slavery and Jim Crow, but we can still do more to rectify the lingering consequences of these travesties of justice.
One year after the Supreme Court struck down critical components of the Voting Rights Act, efforts to once again limit the right to vote can now be seen throughout the country. It is as important as ever that the law protect our right to vote and protect citizens from discrimination.
As we reflect upon the hard work and bravery that led to Civil Rights Act five decades ago, we must recognize that this fight for our rights is ongoing and unfinished. Every Congressperson should support the Voting Rights Amendment Act that I have cosponsored to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. Doing so would be in the spirit of the Civil Rights Act and would help America better live up to our creed that all individuals are created equal.
Join Me Tuesday to Help Build a Healthier Memphis
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 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.
The infant mortality rate of the United States is woefully high, and Memphis’s rate is even higher. In addition to hosting events like this one to bring attention to the issue, I also support numerous pieces of legislation in Congress that aim to lower infant mortality rates across the country. I am the primary sponsor of H. R. 4639, the Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act. This bill will create a number of pilot projects in high risk areas across the country so that we can better track instances of infant mortality, provide more support to at-risk mothers, and develop and implement standardized systems to promote healthy pregnancies. I also co-sponsor H.R. 4216, the Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2014. This legislation would provide grants to states to establish Maternal Mortality Review Committees to examine pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths and to identify ways to reduce maternal mortality rates. If you are interested in attending my “Building a Healthier Memphis” event on Tuesday, please RSVP to 901.544.4131.
Helping Small Businesses and Minority-Owned Businesses Succeed
On Monday, I continued my work to help Memphis-area small businesses and minority-owned businesses succeed by hosting my 2014 Federal Procurement Fair at the University of Memphis FedEx Institute Of Technology. I have hosted my procurement fair annually since 2010 to 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.
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. I am glad to bring together representatives from so many agencies to give our local small businesses the opportunity to be well-informed and more competitive, grow their businesses, and create good-paying jobs right here in Memphis. I also joined FOX 13’s Good Morning Memphis on Monday to discuss this year’s fair. You can watch my segment here.
The Federal Procurement Fair is another of my efforts to help the minority business community in our city. 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.
Pushing to Ensure More Tennesseans Have Health Coverage
This week, the White House Council of Economic Advisors released a report on the consequences of states led by Republicans failing to expand their Medicaid systems. For Tennessee, the report showed that 234,000 citizens who would be eligible for health insurance coverage under TennCare (our Medicaid system) will not be covered in 2016 and that more than 40,000 residents will face financial hardship, many catastrophically, as a result of not being covered by an expanded TennCare program—and those are just a few of the negative effects on the people of our state.
This new report confirms what we already knew: that Governor Haslam’s refusal to expand TennCare has disastrous consequences for the people of Tennessee. By not expanding our state’s Medicaid program, the Governor is conveying a message that the State has little concern for the neediest, sickest, and most desperate of its citizens. While this may not be his intention, the reality of the situation is that hundreds of thousands of our state’s most needy citizens are going or will go without the health coverage that they need and should have.
I remain committed to ensuring that all Tennesseans are able to take advantage of the important protections made available by the President’s landmark Affordable Care Act, and I am once again calling on the Governor to do the right thing, take swift action, and expand our state’s Medicaid program.
Fighting for Women’s Health Care Rights
Nothing should come between a woman and her health care decisions. But unfortunately, on Monday the Supreme Court ruled that some employers can get in between and make private decisions for their employees. Their ruling allows the owners of corporations to put their beliefs above the rights of their employees and above the law when it comes to the health care they provide. I don’t think that is the right decision or the right thing to do.
I agree with Justice Ginsburg’s dissent when she says that “workers who sustain the operations of [for-profit] corporations are not commonly drawn from one religious community.” Because of this, employers should not be able to impose their own religious beliefs upon another individual. The employer should instead be a conduit for an employee to receive health insurance at a better rate than the employee might have otherwise received it.
Working to Reduce Homelessness in Memphis
This week, I joined Mayors Wharton and Luttrell and Community Alliance for the Homeless Executive Director Katie Kitchin to announce a major step forward in our fight to reduce homelessness. On Wednesday, we announced that the number of people living on the streets of Memphis and Shelby County has been reduced and our community has reached a goal of finding housing for 100 of our most vulnerable adults in Memphis.
It is important for a nation as wealthy as this one to take responsibility for others less fortunate. Because we have an economy still recovering from the worst economic decline since the Great Depression, we must continue to focus substantial resources to eliminate homelessness. This is an area where the federal government can help. Last week, I was proud to announce that $1 million dollars in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care program was awarded to four non-profits in Memphis. This funding goes a long way helping organizations like the Community Alliance for the Homeless quickly rehouse homeless individuals and their families while minimizing trauma and dislocation.
As our community continues to work together and reach goals to reduce homelessness in Memphis, we must maintain a strong commitment. We also must continue to ensure the availability of adequate shelter for our most vulnerable individuals who are chronically homeless or endure hardships from the downturn of this economy. As your Congressman, I will continue to support legislation and funding to assist individuals who are less fortunate in our community.
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!
Have a safe and happy July 4th!
As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress