New Democrat Coalition Weekly Wrap 03/05/2021
The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) continues working with Senators, House Leadership, committees of jurisdiction, and the administration to advance the NDC’s 100 Day Agenda and COVID-19 economic stimulus priorities.
This week, the House passed the NDC-endorsed H.R. 1, the For the People Act. This sweeping campaign finance and election reform bill aims to end the dominance of money in politics, make it easier for Americans to vote, and help ensure all government officials work in the public interest.
The House also passed the NDC-endorsed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The bicameral legislation seeks to advance important reforms to increase transparency and accountability, improve culture of policing, curb police brutality, and end racial profiling. The NDC will remain partners with our colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to advance meaningful legislation to help combat systemic racism in the United States.
More on what New Dems have been up to below.
NDC Highlights
NDC Backs Shalanda Young for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) sent a letter to the White House recommending President Biden nominate Shalanda Young to be Director of the OMB. Young has a proven track record of getting stuff done, and New Dems worked with her to advance important priorities during her time as Staff Director of the House Appropriations Committee. Read more in The Washington Post, The Hill, and Roll Call.
ICYMI: NDC Secures Wins in American Rescue Plan
In case you missed it: NDC Members voted to pass the American Rescue Plan Act, comprehensive legislation to help end the COVID-19 pandemic, provide economic relief to workers and families, safely reopen schools, and get Americans back to work safely. The NDC shaped the American Rescue Plan by working to include the following NDC-endorsed provisions:
- A national recovery strategy, including funding for testing and vaccine manufacturing and distribution
- An enhanced and expanded Child Tax Credit and Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
- Funding for mental health and substance abuse prevention programs
- The longest extension of emergency unemployment insurance (UI) benefits yet
- An extension of the employee retention tax credit
- Increased health insurance affordability and access
- Increased federal match rate for state Medicaid expansion
- An extension of enhanced SNAP benefits and other nutrition support
- Emergency rental and housing assistance
- An extension and enhancement of emergency paid sick and family leave
- Funding to support IT modernization for state health insurance exchanges
- Funding for state and local aid
Featured Video
ICYMI: DelBene, Strickland Join NewDEAL Leaders to Discuss COVID-19 Relief for Communities
In case you missed it: NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) joined NewDEAL Leaders to discuss the NDC’s role in advancing critical state, local, and tribal funding in the American Rescue Plan to support the local and national response to COVID-19.
Floor Action
House Passes NDC-Endorsed H.R. 1, the For the People Act
The House passed the NDC-endorsed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, to make it easier for Americans to vote, end the dominance of money in politics, and help ensure all elected officials work in the public interest. On behalf of the NDC, Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Members to commemorate the passage of H.R. 1 and voice her support for H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which the NDC endorsed last Congress.
House Passes NDC-Endorsed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
The House passed the NDC-endorsed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to provide meaningful reforms to curb police brutality and improve the culture of policing, increase transparency and accountability in policing, and help end racial profiling. The NDC endorsed the legislation both in the 116th and 117th Congress. The Coalition remains committed to partnering with our colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to advance police reform legislation and combat systemic racism in the United States.
NDC Member COVID-19 Legislation
NDC Whip Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) and Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-05) introduced the bipartisan Global Learning Loss Assessment Act to help identify the scope of one of the most significant secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: education loss. The bill would require the U.S. Agency for International Development to submit a report within 180 days to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the impact of COVID-19 on global learning and basic education programs.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Fund for Innovation and Success in Higher Education (FINISH) Act to help students succeed in our community, technical, and four-year colleges and universities. The legislation authorizes innovation grants to develop and scale evidence-based initiatives that improve outcomes in higher education, such as degree attainment by enrolled students and access to higher education for high-need students.
Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ- 09) introduced the COVID-19 Eviction Consumer Report Fairness Act to require all Credit Reporting Agencies to exclude evictions, any information related to evictions, or any proceedings seeking evictions, from consumer reports between the onset of the pandemic and 120 days after the President terminates the national emergency.
Lee Introduces Bicameral Legislation to Support State Medicaid Programs During Economic Crises
Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03) introduced the bicameral Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act to address fluctuating demand in states for Medicaid by linking funding to state unemployment levels, so that additional federal aid would automatically adjust to meet a state’s needs.
NDC Member Legislation
NDC Vice Chair Ami Bera (CA-07) introduced the bipartisan Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act to provide critical mental health resources to our nation’s first responders and health care providers. The HERO Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress each year on first responder suicide rates, including identifying risk factors, possible interventions, and recommended interventions for further study. It also requires HHS to develop and distribute best practices on the prevention and treatment of posttraumatic stress among first responders.
NDC Vice Chair Scott Peters (CA-52) Introduces Two Pieces of Legislation:
- The Prevent Outages with Energy Resiliency Options Nationwide (POWER ON) Act to fix the current regulatory framework that hampers the United States’ collective ability to meet our nation’s energy goals. The POWER ON Act promotes the interstate transmission of electricity, which will boost reliability, help decarbonize the power sector, electrify the transportation sector, adapt the grid to withstand the devastating effects of climate change, and lower electricity costs for consumers.
- The bipartisan, bicameral Workforce Mobility Act to help American workers by limiting employers’ ability to force employees to sign non-compete agreements. The bill would narrow the allowable use of non-compete agreements to only include extraordinary cases like the sale of a business or the hiring of senior executives.
Schneider Introduces Legislation to Close the Ghost Guns Loophole
NDC Leadership Member Brad Schneider (IL-10) introduced the Ghost Guns Are Guns Act to close the "ghost guns” loophole which allows purchasers to avoid federal background checks by buying unassembled firearms online.
Larsen, Veasey Introduce Bill to Fight Discriminatory Voter ID Laws
Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Marc Veasey (TX-33) introduced the America Votes Act to protect citizens who face disenfranchisement because of restrictive voter identification laws. The bill establishes new federal protections for voters arriving at polls to affirm their identity by submitting a sworn, written statement, even if they do not have government-issued identification. The legislation was included in H.R. 1, the For the People Act.
NDC Member Action
DelBene Joins Brookings to Discuss H.R. 1
NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) joined a Brookings Institution panel with Norm Eisen, Senior Fellow at Brookings, Richard W. Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer, and moderator Benjamin Wittes, Senior Fellow at Brookings, to discuss the NDC-endorsed For the People Act.
Kuster Joins the NewDEAL’s ‘An Honorable Profession’ Podcast
NDC Vice Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02) joined the NewDEAL’s ‘An Honorable Profession’ podcast to discuss the NDC-endorsed H.R. 1, the For the People Act. The legislation aims to make it easier for Americans to vote, end the dominance of money in politics, and help ensure all elected officials work in the public interest. Rep. Kuster also addresses how the Coalition plans to work with the Biden-Harris administration to help end the pandemic and move the country forward.
Houlahan, Dean, Wild Urge Pennsylvanian Governor to Improve State’s Vaccination Plan
NDC Whip Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) and Reps. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) and Susan Wild (PA-07) sent a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf urging him to review and improve the COVID-19 vaccination plan for the state.
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02) led Members, including NDC Vice Chair Scott Peters (CA-52) and Reps. Juan Vargas (CA-51) and Veronica Escobar (TX-16), in sending a letter to President Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging them to consult and involve border communities in discussions about the future of the border wall.
McBath Speaks in Support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06) spoke on the House floor in support of the NDC-endorsed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
Trahan Leads Bipartisan Effort to Stop the Spread of COVID-19 in Federal Prisons
Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) led a group of bipartisan House Members, including NDC Reps. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Val Demings (FL-10), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), and Juan Vargas (CA-51), in sending a letter to the Department of Justice urging serious action to be taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 in U.S. Bureau of Prison-managed institutions.
Davids: When Infrastructure Fails via The Hill
NDC Vice Chair Sharice Davids (KS-03) penned an op-ed in The Hill on the need to modernize American infrastructure and improve its resilience to severe weather: “Investments in smart grid technology allow for more efficient transmission of electricity, better distribution of energy from sustainable sources when necessary, and even more accurate forecasting of potential outages. They make our country more equipped to handle extreme weather events like we’ve experienced this week. But to do this, we must make these kinds of projects a priority every day — not just when they are on the brink of failing us.”
Rep. Jim Himes (CT-04) penned an op-ed in Stamford Advocate addressing the importance of investing in infrastructure and the need to pass a large infrastructure package like the Moving Forward Act: “The pandemic has forced many to work from home and forgo their usual commute. As all levels of government have worked to combat this pandemic, investment in modernizing our infrastructure has taken a temporary back seat, but it remains a top priority of mine… Soon, as more people are vaccinated, the pandemic recedes, and life returns to normal, commuters will once again be returning en masse to the train platform and roads. Our problems will return with a vengeance. That’s why Congress must act this year to pass a comprehensive infrastructure package.”
Craig: The Equality Act Is Personal for Me via The Advocate
Rep. Angie Craig (MN-02) penned an op-ed in The Advocate highlighting the importance of the NDC-endorsed Equality Act for her and her family, as well as LGBTQ+ Americans throughout the nation: “As a young lesbian woman growing up in rural America, I never imagined I’d finally see legislation like this reach the House floor — much less as a member of this body. But this week, after a lifetime of breaking down barriers and overcoming adversity, I have the honor of celebrating its passage.”
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