Memphis Soul at The White House
Dear Friend,
This week I attended Memphis Soul at the White House, the 10th in the White House’s In Performance at the White House concert series. The show was phenomenal and highlighted Memphis’ great music scene.
Memphis Soul at the White House
Mo’ Money Taxes
Cancer Research Rally
Mayor A C Wharton
Dr. James Hansen
Suze Orman
End Horse Soring
Equal Pay Day
Legislator of the Year Award
President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget
REINS Act
Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Help Filing Taxes
EnergySmart Memphis
Grant Announcements
Memphis Soul at the White House
On Tuesday I attended “Memphis Soul” at the White House, the 10th in the White House’s In Performance at the White House concert series, partnering with PBS and The Grammys. The event was hosted by President Obama and the First Lady. Performers at the White House included Justin Timberlake, William Bell, Steve Cropper, Sam Moore, Booker T. Jones, Queen Latifah, Ben Harper, Cyndi Lauper, Charlie Musselwhite, Joshua Ledet, Eddie Floyd, Alabama Shakes, and Mavis Staples. And yesterday I spoke on the House floor about how phenomenal Cyndi Lauper’s performance was at the White House, and today I hosted a news conference in my office about tweets I sent to Cyndi Lauper that I later deleted. You can read my statement about this here.
“Memphis Soul” will be aired on April 16 at 7 p.m. CT on PBS stations nationwide and I encourage you to watch it.
Click here to see me talk on the House floor about Memphis Soul at the White House and click here to learn more about Memphis Soul at the White House.
Mo’ Money Taxes
This week I applauded the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for filing a civil injunction lawsuit seeking to shut down Mo’ Money Taxes. The suit also accuses its owners of creating and maintaining a business environment that encourages the preparation of fraudulent federal income tax returns. Serious questions and concerns have been raised about the Mo’ Money tax preparation firm in Memphis and other parts of the country.
The Congressional hearing I requested last June shed light on what Americans can do to prevent being taken advantage of from companies that are victimizing people through tax fraud. There is no room in Memphis for tax preparation scams that prey on the poor and middle class. Tax preparation firms that rip off citizens and government with fraudulent work should be punished as severely as possible under the law. I’m glad to see that the Department of Justice has responded to the concerns my constituents expressed about Mo’ Money and is taking action.
Cancer Research Rally
On Monday I issued a statement in support of a cancer research rally that took place in our nation’s capital organized by the American Association for Cancer Research and on Tuesday I spoke at the group’s public policy forum. Thousands of prominent cancer and medical researchers from across the country assembled to protest federal funding cuts that began several years ago along with the sequestration cuts that are taking place. I have fought on the House floor numerous time for health care and medical funding and will continue to do so because it is critical that we support the National Institutes of Health (NIH), our country’s foremost medical research center which has helped millions across the country suffering from heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Post Polio.
Unfortunately, Republicans are cutting more than $1 billion from NIH’s budget through sequestration. I disagree with these cuts because disease is the enemy and we must do everything in our power to conquer it. Yes, we have foreign enemies overseas that we have to defend ourselves against but we should take some of the money allocated for the Pentagon and use it to fight debilitating diseases. Even the DOD concedes its budget can withstand cuts without jeopardizing our security. Funding for NIH should be increased -- not slashed -- because the research conducted there helps save lives, creates jobs and benefits future generations. Click here to see my remarks on the House floor.
Mayor A C Wharton
Mayor A C Wharton was in Washington, D.C. this week and visited me in my office. I was happy to meet with the Mayor and talk about issues that are important to the 9th District, such as the TIGER grant that will make Memphis more livable and also attract tourism. I will continue to work at the Federal level and coordinate with Mayor Wharton to benefit Memphis.
Dr. James Hansen
On Wednesday I honored Dr. James Hensen on the House floor. From 1981 to 2013, he was the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and has retired to become a full-time activist on climate change. Dr. Hansen is also the author of the bestselling book Storms of My grandchildren. That same night I went into further detail about climate change with my colleagues on the House floor. Click here to see my remarks.
Suze Orman
On Tuesday I spoke at a Congressional briefing with financial advisor Suze Orman and Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott entitled ‘The Student Loan Debt Crisis: A Solutions-Oriented Conversation.’ I discussed legislation I authored to restore fairness in student lending by treating privately issued student loans the same as other types of private debt in bankruptcy. People who seek higher education to better their futures should not be dissuaded from doing so by the threat of financial ruin. The bankruptcy system should work as a safety net that allows people to get the education they want with the assurance that, should their finances come under strain by layoffs, accidents, or other unforeseen life events, they will be protected. My bill takes a modest but important step in achieving this goal. At the briefing I met Memphian Christine Cheers, now a Congressional intern, who said she couldn’t have gone to college without the Tennessee HOPE Lottery Scholarship. I find it gratifying when I meet a young person who has benefited from my legislative work and it inspires me to work even harder to help my constituents.
End Horse Soring
This week I joined with Congressman Ed Whitfield as the lead Democratic sponsor to introduce the Prevent all Soring Tactics (PAST) Act of 2013. The bill will amend the Horse Protection Act of 1970 to end the soring of horses, which is an abusive practice used by some horse trainers in the Tennessee Walking, Spotted Saddle, and Racking Horse shows. In Tennessee, soring horses is illegal and unacceptable. Those responsible for abusing these horses should be punished severely and banned from the sport. How we treat animals is a direct reflection of our character, both as individuals and a nation. There is no ribbon, no prize, nor championship worth the price of one’s humanity.
Equal Pay Day
Tuesday was Equal Pay Day and more needs to be done to close the wage gap that still exists between women and men – including enactment of the critical Paycheck Fairness Act. Equal Pay Day symbolizes when, more than three months into the year, women’s wages finally catch up to what men were paid in the previous year. Nationwide, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, despite the fact that the Equal Pay Act will mark its 50th anniversary in June. Equal pay is not simply a woman’s issue – it’s a family issue. Families increasingly rely on women’s wages to make ends meet. When women bring home less money each day, it means they have less for the everyday needs of their families – groceries, rent, child care, doctors’ visits.
Legislator of the Year Award
This week I received a Legislator of the Year Award from The Institute of Real Estate Management and the CCIM Institute. It is a pleasure and an honor to be recognized for my work in Congress.
President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget
This week President Obama put forth a budget proposal that makes investments to grow the economy, create jobs, and strengthen the middle class while continuing to reduce the deficit in a balanced way. The President has made it clear that this proposal is in furtherance of his efforts to achieve compromise with Republicans and demonstrates that he is willing to make tough decisions to reduce the deficit, but only in the context of a bold and balanced agreement that asks the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share and includes initiatives that spur economic growth by creating jobs.
Now that the House and Senate have acted on their own budget proposals, it is time for Speaker John Boehner to appoint budget conferees to avoid any further delay. The American people want their elected representatives in Washington to work together to tackle the difficult decisions facing our nation. We must lift the sequester and find common ground to grow our economy, put people to work, and build a strong, thriving middle class. Click here to learn more about President Obama’s budget proposal.
REINS Act
Yesterday while in a House Judiciary Committee markup I spoke against “The REINS Act” -- Promoting Jobs and Expanding Freedom by Reducing Needless Regulation. The REINS Act would reform the Congressional Review Act to require congressional approval of major agency regulations before the regulations can go into effect. Major regulations are those that produce $100 million or more in impacts on the U.S. economy (which doesn’t account for much of our GDP), spur major increases in costs or prices for consumers, or have significant adverse effects on the economy.
Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition
Yesterday I attended a meeting the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) held for House Democrats. While there I spoke to Heather Zichal, President Obama’s top climate adviser, about my opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline and other important energy and environment issues. Click here to learn more about SEEC.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis (BGCM) is all about creating opportunities for children through after-school education. They serve nearly 4,000 members between the ages of 6 and 18 each year by providing the fun experiences and critical guidance kids need to build bright futures. Through a variety of academic and recreational programs, BGCM empowers members to make productive use of their time and wise decisions in their lives. It’s how they are opening doors for Memphis kids every day, as a positive place for kids. Click here to learn more about BGCM.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
This week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the availability of new funding to support Navigators in Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces. Navigators are individuals and entities that will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new Health Insurance Marketplace, qualified health plans, and public programs including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The funding opportunity announcement is open to eligible self-employed individuals and private and public entities applying to serve as Navigators in states with a Federally-facilitated or State Partnership Marketplace. The new funding opportunity provides up to $54 million in total funding and applications are due by June 7, 2013. Click here to learn more.
Help Filing Taxes
Tax filing season began on January 30 and ends soon. Here is a link that you can use to find the nearest IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site. Constituents earning less than $57,000 per year can file for free. There are a lot of tax scams out there, even in Memphis. I encourage you to use this website to find an IRS-approved tax consultant who can help you for free. You can also file online directly through the IRS here: https://www.irs.gov/Filing
EnergySmart Memphis
EnergySmart Memphis is a year-long energy education and home improvement initiative designed to help Memphians save money on their energy costs. EnergySmart Memphis is a partnership between MLGW, City and County government agencies, Community Development Corporations and non-profit organizations, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Through EnergySmart Memphis, an estimated 3,000 MLGW customers will receive in-depth energy conservation training; eligible customers will have weatherization improvements made to their home through this initiative; a series of Energy Education Workshops will be conducted city and county-wide at area libraries; and the initiative includes weatherization kits for qualified homeowners to receive minor and major home repairs. Click here to learn more.
Grant Announcements
I regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are updated regularly on my website.
Wishing you a happy and safe weekend,
As always, I remain,
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress