9th District

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced a bill to provide preference to local contractors for work on or services provided at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. The measure would benefit local economies by retaining companies that support local incomes.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Fair Access to Credit Scores Act which would provide a free and accurate credit score with the free annual credit reports that are already available to consumers through the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Congressman Cohen introduced a similar bill and its provisions were included in the House-passed Consumers First Act in May 2019.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Subcommittee on Aviation, today wrote to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the results of mandated testing called for in the FAA Reauthorization Act's 2018 Cohen-authored Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act provisions. The testing to determine whether aircraft can be safely evacuated in the regulated minimum time permitted got under way after the bill's mandated deadline in 2019 and the results still remain unknown.

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today made the following statement about International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is Wednesday, January 27:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will receive a grant of $1,147,312 for emergency protective measures related to COVID-19 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In response to the ongoing pandemic, St. Jude has had to take extra precautions since all its patients are considered high-risk due to underlying health conditions or treatments which cause immune system compromise.

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced three federal grants totaling more than $1 million. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will receive $542,105 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for research on endothelial cells. The University of Memphis will receive $346,506 from the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism for work on approaches to reducing alcohol use among non-student, emerging adults.

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced more than $3.5 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Shelby County will receive $1,538,109 in emergency funding for its Ryan White HIV treatment programs. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will receive $1,967,005 from the National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Stroke for research on dementia.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to Governor Bill Lee after press accounts indicated Shelby County's rate of coronavirus vaccination is the lowest in the state. With Black Americans suffering a disproportionately high share of coronavirus infections, Shelby County mirrors the national situation with 673 of its1,169 COVID-19 deaths being Black Memphians. Congressman Cohen's letter asks Lee to act "proactively," and "rectify this issue immediately."

Congressman Cohen's letter reads in part: