Government Reform
In Congress, I have taken numerous steps to begin to change the way we do business in Washington and to restore accountability and transparency to government. I have voted for and passed legislation that banned gifts from lobbyists, prohibited the use of corporate jets, and required full disclosure of earmarks. Also I have passed legislation banning pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes; and strengthening the Freedom of Information Act to increase government transparency.
More on Government Reform
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) voted for, and the House passed, H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which amends federal civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, federal jury service, public accommodations and the use of federal funds. The vote was 236 to 173.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON -- Today, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) voted for and the House passed H.R. 986, the Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act, to block the Trump Administration's dangerous October 2018 guidance that gives states the ability to weaken the Affordable Care Act's critical protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. The vote was 230 to 183.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, presided at a field hearing in Houston today to examine voting rights in Texas.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will convene a field hearing entitled "Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act in the State of Texas" in Houston, Texas, on Friday, May 3, 2019 at 10 a.m. Central/11 a.m. Eastern time. The hearing will examine the effects of voter registration laws and potential barriers to voting that may have a discriminatory impact based on race, color, sex, disability status and national origin.
Witness List
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, presided over the first hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment in 36 years and enthusiastically supported ratification of the constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal rights for women. See Congressman Cohen's opening statement here.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will preside Tuesday, April 30, over the first hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment in 36 years.
As the presidential campaign heats up, so too has the movement to abolish or otherwise neutralize the electoral college.
Some advocates argue that the electoral college was originally established to help less-populated states retain power, or to have every part of the country heard from in electing a chief executive. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) claims the system was designed to help the slave states.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, led a letter to House Appropriation Committee leaders, signed by 40 of his House colleagues, asking them to include language prohibiting the use of federal funds at businesses owned in whole or in part by President Trump in the annual spending bills for the next fiscal year beginning October 1. See the full letter here.
WASHINGTON – Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dick Durbin (D-IL) Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), introduced a Senate companion to Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Congressman Steve Cohen's proposed constitutional amendment (H.J.Res 7), which would eliminate the Electoral College and provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the United States.
House Democrats raised concerns Wednesday that President Donald Trump, newly emboldened after the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, could seek to pardon associates and allies entangled in the multiyear investigation.
In a House Judiciary Committee hearing with legal experts to examine the limits of the pardon power and a president's ability to pardon himself - scheduled before the end of the Muller probe - Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, said the "academic" discussion "has taken on greater importance" during Trump's presidency.