Tennessee

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) and State Senator Raumesh Akbari (District 29) today condemned a bill signed into law last week that makes it a felony to protest on the grounds of the state Capitol. The measure also imposes mandatory minimum jail sentences for assaulting a first responder or participating in a riot. It also enhances penalties for vandalism of government property.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today announced that Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) will receive a $483,000 Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The grants are awarded to agencies promoting forward-thinking approaches to improve financing, system design and service.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today returned to Washington and voted for the Delivering for America Act to restore normal operations and confidence in the U.S. Postal Service. This is in response to the Trump Administration efforts to dismantle postal infrastructure and to delay deliveries of vital shipments during a pandemic and before large scale mail-in voting for the November Presidential election is set to occur. The vote on passage was 257 to 150.

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will receive a $376,950 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for mitochondrial research.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"I'm pleased that St. Jude, our premiere children's research hospital, continues to pursue important research in the midst of this pandemic. This grant will keep its dedicated scientists in their labs making breakthrough discoveries and potentially saving lives."

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today wrote to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland about an outdated funding formula that shortchanges Memphis in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) program. Congressman Cohen told Strickland that he plans to introduce legislation to both remedy the formula and increase overall funding for the program after seeking the mayor's input.

The letter reads in part:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressing his concern about the removal of sorting machines from Memphis postal processing facilities and the delays in delivery times that have resulted in reduced service. He urged DeJoy to reverse his decisions and "ensure people can receive their mail in a timely manner."

The letter reads in part:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), who as a Tennessee State Senator sponsored legislation to create and served on the Women's Suffrage Commission for the 75^th anniversary and championed the public art inside the state Capitol in recognition of Tennessee's historic role in ratifying the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and women's right to vote on this date in 1920, today commemorated the 100^th anniversary of the occasion and made the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today expressed deep concerns about Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's reported conflicts of interests in running the USPS.

Yesterday, Congressman Cohen joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and 191 other House Democrats in calling for the reversal of policies that have worsened the crisis facing the Postal Service and exacerbated a dramatic increase in delayed and undelivered mail.