Tennessee
As a fourth-generation Memphian, I have dedicated my life to public service in Memphis and Shelby County. My work has defined my life and affected the lives of people in Memphis, across Tennessee and now across America throughout my career in national, state and local politics.
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MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for and the House passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, to clarify and strengthen firearms transfer laws.
H.R. 8 requires a background check for every gun sale or transfer. The bill provides some specific commonsense exceptions such as allowing a person to give a gun as a gift to a family member; loaning a gun for hunting or target shooting; or temporarily transferring a gun for self-defense.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, today questioned expert witnesses at a hearing on "Full Steam Ahead for Rail: Why Rail is More Relevant than Ever for Economic and Environmental Progress."
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for and the House passed the Senate amendment to the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion measure addressing the coronavirus pandemic and its unprecedented economic consequences. The measure now goes to President Biden who is expected to sign it into law.
Today's vote on passage was 220 to 211.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) tonight voted for and the House passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would re-orient federal labor law to favor worker rights and do away with "right to work" laws that hamper labor organizing in 27 states, including Tennessee. It is the most significant pro-labor legislation in a generation.
The vote on passage was 225 to 206.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will receive a $486,599 grant from the National Cancer Institute for research on pediatric tumors that currently have no clinical treatments.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
"I'm pleased to see St. Jude is receiving this important childhood cancer research grant which will both improve the quality of life for many young patients and keep the hospital at the forefront of this critical scientific work."
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Kelly Armstrong (ND-At Large) today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2021. The legislation would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury.
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois and Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa introduced the measure in the Senate last Thursday.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today attended his first hearing of the Committee on Natural Resources that he joined in January. The hearing, which he attended remotely, was on Discussion Draft of the Insular Area Climate Change Act. The insular areas of the United States are territories that do not belong to one of the 50 states, and include Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Marco Rubio of Florida today planned to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to strengthen safety measures to prevent deadly underride accidents involving tractor-trailers and straight trucks. The bipartisan Stop Underrides Act would require underride guards on the sides and front of all new trucks and update outdated standards for underride guards on the rear of trucks.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which has jurisdiction over voting rights, today voted for H.R. 1, the For the People Act. The measure will restore public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections, limit the influence of Big Money and special interests, strengthen oversight of election spending, establish non-partisan commissions for redistricting, and end conflicts of interest while improving ethics rules.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, tonight expressed deep satisfaction at the passage of the groundbreaking George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which he believes will help build trust between police departments and the communities they serve. The measure contains major elements of bills Congressman Cohen authored, including the National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act, the Police CAMERA Act, and Police Training and Independent Review Act.