Commending President Obama for Commuting 111 Sentences
Dear Friend,
This week, I commended President Obama’s commutations of the unjust sentences of 111 prisoners, spoke at the swearing-in ceremony for General Sessions Court Clerk Ed Stanton, Jr., attended the Fighting for $15 public meeting, applauded the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement of SuperTruck II awards for Memphis businesses, and joined my staff at the Orange Mound Community Center for Congress on Your Corner to assist constituents with navigating federal agencies. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see these updates as they happen.
Commending President Obama for Commuting 111 Sentences
Celebrating the Swearing-in of Ed Stanton Jr.
Fighting to Raise the Minimum Wage
Department of Energy SuperTruck II Awards to Memphis Businesses
Bringing Congress to Your Corner
Commending President Obama for Commuting 111 Sentences
On Tuesday, President Obama commuted the sentences of 111 prisoners for largely nonviolent drug-related crimes. In August alone, the President commuted the sentences of 325 people, marking the greatest number of commutations ever granted by a president in a single month. Tuesday’s commutations represent the President’s continued commitment to use his pardon and commutation powers to right the wrongs of outdated and discriminatory federal policies, including unjust marijuana-related sentences. I commend President Obama for providing a second chance to these individuals.
Celebrating the Swearing-in of Ed Stanton Jr.
Yesterday, I was proud to attend the swearing-in of General Sessions Court Clerk Edward “Ed” Stanton, Jr. Clerk Stanton has faithfully served in this role since he returned from his 12 year retirement to act as Clerk Pro Tempore in 2011. He was elected in August 2012, and was reelected this August.
Fighting to Raise the Minimum Wage
On Wednesday, I attended the public meeting on “Poverty, Wages, and Fighting Back” hosted by Memphis Fight for $15. Throughout my career, I have consistently fought to ensure that hard-working Memphians can earn a living wage and won’t have to struggle to provide for themselves and their families.
Department of Energy SuperTruck II Awards to Memphis Businesses
I am pleased that Cummins, Inc. and Daimler Trucks North America, both of which have facilities in the Ninth District, have been chosen for the ground-breaking Department of Energy SuperTruck II program. Also chosen was Volvo which has a facility in Byhalia, Mississippi that employs about 150 Memphians. Last year, I introduced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to increase the SuperTruck II program funding by 25 percent. The increase was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, also known as the FY2016 Omnibus bill. The SuperTruck program has been a priority of mine because it is good for business while also being good for our environment.
Bringing Congress to Your Corner
On Thursday, I joined my staff for Congress on Your Corner at the Orange Mound Community Center to assist constituents with questions or problems with federal agencies such as Social Security, Medicare, FHA, the VA and more. Thank you to everyone who attended. The next Congress on Your Corner will be Friday, October 14th from 12pm-2pm at the Ed Rice Community Center (2907 N. Watkins St.). Please mark the date on your calendar.
For more information about Congress on Your Corner, visit my website at https://cohen.house.gov.
Wishing you a happy and safe Labor Day weekend,
As always, I remain,
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress