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-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at the first in a series of hearings on reforming civil rights litigation by reviewing the doctrine of qualified immunity.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today led a letter to President Biden asking him to release the remaining records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The letter was signed by Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-18) and James McGovern (MA-03).
The letter reads in part:
WASHINGTON – Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) today led a letter to the leaders of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment urging them to include various environmental justice provisions in the upcoming 2022 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
The letter reads in part:
WASHINGTON -- Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), a co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, today sent a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and released the following statement
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today reintroduced the Fresh Start Act, a bill to permit the expungement of the records of certain non-violent offenses.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today discussed the need for an increased focus on environmental justice by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and greater efforts to restore the Mississippi River at a Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing to consider priorities for the 2022 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today responded to the decision by Congressman Jim Cooper (TN-05) not to seek re-election with the following statement:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, today questioned expert witnesses at a hearing entitled "The First Step Act, The Pandemic, and Compassionate Release: What Are the Next Steps for the Federal Bureau of Prisons?"
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a vocal critic of the Tennessee Valley Authority's relationship with Memphis, its largest customer, today applauded efforts by the Chairs of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and three of its Subcommittees to get answers about the federally chartered company's ratepayer energy burden and apparent resistance to addressing renewable energy and climate change, an issue he has repeatedly raised.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to state Representative Curtis Johnson, chairman of the House Select Committee on Redistricting, urging the Committee to focus on the "shared needs and values of constituents within each community," and include the entirety of Memphis in a single compact and contiguous congressional district.
Congressman Cohen's letter reads in part: