Memphis

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that two local organizations have been awarded a total of $373,888 in grant funding to help reduce homelessness in Memphis. The Community Alliance for the Homeless will receive $157,418 in two separate grants and the Friends for Life Corporation will receive for $216,470 from a single grant.

“This funding will help local communities and organizations work to reduce—and eventually eliminate—homelessness in Memphis,” said Congressman Cohen.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today commemorated the 48^th anniversary of the landmark Voting Rights Act, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on August 6^th, 1965, and called on Congress to address a recent Supreme Court ruling that eviscerated important protections that have helped secure the right to vote for all Americans for nearly 5 decades.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Prior to returning to his work in Memphis last week, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) introduced H.R. 3015, the Supermarket Tax Credit for Underserved Areas Act, to help reduce the prevalence of “food deserts” and help ensure that healthy, fresh food is available throughout the nation, including in urban areas. The legislation would provide tax incentives for the establishment of supermarkets in empowerment zones and formerly designated renewal communities.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that President Obama has nominated Sheryl Lipman, Chief of Staff to University of Memphis Interim President R. Brad Martin and former University Counsel, to serve as District Court Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. The Congressman recommended Ms. Lipman after convening a diverse, bipartisan screening committee to conduct interviews of nine potential candidates for the position.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – On the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today paid tribute to the late Tennessee House Speaker Pro Tempore Emeritus Lois DeBerry, the longest serving member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and the first female and only African American to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore. Video of the Congressman’s remarks is available here.

The Congressman’s remarks as prepared follow:

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that a $450,423 research grant from the Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in downtown Memphis. The grant comes through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and focuses on studies that investigate the role played by an important immune cell, the T cell, in a variety of different infections, including influenza virus.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today congratulated the City of Memphis on being named one of the world’s top 20 travel destinations by MSN. The top 20 list included Memphis alongside world icons like Paris, Venice, and Istanbul and natural wonders like Jackson Hole. In describing Memphis, the article mentions a greenway that includes the Harahan Bridge Project, which Congressman Cohen spent nearly three years working on in order to secure funding.