Press Releases

The hearing was called in the wake of this month’s arrests of five employees of the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois following the discovery that hundreds of bodies had been dug up and the grave sites resold.

Working with Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI), Congressman Cohen succeeded in getting an additional $1 million for The National Center for Health Statistics to study the expanded use of enhanced birth certificates for fiscal year 2010.

The Cohen measure was included as part of H.R. 3288, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act of 2010 that passed the House early this evening.

“For our region, high speed rail will improve access between the largest cities in Tennessee and Arkansas. Investing in high-speed rail will further reduce our dependence on foreign oil, lower gas costs as well as congestion and accidents on our already overcrowded streets,” Congressman Cohen said.

Today’s hearing featured testimony from: Ms. Louann Van Der Wiele, Vice President & Associate General Counsel of Chrysler; Mr. Michael Robinson Vice President and General Counsel General Motors Company; Mr. Richard Mourdock Indiana State Treasurer; Mr. Jeremy Warriner who claim against Chrysler was thrown out because of the companies bankruptcy on April 30th; and auto dealers from Maryland, Rhode Island, New York and Texas. More information about the witnesses is available from Congressman Cohen’s office.

“This is incredibly good news, and just demonstrates that Memphis is on the front lines of medical and scientific research,” Congressman Cohen said. “Whether it’s finding a cure to a disease that affects people of all ages, or advancing our understanding of the environment, these funds will also have the effect of retaining some of the best and brightest scientific minds in our district.”

After 10 years without an increase in the federal minimum wage, in 2007 Congress voted to raise it $2.10 an hour over a two year period. Congressman Cohen, a longtime advocate of raising the minimum wage, was proud to make this one of his first votes in the House of Representatives.

The panel also heard testimony from Mr. Ron Bloom, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury and the head of the Presidential Task Force for the Auto Industry – the so-called “Auto Czar.”

Tomorrow, the CAL Subcommittee will hear testimony from the Vice President and General Counsel of both Chrysler and General Motors along with a number of auto dealers from across the country.

“Maintaining the navigation channel to Memphis Harbor is absolutely vital to the flow of commerce and promoting economic development. That’s why I fought hard to make sure that Army Corps of Engineers has the funding it needs to get this important job done,” Congressman Cohen said. “This bill will also help the University of Memphis to move forward with its plans to promote sustainable energy on the campus. Finally, I also want to commend President Obama for including $100,000 in federal funding to begin the process of a Storm Water Management Study for Memphis.”