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 – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Ben Cline (VA-06) introduced the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act to ensure that certain members of the National Guard and Reserves who fall on hard economic times after their military service will continue to obtain bankruptcy relief without having to fill out the substantial paperwork required by the so-called "means test" under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today voted to move a measure improving and extending the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund to the House floor.
On Tuesday, Congressman Cohen presided over a hearing on the compensation fund which examined the health consequences of the September 11, 2001, attack on first responders and people living and working near the targeted crash sites.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and Betty McCollum (MN-04) led a letter with 32 other representatives to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler asking for an explanation of why the agency disregarded the advice of its own scientists by issuing a rule restricting but not banning asbestos, a known carcinogen. See the letter here.
The letter reads in part:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen's amendment providing free credit scores to consumers passed the House today and was made a part of the Consumers First Act. The bill provides sweeping consumer protections eroded by the Trump Administration. It passed on a vote of 231 to 191.
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.