Hosting a Virtual Live Townhall Panel of Experts on COVID-19
March 5, 2021 | |
Dear Friend, This week, I prepared to host my Monday, March 8th COVID-19 Virtual Townhall with experts who will answer questions about the ongoing pandemic and how it is being addressed both locally and nationally. I hope you will tune in. See details below. Also this week, I voted for and the House passed two groundbreaking bills. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will help build trust between police departments and the communities they serve. The For the People Act would restore confidence in the integrity of our democracy. I also introduced legislation to prevent underride accidents in which cars slide under tractor-trailers; led a letter to the Biden Administration about improving relations with Cuba which were undermined by the previous administration; attended my first hearing of the Natural Resources Committee, discussing climate change; issued a statement with my fellow co-chairmen of the Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans condemning the recent extrajudicial killings; announced a $1 million grant to Shelby County's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program; reminded everyone about ongoing open enrollment for Affordable Care Act insurance at Healthcare.gov; and offered a health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I'm doing as it happens. Hosting a Virtual Live Townhall Panel of Experts on COVID-19 Voting for and Passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act Voting for and Passing the For the People Act Introducing the Stop Underrides Act Asking the Biden Administration to Restore Better Relations with Cuba Attending My First Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Climate Change Condemning Extrajudicial Killings Connected to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Announcing $1 Million Grant to Shelby County Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Reminding Everyone of Open Enrollment at Healthcare.gov Hosting a Virtual Live Townhall Panel of Experts on COVID-19 On Monday night, I will host a virtual town hall with five eminent experts on the COVID-19 response in Memphis, Shelby County, and nationwide. The panel will include Dr. Monica Webb Hooper, deputy director, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health; Dr. Manoj Jain, infectious disease specialist, advisor to the Memphis-Shelby County COVID-19 Joint Task Force; Dr. James E. K. Hildreth, President, Meharry Medical College; Tiffany Collins, deputy director, General Services, City of Memphis; and Dr. Jeff Warren, family medicine doctor, Memphis City Councilman and Council representative to the Memphis-Shelby County COVID-19 Joint Task Force. I will pose your questions to the experts on Monday, March 8, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and they will share the latest information about the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, vaccine access, vaccine hesitancy, and your other questions or concerns. The event will be streamed live as a Zoom Webinar at ushr.zoomgov.com/j/1618978906 and on my Facebook page. Attendees can also listen to the event by calling +1 669 254 5252 and entering the Webinar ID: 161 897 8906). To RSVP and submit questions, please visit my website. Voting for and Passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act On Wednesday night, I went to the House floor to urge my colleagues to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which contains three major components I authored to help build trust between police departments and the communities they serve. See my floor speech here and my release including important details about this major legislative achievement in addressing unfair treatment at the hands of police that too many in the Black community have dealt with for generations. Voting for and Passing the For the People Act Also late Wednesday night, I was pleased to vote for the passage of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which will restore public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections, limit the influence of Big Money and special interests, strengthen oversight of election spending, establish non-partisan commissions for redistricting, and end conflicts of interest while improving ethics rules. This is the reform people have been asking for. See my release and some floor remarks I made in support of this major bill here. Introducing the Stop Underrides Act On Thursday, I had intended to introduce the Stop Underrides Act to prevent the horrific accidents that happen when cars slide under truck trailers by requiring effective side, front and rear guards. My interest in addressing this issue came from the devastating experience of Michael Higginbotham, who was killed in an underride crash in Memphis and whose parents, Randy and Laurie Higginbotham, have been urging Congress to take action on this long-overdue issue. Because of a last-minute change in the schedule of the House, we were not in session on Thursday, so I will introduce the measure on Monday. I'm proud to work with Senators Gillibrand and Rubio and Representative DeSaulnier on this issue. See my release on it here. Asking the Biden Administration to Restore Better Relations with Cuba On Thursday, I led a letter with Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, and Barbara Lee of California and 73 House members urging the Biden Administration to return to the policies of the Obama-Biden Administration and restore better relations with Cuba that have been seriously and unnecessarily undermined by the previous administration. See that letter here. Attending My First Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Climate Change On Thursday, as a new member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I attended a hearing on the impact of climate change on insular areas of the United States. See my release and statement here. Condemning Extrajudicial Killings Connected to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) On Monday, I joined my fellow co-Chairmen of the bipartisan Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans in releasing a statement condemning the kidnapping and killing of twelve Turkish citizens and one Iraqi citizen, suggesting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (P.K.K.) bears responsibility. See the statement here. Announcing $1 Million Grant to Shelby County Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program On Wednesday, I announced a grant of more than $1 million to the Shelby County Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program that has been saving lives and improving health outcomes for years. See my release here. Reminding Everyone of Open Enrollment at Healthcare.gov On January 28, responding to needs created by the health and economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden issued an executive order creating a Special Enrollment Period for HealthCare.gov that runs from February 15 until May 15. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and their job-based health coverage due to the pandemic. During this pandemic, access to affordable, quality coverage is more important than ever. Please avail yourself of this new opportunity if you need to and contact my office if you need assistance. We now have a third vaccine in the pipeline and the Biden-Harris team has accelerated its already ambitious plans to get shots into millions of arms in the months to come. Please make every effort to get yours when you become eligible. Because the numbers still to be vaccinated are large and there are concerns about variants, we must remain vigilant and follow public health protocols involving washing hands, wearing masks and keeping our distance until we get this behind us. I know we're all eager to get the vaccine, so click here to see when you will be eligible, and call (901) 222-7468 to be notified when appointments are available through the Shelby County Health Department. And again, consider tuning in to my Facebook Live and Zoom Webinar event on Monday evening. "Thirty years ago today, Rodney King was viciously beaten by police officers in Los Angeles. It would be the first time the world would witness what African Americans had been organizing, marching and trying to change for more than 100 years. Personally, I was hopeful that once everyone saw what happens in Black communities, policing in America would change. I was certain no one would deny what they saw with their own eyes and the officers involved would be held accountable for their actions. I was wrong. Now, thirty years later, the United States House of Representatives has voted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which is just the first step to transform policing in America by raising the standards for policing in America, and holding officers who fail to uphold the ethic of protecting and serving their communities, accountable." – Congresswoman Karen Bass of California, Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, in a statement Wednesday night. As always, I remain. Steve Cohen |
