Hosting Stakeholders at Housing Issues Roundtable
Dear Friend, This week, I hosted a roundtable discussion in my District office with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Director Jose Alvarez and local stakeholders to improve communication on a variety of housing issues. I also questioned expert witnesses at a hearing on airline passenger convenience issues; welcomed leaders from the Memphis airport; voted against a misleading partisan bill asserting that the federal government is undermining parents’ rights; announced significant health care research grants to the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC); welcomed a grant to Christ Community Health Services; applauded the testimony of Michael Kutcher at an Appropriations Subcommittee to support cerebral palsy research and met with members of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation; received the Humane Society Legislative Fund award for my work protecting animals; and offered a health tip about ethylene oxide exposure and a public meeting next Tuesday to address it. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Hosting Stakeholders at Housing Issues Roundtable Demanding FAA Address Airline Passenger Convenience Issues Welcoming Memphis Airport Leaders Addressing Partisan “Parents’ Rights” Concerns Announcing Grants to University of Memphis and UTHSC Welcoming Community Health Center Funding Applauding Commitment to Cerebral Palsy Research Funding Receiving Humane Society Animal Protection Award Hosting Stakeholders at Housing Issues Roundtable Left to right: Kenneth Free (HUD), Felicia Harris (City of Memphis), HUD Regional Administrator Jose Alvarez, Congressman Cohen, Kathy Cowan (LISC), Amy Schaftlein (United Housing), Dexter Washington (MHA) and Michelle McCarroll (HUD-Nashville). Kelley Henderson of Catholic Charities attended remotely. On Tuesday, I invited the Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Jose Alvarez, and critical stakeholders to a roundtable discussion of housing issues at my downtown office. We covered a lot of ground and opened communication channels between those who advocate for improved housing access and those in a position to make that process simpler and more efficient. It was an excellent session and I believe it will prove to be a catalyst for better housing opportunities in Memphis and beyond. Demanding FAA Address Airline Passenger Convenience Issues On Thursday, the Aviation Subcommittee on which I serve as the Ranking Member, held another hearing on reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, this one focusing on a comprehensive approach to passenger convenience. I noted that several measures I have championed address passenger safety and convenience, including the Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act which became law in 2018. The FAA has been negligent in meeting the mandates created in the SEAT Act and I expressed my concern. I also noted that I am currently seeking to pass a bill assuring cash refunds for flight cancellations and another to determine whether disabled passengers can safety evacuate aircraft in the federally mandated time required. I also noted that a recent bipartisan infrastructure bill I voted for authorized the Department of Transportation to send $14 million to Memphis International Airport for baggage and security improvements through its new Airport Terminal Grant program. See my opening statement and line of questions to expert witnesses here. Welcoming Memphis Airport Leaders Congressman Cohen with Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority members and staff. Also, on Thursday, I met with Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA) board members and staffers in my Washington office to discuss the upcoming terminal modernization and other priorities. Addressing Partisan “Parents’ Rights” Concerns The Judiciary Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee held a hearing Thursday falsely claiming the Department of Justice is trying to intimidate parents from speaking at school board meetings. While ignoring the threats of violence toward school board members, the Subcommittee invited witnesses who are actively trying to ban books from public schools and exclude LGBTQ+ students from participating in school programming. One group that testified, Moms For Liberty, recently asked the Tennessee Board of Education to ban children’s books about Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges because they were “Anti-White” and “Anti-American.” I also voted earlier today against H.R. 5, the so-called “Parents Bill of Rights,” that seeks to advance a Republican talking point about politicization of public school curricula. The misleading measure, which targets accurate depictions of our history and the demographics of our classrooms, unfortunately passed on a party-line vote. Announcing Grants to University of Memphis and UTHSC This week, the National Institutes of Health awarded two grants to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and another to biomedical research being conducted at the University of Memphis. See those releases here and here. Welcoming Community Health Center Funding I announced a major grant to Christ Community Health Services this week and applauded the life-saving work it does for the underserved in our community. At the same time, I observed that more could be done for the working poor if Tennessee would expand its Medicaid program and cease being one of a handful of states depriving residents of adequate basic health care. See my release here. Applauding Commitment to Cerebral Palsy Research Funding Congressman Cohen received the Legislative Advocate Award from Cynthia Frisina, Cerebral Palsy Foundation Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships On Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Appropriations overseeing medical research heard testimony from Michael Kutcher, twin brother of actor Ashton Kutcher, supporting my request to include new funding at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research on cerebral palsy. The disorder, which is the most prevalent lifelong physical disability and affects one of 345 children born in the United States, currently has no dedicated federal research funding. I applaud the subcommittee on what appears to be a solid commitment to provide cerebral palsy research going forward. Later Thursday, I met with members of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation for a wide-ranging discussion about addressing their concerns. Receiving Humane Society Animal Protection Award Left to right: Kitty Block, CEO and President of the Humane Society of the United States, Marilyn Dillihay, Congressman Cohen, Sara Amundson, President of Humane Society Legislative Fund, and Alex Schnelle (and Stevie). Credit: Kevin Wolf/For the HSUS On Wednesday evening, I received recognition for my efforts at the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s Humane Awards reception. As a longtime member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, I am grateful for my acknowledged leadership on these issues. The Shelby County Health Department is holding a public meeting on Tuesday, March 28, to discuss ethylene oxide releases from the Sterilization Services of Tennessee facility at 2396 Florida Street in southwest Memphis. I encourage all concerned to attend and to inform their neighbors who can’t attend of what they learn. Exposure to ethylene oxide can cause a range of respiratory and other ailments as outlined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency here. See details about the meeting at Monumental Baptist Church, 704 South Parkway East, Memphis, Tennessee 38106 from 6 to 8 p.m. here. Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Department of Health, and Shelby County Health Department will be present to answer questions from both the live and virtual audience. The virtual presentation can be reached at: https://tinyurl.com/EtOMeeting “I want to end with the words of a speaker at a meeting of the Martin County, Florida, school board earlier this week. A 100-year-old woman stepped up to speak, indicating she intended to share her shock and dismay at the recent book bans in her county. She noted that her husband had died young, fighting in the Second World War, to defend our democracy, our Constitution, and our freedoms. And she said: ‘Banned books and burning books are the same. Both are done for the same reason: Fear of knowledge. Fear is not freedom; fear is not liberty. Fear is control.’ ” – Testimony of Nadine Farid Johnson, managing director, Washington and Free Expression Programs, PEN America, before the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution on Thursday. As always, I remain. Steve Cohen |