Government Reform
In Congress, Congressman Cohen has taken numerous steps to begin to change the way we do business in Washington and to restore accountability and transparency to government.
He has voted for and passed legislation that banned gifts from lobbyists, prohibited the use of corporate jets, and required full disclosure of earmarks. He has supported legislation banning pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes, and to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act by increasing government transparency.
Congressman Cohen has also taken the lead on important structural reforms, like non-partisan redistricting with the John Tanner and Jim Cooper Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act, and the rigorous, nonpartisan agency oversight with the Independent Acting Inspectors General Act.
More on Government Reform
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today questioned expert witnesses at a hearing before the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management titled “Never Ending Emergencies – An Examination of the National Emergencies Act.” When he was Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, Congressman Cohen held hearings on the National Emergencies Act and achieved bipartisan support for its reform.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today introduced the National Guard and Reservist Debt Relief Extension Act, a measure that continues the exemption from the means test under Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code for national guard members and reservists, continuing the parity with active duty servicemembers.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today introduced the John Tanner and Jim Cooper Fairness and Independence in Redistricting (FAIR) Act which would require states to take their congressional apportionment decisions out of the political process and place it in the hands of independent redistricting commissions. The measure is named after former Tennessee Congressmen John Tanner and Jim Cooper, both champions of legislation to end partisan gerrymandering.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), the Representative from Memphis and a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for a Department of Justice review of the expulsion of Tennessee state Representatives Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson, and a failed vote to expel Representative Gloria Johnson. The letter reads in part:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), who served in the state legislature for 24 years before being elected to Congress in 2006, today attended the Shelby County Commission Special Meeting called to reinstate State Representative Justin J. Pearson, and made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the ranking member of the Aviation Subcommittee, today addressed efforts to improve passenger safety and comfort at a hearing on “Navigating the Comprehensive Passenger Experience.” The hearing was the third held this year on the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), who represents Memphis in the House of Representatives and is a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today welcomed the decision by the Department of Justice to review the Memphis Police Department’s policy and practice on the use of force. Trye Nichols died after a brutal encounter with Memphis police on January 7, 2023.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Curb Leaders from Electioneering with Autographs on National (CLEAN) Checks Act, a measure prohibiting the manipulation of the public’s financial lifeline for a politician’s political gain. Until President Trump placed his name on every COVID-19 pandemic relief check, no President had so blatantly sought to take misplaced credit for federal assistance.
WASHINGTON -- As airlines continue to fail consumers, with refund complaints still 11,000 percent above pre-pandemic levels, Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced their Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act, legislation to provide consumers an enforceable right to a full cash refund when airlines cancel their flight.
WASHINGTON – Representatives Steve Cohen, André Carson, Barbara Lee, Danny K. Davis, Donald M. Payne Jr., Gwen Moore, and Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. today reintroduced a measure to remove the name of longtime Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover from the FBI headquarters building in downtown Washington, D.C.
The measure is co-sponsored by an additional 13 members of Congress.