Improving the Memphis Economy and Creating Jobs
Dear Friend,
This week, President Obama’s administration awarded the Memphis-area with a designation making us eligible to share more than $1 billion in federal economic development support funding, the House approved my legislation to help end the school-to-prison pipeline, I hosted another Congress on your Corner event, voted to jumpstart medical research at the National Institutes of Health, and announced more than $3 million in federal funding for Memphis. Keep reading to learn more about what happened this week, and don’t forget to like my Facebook page to receive these updates, and more, as they happen.
Improving the Memphis Economy and Creating Jobs
The Confederate Flag: #TakeItDown
Bringing Congress to your Corner
Improving our Criminal Justice System
Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Funding Research for Cures
Helsinki Commission
Memphians Serving Abroad
Federal Grants for Memphis
Improving the Memphis Economy and Creating Jobs
Shelby County and several surrounding counties were awarded a highly competitive distinction by the Obama Administration today that makes the region eligible to share in $1 billion in federal economic development assistance that will help jumpstart the region’s medical device manufacturing sector and create jobs. Read more about the designation here.
The Confederate Flag: #TakeItDown
Today is a proud day in the state of South Carolina and for America: the Confederate battle flag came down from the South Carolina state capitol. The flag symbolizes things that the South should not be proud of. Symbols of treason, hate and racism and have no place in Congress or any of our government buildings. Watch my floor speech here.
Bringing Congress to your Corner
This morning, staff from my Memphis office was on hand at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library for my regular “Congress on your Corner” office hours, where we are available to help address Memphians’ problems with and questions about Social Security, Medicare, FHA, the VA or any other federal agencies. Stay tuned to these newsletters for information about the next Congress on your Corner event.
Improving our Criminal Justice System
I am pleased to see Governor Cuomo appoint a special prosecutor for police-related civilian deaths and take an important step to restore New Yorker’s faith in their justice system. Expecting local prosecutors to prosecute the same officers upon whom they rely to do their job presents a clear conflict of interest, and it is unnecessary. But this issue isn’t unique to New York. We need to help restore faith in our criminal justice system across the country, and I have a bill to do it that I just spoke with Ari Melber about on MSNBC. Watch my interview here and read more about the bill here.
Also this week, President Obama announced he will make broader use of his clemency powers to bring freedom to people who have already served lengthy sentences for non-violent drug crimes. This is a good move by President Obama. It's a smarter approach to the war on drugs that for years I've promoted and encouraged.
Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline
On Wednesday night, the House voted to approve a bill that includes my legislation to cut short the “school-to-prison pipeline” that disproportionately impacts African-American communities. While I do not agree with the underlying bill, I am pleased that the House approved my legislation. If passed by the Senate and signed by President Obama, my legislation will help ensure that teachers and youth counselors have access to the resources they need to keep our nation’s young people out of prison, help improve the healing process for victims, save our country money, and improve outcomes for everyone.
The 21st Century Cures Act, which the House voted to approve this morning, takes an important step towards reversing the slide that has stalled or stopped countless biomedical research projects over the last decade. While I do not agree with every provision of the final bill, this compromise is a vast improvement over the status quo that will help jumpstart research at the National Institutes of Health, another department of defense that protects us from deadly diseases and illnesses.
Last week, as a member of the Helsinki Commission, I travelled to Helsinki to meet with European Parliamentarians. I sponsored a resolution on the importance of recognizing and preventing anti-Semitism around the world, and am pleased the resolution overwhelmingly passed.
While in Helsinki, our Congressional Delegation met with men and women serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Jason Dunham. I was surprised and pleased that one of the officers was 2002 Whitehaven High School graduate and U.S. Naval Academy graduate Lieutenant James Koffi, a Memphian who is leading the ship’s weapons department. I was proud to meet him onboard.
This week, I was glad to announce more than $3 million in federal funding for health centers in Memphis. Le Bonheur was awarded $1.23 million and Christ Community Health Services received $1.78 million to train more doctors and increase healthcare access.
As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress