President Obama Recognizes NCRM

This week, I hosted my third “Building a Healthier Memphis” forum, delivered a letter from President Obama to the National Civil Rights Museum, spoke on the House floor advocating for the renewal of the Highway Trust Fund and began a contest to replace my Facebook cover photo. Keep reading to learn more about how I’ve been working for you in Congress.

Honoring the Grand-Reopening of the National Civil Rights Museum
Building a Healthier Memphis by Reducing Infant Mortality
Facebook Photo Contest
Time to Renew the Highway Trust Fund
UAW Forms Local Chapter in Chattanooga for Volkswagen Employees
Promoting Energy Efficiency and Investing in Renewable Energy
President Obama Seeking Mentors for Young People
Make Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property

Honoring the Grand Re-opening of the National Civil Rights Museum

On Monday morning, I visited the National Civil Rights Museum and delivered a letter signed by President Barack Obama to commemorate the museum’s recent grand re-opening. President Obama’s words highlight the importance of the National Civil Rights Museum both to Memphis and to the nation as a symbol and institution of our march towards progress. I am pleased that the President recognized this important Memphis landmark and its role in the struggle for civil rights.

Building a Healthier Memphis by Reducing Infant Mortality
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In February, I launched my “Building a Healthier Memphis” series on health and wellness in the Ninth District with a panel discussion and education session focused on racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes in Memphis and continued it with a forum on stemming the rising tide of diabetes diagnoses in our city. During these events, experts have helped identify how Memphians can take advantage of provisions of the President’s Affordable Care Act that include no co-pay and no deductible preventive services to address the disparities and improve outcomes for themselves, their families, and their communities.

On Tuesday, I hosted the third event in my Ninth District wellness series with a discussion focused on reducing infant mortality and improving maternal health. For this week’s event, I brought together several local experts who shared that one of the most important things that families can do is plan their pregnancies and ensure they receive proper health care and pregnancy information prior to becoming pregnant. The infant mortality rate of the United States is woefully high, and Memphis’s rate is even higher. We all came into the world somehow, so maternal health is important to us all. We can and should do more to improve maternal health and reduce infant mortality in our community.

Facebook Photo Contest

I’m updating my Facebook cover photo—and my next one could be a photo that you took! If you have a great photo that represents the Ninth District and you'd like to have it highlighted on my Facebook page, please click the link below to send it to me. I'll post the best photos sent in an album next week, and anyone who "likes" my page will be able to vote to choose which photo will be my next cover photo.

To submit a photo, please send an email by Tuesday, July 15 to RepCohenFBphotos@mail.house.gov with your name, phone number, the location or the address where the photograph was taken, and the photographed attached (no larger than 3MB). For more details about the photo contest, click here.

Time to Renew the Highway Trust Fund

There is nothing more important for this Congress to do than create jobs for the American public. The best way to create jobs is to pass an extension of the Highway Act. On Thursday, I spoke on the House floor about the need to pass the extension. You can watch my speech here.

UAW Forms Local Chapter in Chattanooga for Volkswagen Employees
I was pleased to hear Thursday’s news that the UAW is forming Local 42 in Chattanooga for Volkswagen employees. I was disappointed by the vote outcome in February, especially since the company itself did not seek to influence the employees against unionization. The history of works councils in Germany has been good for Volkswagen as well as their employees. This new development will allow us to see if something similar will work as well in Chattanooga. Volkswagen is an important part of Tennessee’s economy and job market and it is good to see their willingness to ensure that their employees have a voice.

Promoting Energy Efficiency and Investing in Renewable Energy
On Wednesday, I offered an amendment to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to help save money, protect the environment, and ensure that taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted on harmful fossil fuels. The amendment would move funding from coal research programs into the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Program, which has proven successful and is being underfunded.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Program partners with private industry, small business and academics to facilitate research, development and deployment of innovative energy efficiency technologies in manufacturing, buildings and homes. The results of the program helps consumers throughout America, and around the globe, save money at home by decreasing the energy requirements of common appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers.

Because of newly announced efficiency standards, American consumers will save an estimated $400 billion on their energy bills, and our country will be able to cut greenhouse emissions by 1.8 billion metric tons through 2030. That's a lot of help for the environment and a whole lot of money back in the pockets of Memphis families. We need to do more to reduce our energy consumption and cut greenhouse gas emissions, and the amendment I introduced this week would take us a step in the right direction.

President Obama Seeking Mentors for Young People

It is important that all children can count on caring adults who are engaged in their lives, but too many young people lack this important support. That’s why President Obama is calling on Americans to sign up as long-term mentors to young people through his new “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative. The President is seeking people from all walks of life who want to develop sustained and direct mentoring relationships that will play vital roles in the lives of young people in Memphis and around the country. If you are interested in signing up to help young adults in our city stay on track, you can do so here.

Make Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property
The State of Tennessee maintains a searchable database of unclaimed property, which can include bank accounts, stocks and dividends, wages, refunds, insurance payments, gift certificates, credit balances and overpayments, and a number of other things. There is no cost for accessing the database, and you may find that you are owed money or property. If you have not searched the database yet or if you haven’t searched in a while, you can visit https://www.claimittn.gov and see for yourself whether the state is holding any property or assets for you. And you may pass this information along to your friends and family as well!