Seeking to Increase Funding for Medical Research
Dear Friend,
This week, I led almost 50 Members of Congress in demanding needed support for medical research to help find a vaccine for Ebola and prevent its spread, I asked Governor Haslam to work with Attorney General Eric Holder to do more to ease the suffering of a 3-year-old Memphian, and I fought to stop conservative-led state legislatures from diluting the voting power of African-Americans. Keep reading to learn more about what I did this week.
Seeking to Increase Funding for Medical Research
Working to Ease the Suffering of 3-Year-Old Memphian Chloe Grauer
Stopping Efforts to Rob African-Americans of Their Voting Rights
Helping Memphis Workers Earn a Living Wage
6th Annual Veterans Day Luncheon
2015 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available
Touring Four Memphis Public Schools
Building a Healthier Memphis and Fighting Breast Cancer
Improving Outlooks for American Workers
Receiving an Award from Nurses & a High Ranking from Vanderbilt
Fighting for Tennessee's Students and Protecting the HOPE Scholarship
Service Academy Nominations
Memphis Accepting the President's My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge
Seeking to Increase Funding for Medical Research
Our nation's citizens are understandably alarmed by recent diagnoses of Ebola in our country, but we can do more to stop the spread of this disease and other threats to public health as well as do more to cure these illnesses. In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicated that the last decade of stagnating or reduced federal investments in medical research has had a detrimental effect on the development of treatments and vaccines for some of the worst infectious diseases known to man, including Ebola.
That is one reason why yesterday I led a coalition of nearly 50 Members of Congress in calling for increased support for the NIH and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Had agencies like the NIH and the CDC received adequate support over the last decade, America could very well have already developed a vaccine for Ebola—or any number of other diseases including Alzheimer's, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, stroke, cancer, and Parkinson's—and been better prepared to prevent their spread. It is disappointing that these critically important agencies—our nation's other Department of Defense—have not been funded with equal necessity. Instead, they have been systemically starved of needed investment. However, it is not too late to fix past mistakes, fully fund both the NIH and the CDC, and effectively protect the American people from Ebola, enterovirus, and other potential public health nightmares. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to see that these agencies receive the funding and support they need to keep us safe.
If you would like more information on the current situation, the CDC has launched a regularly-updated web page with information about Ebola and how our nation is working to address and prevent it from spreading. You can visit the CDC's Ebola information page here.
Working to Ease the Suffering of 3-Year-Old Memphian Chloe Grauer
Last week, I joined the Grauer family on News Channel 3's Live at 9 to draw attention to their daughter Chloe's urgent medical needs and the bureaucratic red-tape preventing her from accessing Cannabidiol (CBD) which is a treatment derived from the marijuana plant that does not produce a high but has significant medical value. Chloe Grauer suffers from hundreds of debilitating seizures every day and her parents have tried numerous available treatments, but she is being denied CBD—which has the potential to alleviate her pain—because of overzealous federal drug laws. The treatment has been shown to work for similar medical conditions and Tennessee law allows for its study, but federal law prohibits it from being imported. This week, I sent two letters, one to Governor Haslam and another to U.S. Attorney General Holder, asking that they work together and do all they can to remove the unnecessary restrictions on CBD to ensure those suffering like Chloe have access to this potentially life-saving treatment.
Stopping Efforts to Rob African-Americans of Their Voting Rights
All Americans hold dear the sacred, constitutionally-protected right to vote and we too often take for granted the principle of "one person, one vote," On Wednesday, I shed light on the disturbing redistricting practice known as "packing" that is increasingly being used by many conservative-led state legislatures in the South to minimize the influence held by minority communities, specifically African-American communities. By packing as many minority voters as possible into a single district, these legislatures actually dilute minority voting rights by reducing the number of districts their votes can influence. Earlier this month, a federal court actually declared one of these district's newly-drawn boundaries unconstitutional, holding that race was a primary factor in the redrawing of Virginia's Third Congressional District.
While it may be done under the pretext of protecting minorities or ensuring they are represented, recent "packing" efforts actually have the opposite result, materially reducing the impact and influence of African-Americans in our democracy. It is no coincidence that the five congressional districts with the most African-Americans are all in the Deep South—and it demonstrates that there is much work to be done to truly emerge from the shadows of slavery and Jim Crow.
Helping Memphis Workers Earn a Living Wage
I commend University of Memphis President David Rudd for announcing that he will seek approval from the Tennessee Board of Regents to raise U of M workers' minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. This decision will improve the lives of his employees, and it is a great start that shows his concern for the University's workers.
Throughout my career, I have always fought to ensure that those who work hard and play by the rules can earn a living wage and don't have to struggle to provide for themselves and their families. I was proud to vote for the last increase in the federal minimum wage in 2007, and am honored to co-sponsor the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 across the nation. I hope the Tennessee Board of Regents approves this increase and hope my colleagues in the House of Representatives follow U of M's lead. Raising the federal minimum wage would help thousands of Memphians and millions of Americans, reduce income inequality, and strengthen American families.
6th Annual Veterans Day Luncheon
November 11th is a special day set aside to honor those who have sacrificed and served our country in uniform. As I have for several years, I will be hosting my sixth annual Veterans Day luncheon from 11AM to 1PM on Tuesday, November 11th at BRIDGES in Memphis. BRIDGES is located at 477 N. 5th Street. If you are a Ninth District veteran, I would like to invite you to attend my luncheon and I hope to see you there for good company, good food, and to receive the respect and thanks that you deserve. Memphis VAMC Director Dr. C. Diane Knight, other special guests, and I will be on hand to discuss the care at the VAMC, veterans benefits, and veterans issues before Congress. Caseworkers from my office will also be available to help answer questions on specific concerns with your benefits or services. You can RSVP to attend this year's Veterans Day Luncheon here.
2015 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available
My office currently has a limited number of 2015 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive a calendar, please complete this form on my website. Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee's Ninth District. Please feel free to share this email with other citizens of the Ninth District who may be interested in receiving one but who do not receive my eNewsletter.
Touring Four Memphis Public Schools
Today, I visited Oak Forest Elementary School, Downtown Elementary School, Memphis College Prep, and Bellevue Middle School to meet with several groups of students. I enjoyed having this opportunity to discuss my work in Congress and talk about our federal government with them.
Building a Healthier Memphis and Fighting Breast Cancer
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the racial disparity in breast cancer outcomes in Memphis and throughout the county is deplorable, but we can do more to address it. This year, I launched my "Building a Healthier Memphis" series on wellness in the Ninth District with a panel discussion and educational session focused on this important issue. The panel at my event earlier this year discussed the reasons for the current outcome gap and helped identify how Memphians can take advantage of provisions of the President's Affordable Care Act that include no copay and no deductible mammograms to address the disparity and improve outcomes for themselves, their families, and their communities. And on Saturday, I also attended the Pink Pankcake Breakfast at the Memphis Career Academy to highlight these important benefits.
If you are interested in learning more about the Affordable Care Act, how it works, and how it can help you and your family, Seedco will be hosting informational sessions at the Ben Hooks Library from 10:30am to 1pm on October 30th and November 6th and 13th (this session will end at 5pm). When the health care insurance open enrollment period for 2015 coverage begins, Seedco will also host enrollment sessions at the library from 10:30am to 5pm on November 18th, and from 10:30am to 1pm on December 4th, 11th, 16th, and 18th. At each of these sessions, there will be certified health care navigators on site to answer questions you have about the law and assist you in the enrollment process. If you are interested in attending one of the enrollment sessions, please call 901.405.7895 to RSVP.
Improving Outlooks for American Workers
Recently, after 55 straight months of private-sector job growth, the national unemployment rate fell to 5.9%, its lowest point in more than 6 years. While these are good indicators that our economy is recovering, there is much more that we can do to improve the outlook for our nation's workers. American wages have stagnated for decades, during which income inequality has only grown. And things are even getting worse for some in our country: While the unemployment rate ticked down nationally in September, it actually rose for African American men. This week, I wrote an op-ed published in Roll Call about what we can do to make things better, and I hope you will read it by clicking here.
Receiving an Award from Nurses & a High Ranking from Vanderbilt
This month, a new analysis of legislative effectiveness of the nation's lawmakers from Vanderbilt University in partnership with the University of Virginia named me 14th most effective Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Out of 204 Democrats, that puts me in the top 10% of Congress. Also this month, the Tennessee Nurses Association awarded me with their Outstanding Legislator Award—the first time they have awarded it to a federal legislator instead of a state legislator. I am proud of my record effectively fighting for issues that are important to the citizens of the Ninth District, and I will continue my work in Congress to help our district.
Fighting for Tennessee's Students and Protecting the HOPE Scholarship
This week, the Murfreesboro Post ran a story outlining several flaws in Governor Haslam's Tennessee Promise plan, describing how it siphons money from the HOPE Scholarships and will hurt our state's students in the long run. I encourage you to read the story here.
Every year, I have the honor of nominating ten highly qualified young people from the Ninth District for appointments to our nation's Service Academies. If you are interested in attending one of these outstanding institutions, I will be happy to consider you for selection as one of my nominees. To be eligible for appointment, you must meet a number of requirements listed here and be a legal resident of the Ninth District. If you are not certain that your legal domicile is in the Ninth District, call my congressional office at 901.544.4141 and request address verification.
Before applying to my office for a Service Academy appointment, you should obtain an application from the Military Academy of your choice. If you are having trouble obtaining an application, please let me know and I will assist you. As part of the application process, please complete the Personal Data form located here, submit a Letter of Interest and return it to my office with the following: 1) your highest ACT/SAT score, 2) three letters of recommendation from people who know you well (ministers, coaches, scoutmasters, teachers or employers are good options), and 3) an official transcript which includes your course listing, current GPA, grades, and class rank. Your transcript should be mailed to my office at 167 North Main Street, Suite 369 by your school in a sealed (unopened) envelope; report cards are not eligible.
All information must be submitted to my office no later than October 31, 2014. Once the information is received, you will be contacted to schedule an interview. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Archer at 901.544.4131.
Memphis Accepting the President's My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge
President Obama announced his "My Brother's Keeper" (MBK) initiative earlier this year to help ensure youth across the country, including boys and young men of color, have opportunities to overcome barriers to succeeding in life and to improving their lives. Just recently, the President announced the MBK Community Challenge to encourage communities to implement a coherent cradle-to-college and career strategy aimed at improving life outcomes for all young people. I am pleased that Memphis is an early acceptor of this challenge which aims to ensure that all children enter school prepared and read at grade level by the 3rd grade and ensure that all young people graduate from high school, complete a post-secondary education, are safe from crime, and that youth who are out of school are employed.
As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress