Dear Friend, This week, I applauded the Senate's passage of my bill to rename our downtown federal building exclusively for Judge Odell Horton. I also voted for the Protecting Our Democracy Act which contains my amendment to prevent future abuse of the presidential pardon power. I urged my colleagues to address the rise in homicides and violent crime and support community policing; celebrated my childhood friend and hero, Minnie Minoso, being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame; introduced the FAIR Fees Act at a Capitol news conference; voted to advance the Emmett Till Antilynching Act from the Judiciary Committee to the full House of Representatives; continued work to expand intercity passenger rail service in our region; received the prestigious Thomas Paine Award for effectively communicating the Democratic Party message; noted that Affordable Care Act open enrollment is under way; and offered a health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I'm doing as it happens. Applauding Senate Passage of My Bill to Rename the Memphis Federal Building for Judge Odell Horton Voting for Protecting Our Democracy Act Containing My Amendment Limiting the Presidential Pardon Power Urging Colleagues to Address Violent Crime Celebrating Baseball Great Minnie Minoso's Induction into the Hall of Fame Introducing FAIR Fees Act at Capitol Press Conference Voting to Advance the Emmett Till Antilynching Act Working to Expand Intercity Passenger Rail Service Receiving the Thomas Paine Award for Effective Communication Announcing Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act Weekly Health Tip Quote of the Week
Applauding Senate Passage of My Bill to Rename the Memphis Federal Building for Judge Odell Horton On Thursday night, the Senate passed my bill to rename the Memphis federal building exclusively for Judge Odell Horton. After the overwhelming vote to pass the measure in the House last month, the Senate action sends the bill to President Biden to be signed into law. Adding Judge Horton's name to the courthouse in which he presided was the first bill I passed in Congress in 2007. I am extremely proud to see the federal building named exclusively for him, and I look forward to the renaming ceremony next year. See my release here. Voting for Protecting Our Democracy Act Containing My Amendment to Prevent Abuse of the Presidential Pardon Power 
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting Our Democracy Act, landmark legislation aimed at curbing abuse of executive power and limiting influences that harm our freedoms. The bill contains my amendment requiring Congressional oversight of certain presidential pardons. I spoke of my long history on the issue in the floor debate. See my release and that speech here. Urging Colleagues to Address Violent Crime The Judiciary Committee also considered the Homicide Victims Families Rights Act, and I took the occasion to mention our country's – and Memphis' – terrible homicide and violent crime problem and the need to support community policing programs. See my release including those remarks here. Celebrating Baseball Great Minnie Minoso's Induction into the Hall of Fame
On Sunday, the Hall of Fame voted to induct my late friend and hero, Minnie Minoso, into the ranks of the greatest players of the game. I first met Minnie in 1955 in segregated Memphis where White players stayed at The Peabody and Black players stayed at the Lorraine Motel. We remained friends for the rest of his life. I told the story of Minnie's gift to me in a floor speech on Wednesday. See that here. Introducing FAIR Fees Act at Capitol Press Conference
On Thursday, I reintroduced the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act and was joined by Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia of Illinois at a U.S. Capitol press conference. The measure would prevent unreasonable airline fees for seating, baggage, changes and cancellations that are out of line with the expense of providing the service. See my release on the legislation here and a link to the press conference here. Voting to Advance the Emmett Till Antilynching Act On Wednesday, I voted in the Judiciary Committee to advance the Emmett Till Antilynching Act to the full House of Representatives. This landmark legislation would finally make lynching a federal hate crime. Everyone from our region knows the name Emmett Till, lynched just south of Memphis in Money, Mississippi, in 1955. See my remarks during consideration of the bill here. Working to Expand Intercity Passenger Rail Service Wouldn't it be nice to take Amtrak to Nashville and avoid the trucks and traffic on Interstate 40? The Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials held a hearing Thursday to look into leveraging the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to expand intercity and multistate rail service. The IIJA, which was recently signed into law by President Biden, contains my bill to facilitate intercity passenger rail service. See my release here. Receiving the Thomas Paine Award for Effective Communications I was proud this week to receive the prestigious House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Thomas Paine Award for being among the most effective speakers and communicators in the Democratic House Caucus. Named for the influential leader of the American Revolution, it recognizes a Member carrying the message of fighting for the people. Announcing Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is now under way and will be until Saturday, January 15, 2022. Go to Healthcare.gov to enroll, change or renew your health insurance plan for coverage. Sign up by December 15, 2021, for coverage to start on January 1, 2022. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, your premiums next year could be lower than ever, and Congress plans to pass the Build Back Better Act soon to lower costs even further. Weekly Health Tip As we learn more about the Omicron variant and as COVID-19 continues to spread, it remains important as ever to get vaccinated and get booster shots if you are eligible. Booster shots have been shown to significantly increase protection against infection, severe disease and death. The Shelby County Health Department will offer vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 accompanied by a parent or legal guardian on a walk-in basis at its immunization clinic at 814 Jefferson Avenue between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The accompanying parent or legal guardian must provide documentation of the child's birth date with either a birth certificate or shot record. In addition, adults already fully vaccinated are eligible for coronavirus booster shots. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends booster shots for adults who have had at least six months pass since receiving their second dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccine or two months since receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. More information about the booster shots is available here. Vaccines are currently available for everyone 12 and older. If you need a ride to a vaccination site, you can call 901-RIDE901 (901-743-3901) to coordinate the best transportation option for you. The City of Memphis is also now coordinating with organizations, congregations, community groups, and businesses to host coronavirus vaccinations. The Pipkin Building at the old Mid-South Fairgrounds is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and will remain a vaccination site justthrough next Wednesday, December 15. The Shelby County Health Department at 814 Jefferson is also dispensing vaccines from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. No appointments are needed. To find the latest information about vaccination sites visit https://covid19.memphistn.gov/ Quote of the Week "Today, the House delivered a simple, unequivocal message — our democracy is worth fighting for. We will not allow the abuses that defined the previous administration to become our norms, nor will we will allow a future autocratic president, Democrat or Republican, to exploit weaknesses in our democratic institutions. Most important, we must earn back the people's trust that our government will serve the public interest, and not the personal interests of any one officeholder." – Congressman Adam Schiff of California after the House passed the Protecting Our Democracy Act on Thursday. As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress | 
