Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today joined House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Senator Kamala Harris of California in introducing the Marijuana Opportunity and Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The bill aims to correct the injustices of our failed drug policies by removing Marijuana from Schedule I in the Control Substances Act, investing in communities that have been disproportionately affected, and requiring re-sentencing and expungement for prior convictions.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Equal Employment for All Act to protect job seekers from unfair discrimination from employers based on credit ratings. The legislation would protect prospective employees from being forced to disclose their credit history as part of an employer's application process. Specifically, the bill would prohibit employers from using credit checks and bankruptcy filings in the hiring process unless the position requires national security clearance.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for and the House passed H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act, legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 and give 33 million Americans a raise. The vote was 231 to 199.

After the vote, Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, today voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for their willful failure to comply with lawful subpoenas and document requests. The vote was 230 to 198.

Afterward, Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, questioned witnesses about the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) inaction on implementation of the Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act that became law more than nine months ago. The law required the FAA to set minimum seat sizes and distances between rows of seats to meet safety standards.

The hearing also heard from the families of victims of recent Boeing 737 Max plane crashes.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology Committee, today questioned a witness at a Joint Subcommittee hearing on "Scientific Integrity in Federal Agencies."

Congressman Cohen is a cosponsor of the Scientific Integrity Act which requires federal agencies that fund or direct public science to establish and maintain clear scientific integrity principles.

Afterward, Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) cosponsored and voted in favor of H. Res. 489 that reaffirms our national values and condemns President Trump's recent tweets that four Members of Congress should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." The vote was 240 to 187.

In voting for the measure, Congressman Cohen said:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, provided opening remarks at a hearing on "Responding to Hate Crimes: The Role of Religious Actors."

In the hearing, Congressman Cohen said:

"We all need to take religion and use it for good and find common purposes, common values, and not use it to divide us."

Find the Congressman's full remarks here.