Keeping Drunk Drivers Off the Road
Dear Friend,
This week, I introduced a bipartisan bill to close a reporting loophole that inadvertently enables repeat DUI offenders to be tried more leniently as first-time offenders, was selected to serve on the House-Senate Conference Committee to address the opioid addiction epidemic, voted to ban the confederate flag from VA-sponsored cemeteries, voted to protect LGBT individuals from discrimination, attended two movie premieres, Rosenwald about philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. and All The Way about President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Civil Rights Movement, and visited with a group of 5th grade students from Grahamwood Elementary School. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see these updates as they happen.
Keeping Drunk Drivers Off the Road
Serving on the Conference Committee to Address the Opioid Addiction Epidemic
Fighting for Civil Rights
Playing Siskel and Ebert
Meeting with Local Elementary School Students
Bringing Congress to your Corner
Keeping Drunk Drivers Off the Road
On Tuesday, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) and I introduced the bipartisan DUI Reporting Act of 2016 which would close a reporting loophole that inadvertently enables repeat DUI offenders to be tried more leniently as first-time offenders. Last year, two Memphis area teenagers, Maddie Kruse and Rachel Lynch, were killed when the car one of their grandmothers was driving was struck by a drunk driver who had accrued seven DUI charges since 2008 and had been allowed to plead guilty five times to a first-offense DUI. This story broke my heart, and I believe the hearts of everyone in the Mid-South. You can read more about our bill here. I also spoke on the House floor on the bill which you can watch here.
Serving on the Conference Committee to Address the Opioid Addiction
On Tuesday, I was selected by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to serve on the House-Senate Conference Committee on a legislative package to address the opioid addiction epidemic. Read more here.
On Thursday, the House passed an amendment to the FY 2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill to ban confederate flags from flying atop flagpoles at VA national cemeteries. The Confederacy fought against the Union during the Civil War. It seems antithetical for the United States to have the flag displayed at federally run veteran cemeteries.
Also on Thursday, Sean Patrick Maloney, an openly gay member of Congress from New York, introduced an amendment to codify President Obama’s Executive Order barring federal contractors from getting government work if they discriminated against the LGBT community. There are many brave men and women in our military who are a part of the LGBT community who are making sacrifices and risking their lives every day for our country. Votes were on the board to pass this historic measure but House Republicans broke their commitment to an open legislative process to coerce five members to change their vote, forcing the amendment to fail 212-213. House Republicans held a two minute vote open for eight minutes and let members change their votes in secret rather than doing so publicly as required by House Rules. Democrats stood in shock and chanted “Shame!” as Republicans twisted the legislative process to oppose civil rights for all Americans. Shame on the Republican Caucus and shame on Congress.
Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington
On Monday, I was invited to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House for a screening of Rosenwald, a documentary directed by Aviva Kempner about Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish philanthropist from Chicago and CEO of the Sears, Roebuck Company. He was a generous man who used his good fortune, at the encouragement of Booker T. Washington, to fund what became known as the Rosenwald schools, which helped African American children who had previously had little or no access to education. Nearly 5,000 Rosenwald schools were established throughout southern states. In Memphis, Manassas High School was a Rosenwald School. I first learned about the Rosenwald Schools from my late friend and former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond whose father received a fellowship from the Rosenwald Fund. I joined my friend and colleague Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) in sending a letter to President Obama asking for the President to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Julian Bond and Julius Rosenwald.
The Rosenwald Fund also gave fellowships to (mostly) African-American artists, writers, researchers and intellectuals between 1928 and 1948. Julian Bond called the list of grantees a "Who's Who of black America in the 1930s and 1940s." Beneficiaries included W.E.B. Du Bois, singer Marian Anderson, writer Ralph Ellison, artist Jacob Lawrence, poets Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Rita Dove. Additionally, Julius Rosenwald was the principal founder and backer of the Museum of Science and Industry, one of the top cultural attractions in Chicago, which continues to educate and enlighten its visitors. Julius Rosenwald and his family, who immigrated from Germany, helped lay the foundation for Jewish-African American relations in our nation. Rosenwald grew up just blocks from Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield, IL and his father accompanied President Lincoln’s body in Washington, DC after he was assassinated. You can watch a preview and find a list of screenings of the Aviva Kempner documentary on Julius Rosenwald here.
Actor Bryan Cranston as President Lyndon B. Johnson
Also on Monday, I attended the premier of the HBO original movie All the Way starring Bryan Cranston as President Lyndon B. Johnson. This powerful movie depicts President Johnson and the civil rights era of the 1960s and President Johnson’s crude but effective use of Congressional rules and the political process to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1965, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicare and Medicaid, and legislation on the arts and the environment. President Johnson implemented the agenda of President John F. Kennedy, but these feats may not have been accomplished were it not for Johnson’s mastery of politics and the more favorable political climate created by the assassination of JFK. The movie also examines the illegal actions and hateful behavior of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. All the Way premiers Saturday, May 21 at 8pm ET/7pm CT on HBO.
Meeting with Local Elementary School Students
On Wednesday, I met with a group of 5th grade students from Grahamwood Elementary School in Memphis while they were on a school trip touring Washington, DC. It was my pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with the students and answer their questions on the steps of the Capitol.
Bringing Congress to your Corner
Over the summer, my office will hold three “Congress on your Corner” events. If you have questions or problems with Social Security, Medicare, FHA, the VA or any other federal agencies, my staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide assistance.
- Friday, June 17 from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Millington Public Library (4858 Navy Rd)
- Friday, July 15 from 12pm-2pm at the Ed Rice Community Center (2907 N. Watkins St)
- Friday, August 12 from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Whitehaven Branch Library (4120 Millbranch Rd)
Please visit my website at https://cohen.house.gov for more information on Congress on your Corner.
As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress