Winter Newsletter

JUMP TO SECTION: Dear Constituents, Legislative Update, On Capitol Hill, Funding for District 9, Constituent Services, Contact Information

Dear Constituents,

It is an honor and a privilege to represent you in the U.S. Congress. During this first year in Washington, I’ve fought to change the status quo and restore government accountability. Issues of homeland security, law enforcement, ethics reform, healthcare, jobs, energy conservation, the subprime mortgage crisis, as well as the education, health and safety of our children, have been at the forefront of the agenda. The 110th Congress has passed landmark legislation on ethics and governmental reform and has imposed strict pay-as-you-go budget discipline to end new deficit spending. Congress passed the largest college aid expansion since the G.I. bill, including increases to Pell Grants. CAFE standards on American-made automobiles have been raised for the first time in 29 years, one of several energy initiatives passed by the House. The COPS Improvement Act will put 50,000 additional police officers on the streets.

Over $47 million in federal funding has been specifically directed to programs in District 9 via bills passed by the U.S. House. I have worked successfully to secure funding for The MED, Memphis BioWorks, Blue Crush, and other programs for our city, county and colleges, and continue to pursue funding for LeMoyne-Owen and other HBCUs. Additionally, the omnibus funding bill passed by the House includes more funding for after school programs, Head Start, elementary and secondary education. The Tennessee Congressional Delegation continues to work together to secure Medicaid DSH (Disproportionate Share Hospitals) payment for our hospitals as well as a reimbursement provision for services The Med has provided to residents of other states. As a member of the Judiciary Committee I questioned Alberto Gonzales about the abuses at the Department of Justice and as a member of the Transportation Committee fought for FedEx, District 9’s largest employer. Spending time with our troops and military leaders in Iraq, Qatar and Jordan provided a clearer understanding of the war in Iraq and our government’s responsibility for our soldiers and veterans.

It’s a pleasure to report having missed only one floor vote, an unexpected procedural vote, during the entirety of 2007, giving me the 4th best voting record among U.S. Representatives. This record means the votes cast by your District 9 Representative are the most ever cast in a year by a Tennessee Congressman.

Your calls, letters, and emails have been invaluable in representing you. As I’ve traveled the district visiting schools, places of worship, hospitals and public forums, you’ve made clear which issues are paramount. For our district, the legislative focus has been on issues concerning crime prevention, housing, jobs, equitable sentencing for prisoners, second chance offender re-entry programs, as well as supporting our area’s transportation and distribution network. Of legislation sponsored and passed, the bills naming the Federal Building in Memphis for Former Judge Odell Horton and the U.S. Post Office at 555 South 3rd Street for former U.S. Postal employee, clergyman and Memphis City Councilman Kenneth T. Whalum are most gratifying.

This newsletter will provide you with a brief overview of 2007 Congressional activity, focusing on issues most important to District 9. For more detailed and current information, please visit cohen.house.gov, where you may also sign up to receive the District 9 e-newsletter.

As always, I remain,

Most sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Following is a list of key legislation passed by the House in 2007. While some of these measures have become law, some are still proceeding through the legislative process, either in the U.S. Senate or awaiting Presidential action. If you desire additional information about any legislation listed here, please feel free to contact my office.

• Implementation of 9/11 Commission recommendations
• Rail and Mass Transit Security Act
• Hate Crimes Prevention Act gives state and local law enforcement necessary resources
• Child Labor Protection Act
• Child Safety Bills to better protect our children from sexual predators
• Largest Veterans’ Health Care Funding Increase in History; Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, in response to the Walter Reed scandal; Veterans Outreach and Improvement Act—partners VA with state and local governments; Returning Service Member VA Healthcare Insurance Act; Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement/Long-Term Support Act; Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation for severely injured service members; and Veterans Suicide Prevention Act
• Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act
• Legislation to Repeal Big Oil Subsidies/Invest in Renewable Fuels
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund
• Student Loan Sunshine Act—cleans up the relationships between student lenders and colleges
• Increased the Minimum Wage for the first time in 10 years—from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over 3 years
• Innovation Agenda/Math & Science Teachers—invests in 10,000 new science, math and technology teachers, totaling some 25,000 new teachers over 5 years
• Small Business Lending Improvements Act—provides small businesses with tools to encourage entrepreneurial innovation, including making 7(a) loans more economical; Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act—increases share of federal contracts going to small businesses; SBA Entrepreneurial Development Programs Act; Women’s Business Programs Act—provides dedicated funding to open new Women’s Business Centers; and Small Business Investment Expansion—will help business owners, particularly veterans and women, obtain investment capital to start/grow their small businesses.
• The most significant patent reform legislation in 50 years
• Internet Tax Freedom—extends ban on state and local taxes on Internet access.
• Children’s Health Insurance Program—for 10 million low-income children
• Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act—directs the Secretary of HHS to negotiate with drug companies for lower drug prices
• Stem Cell Research Enhancement
• Federal Housing Finance Reform/Affordable Housing Fund—provides about $500 million a year for five years to promote affordable housing for low-income homeowners and renters; Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act; Affordable Housing for the Elderly Act; Expanding Homeownership Act enables the FHA to serve more subprime borrowers at affordable rates and terms; National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act; Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending legislation
• Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act for millions of middle-class families
• Most sweeping safety and regulatory changes to FDA, including quicker approval of life-saving drugs
• Accountability in Contracting Act—cleans up government contracting abuses and “no bid” contracts such as those received by Halliburton
• Disclosure of Presidential Record—restores public access to former presidents’ official papers, nullifying a 2001 Executive Order that gave current and former presidents broad authority to withhold official presidential documents
• Taxpayer Protection Act—increases IRS outreach to provide taxpayers with stronger protections from identity theft and tax fraud
• Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act—prohibits and punishes deceptive practices aimed to keep voters away from the polls
• Strengthened Freedom of Information Act
• Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act
• Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act
• Combating Human Trafficking
• Genocide Accountability Act allows the Dept. of Justice to prosecute people in our country who have committed genocide abroad

Over $47 Million in Funding For the 9th District

I'm pleased to announce the federal funding for the following projects in our district. I will continue to work to ensure we get our fair share for worthwhile projects.

On Capitol Hill

In October, I hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on infant mortality, featuring research and medical professionals from Tennessee and across the nation who gathered to discuss this troubling issue. The infant mortality rate in the United States is one of the highest of any industrialized nation in the world; furthermore, the city of Memphis has one of the highest rates in the country. Brian Dobbins and Dr. Ramasubbareddy Dhanireddy from The MED and Erin Do and Jessica Gibson from the State of Tennessee Comptroller’s Office (all pictured below) provided different perspectives on the alarmingly high rate of infant mortality in Memphis and what must be done to lower it. Since holding the briefing, I have been working with nurses, nurse-midwives, and other medical professionals to draft legislation aimed at reducing infant mortality and improving prenatal care.