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Serving in the 113th Congress

January 4, 2013
Enewsletters

Dear Friend,

This week I was sworn into the 113th Congress by House Speaker John Boehner in the U.S. Capitol. I also voted to prevent the fiscal cliff from taking place and the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Memphian V. Lynn Evans to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Serving in the 113th Congress
Senate Approves V. Lynn Evans for TVA
Fiscal Cliff
TN Sales Tax Extension

Medicare Physician Payment and Farm Bill Update
Sandy Aid

150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
Congressional Calendars
Grant Announcements

Serving in the 113th Congress
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Yesterday I was honored to be sworn into the 113th Congress by House Speaker John Boehner in the U.S. Capitol. This is my fourth term in Congress. It is a pleasure and an honor to represent Memphis and Shelby County in the House of Representatives. I will continue my work to create jobs, reduce the federal deficit, and bring more federal funds to Memphis. I will also re-introduce legislation that will help increase the quality of life for Memphians, including legislation to combat infant mortality, legislation to prohibit employers from using credit checks as part of the hiring process, and legislation to restore fairness in student lending by treating privately-issued student loans in bankruptcy the same as other types of unsecured debt.

Senate Approves V. Lynn Evans for TVA
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This week the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Memphian V. Lynn Evans, CPA, to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). I was proud to recommend Ms. Evans to President Obama for consideration. She will fill the position on the TVA Board currently held by Bishop William Graves who has reached the end of his second term on the Board.

I recommended Ms. Evans to President Obama because she is a superb accountant with extensive public and private sector experience. She is intelligent, well respected and admired throughout Memphis and Tennessee for her dedication to public service and her skills as an accountant. She will serve the millions of people across the country who rely on the Tennessee Valley Authority well.

Fiscal Cliff
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This week I voted to support the agreement reached between President Obama, Vice President Biden and Republican leaders to prevent the fiscal cliff from taking place. It was important to prevent large tax increases for middle class families and devastating cuts to important programs that would have gone into effect without this deal. The measure wasn’t perfect but I feel the President and the Vice President got the best possible deal for our country. I’m disappointed in Republicans who tried to ruin progress during negotiations for the sake of scoring political points when they should have been focused on helping Americans struggling through difficult times. Unfortunately, I was the only member of the Tennessee delegation in the House to support this legislation. I spoke on the House floor several times over the course of the fiscal cliff debate and urge you to look at my remarks here. I also recently spoke to Rev. Al Sharpton about the fiscal cliff on MSNBC. Click here to see those remarks.

TN Sales Tax Extension
This week I announced that Congress approved extending the State and Local Sales Tax Deductions for Tennesseans as part of the fiscal cliff agreement that Congress passed on January 1. This important tax provision was slated to expire at the end of 2012 -- which would have increased taxes for all Tennesseans. I have been an ardent supporter of this tax deduction well before coming to Congress and signed onto a bipartisan letter to the House Ways and Means Committee requesting that the deduction be extended in September.

As a State Senator in Tennessee, I personally lobbied President George W. Bush on this issue on behalf of my constituents and I was the only member of the Tennessee House delegation to support the measure. I’m proud to have worked in a bipartisan fashion to extend this critical tax deduction for my constituents and those in Tennessee’s other eight congressional districts.

Medicare Physician Payment and Farm Bill Update
As part of the fiscal cliff deal, the House recently approved legislation I supported that guarantees seniors have continued access to their doctors by fixing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula through the end of 2013. Medicare physician payment rates were scheduled to be reduced by 26.5 percent on December 31, 2012. But the bill we passed would avoid that reduction and extends current Medicare payment rates through December 31, 2013.

Congress also approved extending parts of the expired 2008 farm bill for nine months, and that will prevent milk prices from increasing. The farm bill deal came hours after an apparent deal between House and Senate agricultural leaders that would have extended the entire 2008 farm bill for a year. Unfortunately, that broader proposal fell to the wayside during negotiations to reach a deal on the fiscal cliff.

Sandy Aid
Today the House voted to provide $9 billion of federal assistance to communities ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. The House is also scheduled to vote on an additional $51 billion on January 15. These are funds that should have been provided during the 112th Congress considering how the Senate approved an aid package for Sandy relief. But House Republicans decided at the last minute to not have a vote on the aid package, postponing efforts to provide federal assistance. This was yet another example of Republicans placing politics ahead of people who need help.

150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
On January 1, 1863, with the stroke of President Abraham Lincoln’s pen, the arc of American history bent dramatically toward liberty and justice for all. With the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation, our nation began to honor the vision set forth by our founders – that ‘all men are created equal’ – and started to turn the tide of progress toward the promise of freedom for every American.

President Lincoln’s bold action – what he called an ‘act of justice’ – marked the first official step in the struggle for Civil Rights, and it still inspires us to this day. Let us all take pride in observing the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and reflect on its impact on our history and our society. Let us take heed of its lessons as an extraordinary act of political and moral courage. Let us strive to live up to its legacy and renew the promise of a ‘new birth of freedom’ in our time.

Congressional Calendars
There are a limited number of 2013 Congressional Calendars available through my office. If you’d like to receive one of these free calendars, please click here to fill out a short form. I have already received a number of requests from some who are not residents of District 9. Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee’s 9th District. Please feel free to share this email with other constituents who may be interested in receiving a calendar.

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,
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Steve Cohen
Member of Congress

Issues:9th DistrictMemphisShelby CountyTennessee