Applauding $46 Million in Biden Budget for Memphis Rapid Transit
Dear Friend,
This week, I applauded the Biden Administration for including $46 million in the annual budget proposal for a bus rapid transit (BRT) project proposed by the Memphis Area Transit Authority which I have been supporting for years. I also spoke from the House floor to advocate for long overdue marijuana reform; presided at a Helsinki Commission hearing on Putin's propaganda war; voted to reduce insulin costs; voted and passed my sentencing reform bill prohibiting consideration of acquitted conduct; wrote to President Biden asking for release of the remaining records related to President Kennedy's assassination; spoke at the dedication of the Memphis Suffrage Monument; announced major infrastructure projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act I supported last year; presided at my Judiciary Subcommittee's hearing on qualified immunity; wrote to the Transportation Secretary to expedite implementation of provisions of my Stop Underrides legislation; introduced a bill to end the school-to-prison pipeline for students in under-resourced schools; introduced a bill to provide dedicated federal research funding to cerebral palsy; remembered Don Young; and offered a health tip. Keep reading and follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I'm doing as it happens.
Applauding $46 Million in Biden Budget for Memphis Rapid Transit
Speaking Out and Voting for Meaningful Marijuana Reform
Presiding at a Hearing on Vladimir Putin's War on Truth
Voting to Reduce Insulin Costs for Diabetics
Passing My Sentencing Reform Bill
Asking President Biden to Release Remaining JFK Assassination Records
Speaking at the Dedication of the Memphis Suffrage Monument
Announcing Funding for Weatherization Projects and Wolf River Harbor Dredging
Presiding at a Hearing on Qualified Immunity
Writing DOT Secretary Buttigieg to Implement Underrides Measures
Introducing Restorative Practices in Schools Bill with Senator Bennet
Introducing Cerebral Palsy Research Program Act
Applauding $46 Million in Biden Budget for Memphis Rapid Transit
On Monday, I announced that the Memphis Area Transit Authority's Innovation Corridor Project, an eight-mile bus rapid transit route connecting downtown, the medical center district and the University of Memphis, is included in President Biden's annual budget proposal. This project will be transformational for Memphis by creating jobs, facilitating work and tourist travel, and reducing greenhouse gases. This is a very big deal, and I'm proud to have supported and pushed for its funding. See my release about it here.
Speaking Out and Voting for Meaningful Marijuana Reform
This morning, I spoke from the House floor and then voted for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The measure removes cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances, raises revenue from sales to reinvest in communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs and expunges the records of federal criminal marijuana offenses. See my floor speech and release here.
Presiding at a Hearing on Vladimir Putin's War on Truth
Co-Chairman Cohen hosts Speaker Pelosi and Leaders of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly along with Ranking Member Joe Wilson prior to Tuesday's hearing.
As Co-Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I presided at a hearing Tuesday on Russian President Vladimir Putin's use of propaganda and efforts to keep the Russian people in the dark about his illegal war in Ukraine. We had some excellent, expert witnesses who described Putin's propaganda tactics and suggested ways to help the Russian people learn the truth about the ongoing war. See my release on the hearing here.
Voting to Reduce Insulin Costs for Diabetics
On Thursday evening, I voted for, and the House passed, the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which will cap insulin prices and result in cost savings for the estimated one in nine adults in Shelby County with diabetes. See my release here.
Passing My Sentencing Reform Bill
On Monday, I spoke from the House floor and then voted for my bill that would prohibit judges from considering conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted in the sentencing process. The measure passed on a vote of 405 to 12. See my release here.
Asking President Biden to Release Remaining JFK Assassination Records
On Tuesday, I wrote to President Biden asking him to release the remaining records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I said that doing so would restore public trust by promoting transparency. See my release and the letter here.
Speaking at the Dedication of the Memphis Suffrage Monument
On Sunday, I spoke at the dedication of the Memphis Suffrage Monument on the river side of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law downtown. "Equality Trailblazers" is truly inspiring. It honors Maxine Smith, Minerva Johnican and Lois DeBerry with whom I have served, and the anti-lynching advocate Ida B. Wells, among others. In my remarks, I commended Paula Casey and all those responsible for making the monument a reality. It's always good to be reminded that Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, assuring women the right to vote.
Announcing Funding for Wolf River Harbor Dredging and Weatherization Projects
On Wednesday and Thursday, I announced major investments that came from last year's passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that only Congressman Jim Cooper (TN-05) and I, from Tennessee's Congressional delegation, supported. Some of the funding will go to dredging Wolf River Harbor and some will be used in an expanded home-weatherization program. See my releases here and here. Homeowners and renters who want to apply for the weatherization program may do so here: http://www.memphis-wap.org/.
Presiding at a Hearing on Qualified Immunity
On Thursday, as Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, I presided at a hearing on reforming civil rights litigation by reviewing the doctrine of qualified immunity. See my release including an opening statement and questions to a panel of expert witnesses here.
Writing DOT Secretary Buttigieg to Implement Underrides Measures
Also Thursday, I joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York in sending a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg asking for the Department of Transportation to swiftly implement provisions of our Stop Underrides Act that were included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill. See our release with the letter here.
Introducing Restorative Practices in Schools Bill with Senator Bennet
On Thursday, Senator Michael Bennet and I introduced the Restorative Practices in Schools Act aimed at cutting off the schools-to-prison pipeline resulting from low-resourced schools using the police or zero-tolerance policies to address disciplinary issues. See our release here.
Introducing Cerebral Palsy Research Act
On Tuesday, I introduced the bipartisan Cerebral Palsy Research Program Act to create a cerebral palsy research program within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and provide the first-ever dedicated source of federal funding for cerebral palsy research. Cerebral palsy affects one million Americans and has no cure. See my release here.
This week I attended a memorial service in the U.S. Capitol and later the Virginia funeral for my Congressional colleague and friend Don Young, Republican of Alaska. His bipartisan dedication to making the House work should be celebrated. It was the subject of my brief remarks this morning from the House floor. See that speech here.
Federal regulators this week authorized second booster shots of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines for everyone 50 years old or older. The strategy announced Tuesday is intended to bolster waning immunity and prevent severe illness should we see another surge in existing or new variants. I got my second booster immediately and would encourage all who are eligible to do so.
"Needless to say, only Russians can (and should) change the political situation in our country. That change is coming — and, I think, faster than many thought before February 24. But the world's democracies have an important role to play — not only in standing in solidarity with Ukraine, but also in helping provide truth to the Russian people. Helping open the eyes of Russian society to the unspeakable crimes being committed supposedly on its behalf." – Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian journalist, in written testimony for a hearing of the Helsinki Commission Wednesday on Putin's War on Truth.
As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress