New Dem Weekly Wrap 9/16/2022
On Wednesday, New Dems welcomed Moody's Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi to our weekly luncheon. Members talked with Zandi about affordable housing, job growth, and the state of our economy. New Dems remain laser-focused on lowering costs, strengthening our economy, and fighting to ensure
On Thursday, New Dem Infrastructure Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07) and Norma Torres (CA-35) hosted a roundtable with industry leaders to discuss ways to increase affordable housing development and address housing insecurity.
New Dems thank the National Association of Home Builders, Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, National Low Income Housing Coalition, Landed, and Up for Growth for participating in this solutions-oriented conversation and for their continued partnership on this critical issue.
House Unanimously Passes NDC-Endorsed Bill to Improve Care for 28M Seniors, Cut Red Tape
The House passed NDC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene's (WA-01) bill unanimously by voice vote. H.R. 3173, The Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act, will make it easier for seniors to get the care they need and improve health outcomes by modernizing the antiquated prior authorization process in Medicare Advantage, which often still requires faxing documents to insurance companies. Nationally, 28 million seniors are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
House Passes Stanton's Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act
The House passed Rep. Greg Stanton’s (AZ-09) bipartisan bill to help state, local and tribal governments use drones to visually inspect critical infrastructure. H.R. 5315, the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act, would provide $100 million in grants for local governments to purchase drones or contract for services to inspect critical infrastructure and help ease the nation’s serious inspection backlog, and another $100 million for training the next generation workforce on the use of this technology.
House Passes Larsen, Beyer Bill to Prepare U.S. Aviation for Future Public Health Emergencies
The House passed Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Don Beyer's (VA-08) bipartisan bill, H.R. 884, the National Aviation Preparedness Plan Act, by a final vote of 293 to 133. This legislation requires the development of a national aviation preparedness plan for future public health emergencies.
Rep. Luria's Pay Raise for Disabled Veterans and Survivors Passes House for Fourth Straight Year
The House passed Rep. Elaine Luria’s (VA-02) bipartisan bill, H.R. 7846, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Act of 2022 on Wednesday for the fourth straight year. The COLA Act of 2022 increases compensation and benefits for disabled veterans and their families.
Rep. Aguilar's Bill to Streamline Veterans’ Benefits Claims Unanimously Passes the House
The House passed Rep. Pete Aguilar's (CA-31) bipartisan bill to streamline the process for veterans to receive a copy of their claim file for benefits to the Department of Veterans Affairs. H.R. 5916, the Wounded Warrior Access Act, protects veterans from the risks posed by working with unaccredited and unqualified claim consultants.
Chairman Connolly Celebrates House Passage of Bill to Protect the Civil Service
The House passed Rep. Gerry Connolly's (VA-11) bill to secure the civil service and protect federal employees from losing statutory and constitutional protections. H.R. 302, the Preventing a Patronage System Act, would ensure the civil service system cannot be politically manipulated by preventing any position in the federal competitive service from being reclassified outside of merit system principles without the express consent of Congress.
McBath Announces Over $16 Million in Federal Funding for Public Health; Suicide Prevention
Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-07) announced two significant federal funding awards in Georgia that will make needed investments in public health and help combat a rise in suicides. The Department of Health and Human Services awarded a multi-million dollar grant award to strengthen the national public health infrastructure and improve delivery of essential public health services through capacity-building assistance.
Allred to Join Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Kenya for Presidential Inauguration
Rep. Colin Allred (TX-32) joined a Delegation named by President Joe Biden to travel to the Republic of Kenya for the Inauguration of His Excellency William Ruto on September 13, 2022, in Nairobi. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai led the delegation.
New Democrat Coalition Celebrates Addition of New Member Pat Ryan
This week, the New Democrat Coalition added Congressman Pat Ryan (NY-19) as the Coalition’s newest Member. At 99 Members strong, New Dems look forward to working with Rep. Ryan to advance an agenda that strengthens our economy, keeps our communities safe, preserves Americans’ freedoms, and levels the playing field to ensure that every American has the opportunity to succeed.
Casten Introduces IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act, creating an optional, no-cost federal photo ID for all Americans over 14
Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced H.R. 8821, the IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act. This legislation would create a federal photo identification card that is free and optional for the American public.
Bera Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Physicians from Pay Cuts under Medicare.
Rep. Ami Bera (CA-07) introduced H.R. 8800, bipartisan legislation to provide critical relief to physicians who are scheduled to receive Medicare payment cuts. The Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022 would ensure payments to these providers are kept stable and extends certain increases in payments for physicians’ services under the Medicare program through 2023.
Crow Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Protect Americans' Healthcare Data from Cyberattacks
Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06) introduced H.R. 8806, a bill protecting Americans' healthcare data from cyberattacks. The bipartisan Healthcare Cybersecurity Act comes as nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had their sensitive health data breached in 2021, a threefold increase in just the last three years.
Wasserman Schultz Introduces Bill Reauthorizing Fight Against Internet Child Exploitation
Rep. Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) introduced H.R. 8816, the bipartisan PROTECT Our Children Act, which reauthorizes the National Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program and National ICAC Data System through 2024. This legislation bolsters the fight against online child predators and supports the national network of 61 coordinated task forces that combat child exploitation across the country.
Jacobs and Brownley Introduce the End Veteran Hunger Act
Reps. Sara Jacobs (CA-53) and Julia Brownley (CA-26) introduced H.R. 8852, the End Veteran Hunger Act, which seeks to combat food insecurity among veterans. This legislation will provide grants for proven federal food and nutrition programs like SNAP to increase proactive outreach and education to veterans, and reduce the stigma associated with utilizing these programs.
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