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
Ferguson. Cleveland. Staten Island. North Charleston. Baltimore.
These are not just instances of police brutality. The problem is deeper than that. We have a flawed criminal justice system urgently in need of reform.
[WASHINGTON, DC] — Today, Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to nominate a new Drug Enforcement Administration chief that has a more progressive approach to federal drug enforcement. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sam Farr (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) also joined in sending the letter.
Michele Leonhart, the longtime leader of the Drug Enforcement Administration, is reportedly preparing to resign after nearly two dozen House lawmakers questioned her competence in handling an agency sex scandal.
Twenty-two members of the House oversight committee, including the panel’s Republican and Democratic leaders, said last week they had lost confidence in her leadership after the revelation that DEA agents weren't fired for participating in sex parties involving prostitutes that were paid for by drug cartel members.
Michele Leonhart, the longtime leader of the Drug Enforcement Administration, is reportedly preparing to resign after nearly two dozen House lawmakers questioned her competence in handling an agency sex scandal.
Twenty-two members of the House oversight committee, including the panel’s Republican and Democratic leaders, said last week they had lost confidence in her leadership after the revelation that DEA agents weren't fired for participating in sex parties involving prostitutes that were paid for by drug cartel members.
Racial profiling is an injustice and Congress must put an end to it, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen said Wednesday as a bill he is co-sponsoring was introduced in Congress.
“From the biased use of ‘stop and frisk’ policies to the impact of unfair mandatory minimum sentences on minority communities, there is widespread evidence that racial disparities pervade our criminal justice system,” the Memphis Democrat said.
Racial profiling is an injustice and Congress must put an end to it, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen said Wednesday as a bill he is co-sponsoring was introduced in Congress.
“From the biased use of ‘stop and frisk’ policies to the impact of unfair mandatory minimum sentences on minority communities, there is widespread evidence that racial disparities pervade our criminal justice system,” the Memphis Democrat said.
Congressman is leading federal bill with Senators Cory Booker and Rand Paul to recognize medicinal marijuana nationwide
[WASHINGTON, DC] – With both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly voting unanimously last night to send a bill allowing for the medicinal use of a non-psychoactive cannabis oil known as cannabidiol (CBD) to Governor Bill Haslam’s desk, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) called on the Governor to quickly sign the bill into law and provide Tennessee children suffering from epilepsy access to this safe, effective treatment.
Dear Friend,
This week, I hosted my latest “Building a Healthier Memphis” event to highlight how important it is that Memphis parents ensure their children receive the appropriate vaccines, we commemorated the 47th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in South Carolina another unarmed African-American male was killed by a police officer.
Without adequate, comprehensive national data on fatal police interactions exists, abuses are difficult to identify and fix
[MEMPHIS, TN] – A bill introduced earlier this year by Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, would close a loophole in federal law that makes it easier for local law enforcement agencies, including one in South Carolina where an officer has been charged with shooting an unarmed man in the back, to hide police shootings from the public.