June 21, 2019
Weekly Wrap
The House passed H.R. 2740, which included several amendments led by New Dem Members and two NDC Task Force-led amendments. The bill supports a 21st century workforce, prevents funding for the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, strengthens our national security and defense, and provides record funding for medical research and innovation.
More on what New Dem Members have been up to below.
Coalition Highlights
House Passes New Democrat Coalition-Supported Priorities in H.R. 2740
- The House passed H.R. 2740, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Legislative Branch, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020. The bill included several New Democrat Coalition-led priorities and amendments. The bill supports a 21st century workforce, prevents funding for the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, strengthens our national security and defense, and provides record funding for medical innovation and advancement.
- The Future of Work Task Force Co-Chairs, led by Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11) and co-sponsored by Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Chris Pappas (NH-01), and Haley Stevens (MI-11), offered an amendment to modernize how the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor trends and conducts the contingent worker survey, which measure people in non-traditional work arrangements.
- The National Security Task Force Co-Chairs, led by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) and co-sponsored by Reps. Brad Schneider (IL-10), Anthony Brown (MD-04), and Brendan Boyle (PA-02), offered an amendment to act upon and expand a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on the impact of personnel vacancies at the Department of State on our country’s national security and foreign policy objectives. Watch Rep. Spanberger’s Floor speech here.
NDC Recap on the Housing Task Force’s Forum with Experts & Stakeholders on America’s Housing Crisis
- NDC recapped its Housing Task Force Forum with experts and stakeholders from organizations across the nation. The first panel analyzed and assessed the complex, systemic issues contributing to the national housing crisis, while the second panel addressed the housing shortage and resulting affordability issues affecting Americans across the demographic spectrum. Read the full recap of Panel 1 and Panel 2 on Medium.
Member Highlights
Committee Action
Ways & Means Committee Passes DelBene Child Tax Credit Expansion
- The Ways and Means Committee marked up the Economic Mobility Act of 2019, which included substantive provisions from Rep. Suzan DelBene’s (WA-01) legislation, the American Family Act. These provisions would dramatically expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and create a young child tax credit to help lift the most vulnerable children and families in our country out of poverty.
Science Committee Passes Bipartisan Wexton Bill to Expand Opioid Research
- The House Science Committee passed Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s (VA-10) bipartisan bill, the EFFORT Act. The bill would direct the National Science Foundation to expand research on the science of opioid addiction in an effort to close research gaps and help develop new solutions. Watch more from Rep. Wexton here.
Bill Introductions
Peters Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Call Attention to Post Traumatic Stress Injury in Veterans
- Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) introduced a bipartisan bill to reduce the stigma that prevents veterans and servicemembers from seeking mental health care. The bill designates June as National Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) Awareness month and June 27th as National PTSI Awareness Day.
- Reps. Donna Shalala (FL-27), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Gil Cisneros (CA-39) and Seth Moulton (MA-06) introduced the Defending All Veterans in Education (DAVIE) Act of 2019 to close the GI Bill loophole in federal law that allows for-profit colleges to take advantage of veterans and servicemembers.
Connolly Introduces Lady Liberty Act to Lift Refugee Cap
- Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11) introduced the Lady Liberty Act, along with 70 members of Congress, to reverse the Trump Administration’s recent actions to severely limit refugee resettlement in the United States.
- Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Lori Trahan (MA-03) introduced the Sewage Treatment Overflow Prevention through Community Sanitation Outreach (STOP CSO) Act of 2019 to require local governments to alert residents within four hours if stormwater overwhelms sewage plants and carries sewage into rivers and watersheds.
Member Happenings
Kilmer: The bipartisan effort to reform Congress via CNN
- Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Chair of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, penned an op-ed with Vice Chair Rep. Tom Graves (GA-14) on the bipartisan effort to reform Congress. “The Select Committee is one of the only truly bipartisan committees in Washington, with an equal number of Republican and Democratic members. And with members hailing from diverse backgrounds in law, technology, and business, just to name a few, the committee is uniquely qualified to find solutions to the challenges facing Congress,” writes Kilmer and Graves. “Though we hail from different sides of the aisle, we've made a point to check our party cards at the door. Problem solving doesn't have to have a partisan sticker. We're proud to work together, and we're already producing results.”
DelBene Urges Mnuchin and Lighthizer to Protect U.S. Digital Trade Interests
- Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01), co-chair of the Digital Trade Caucus, sent a bipartisan letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, urging them to take action in response to France’s proposal to impose discriminatory taxes on digital services.
Pappas: Our Uneven March Towards Equality via The Hill
- Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) penned an op-ed in The Hill addressing the evolution of the LGBTQ equality movement, from its inception at the Stonewall Inn into the 21st century and reflecting on the work left to be done: “This month, as a sea of rainbows wash over Main Streets in big cities and small towns, we should celebrate how far we’ve come and honor the heroes on whose shoulders we stand. But we must also recommit ourselves to living up to our nation’s values and the hard work that it entails to make our union more perfect. We must never stop fighting until all Americans are free to live their truth.” Rep. Pappas was also highlighted in a Human Rights Campaign video to discuss the Equality Act. Watch the video.
- Reps. Donna Shalala (FL-27), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL-23), and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26) published an op-ed in The Miami Herald addressing the severe humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and the pressing need for international intervention and support: “Despite harsh sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, Nicolás Maduro’s cronies continue to thrive, while nine out of 10 Venezuelans live in heartbreaking poverty. We support the administration’s efforts to unite the international community in support of the decision by the National Assembly —the only democratic institution still standing in Venezuela — to recognize Juan Guaidó as the country’s interim president until free, fair, and transparent elections can be held. Yet, Maduro still reigns, and millions of Venezuelans still do not have food, medicine, or electricity. So, we ask: what’s next, Mr. President? We need a more strategic plan."
Allred Joins NBC–DFW to Discuss His Work on the Cost of Insulin
- Rep. Colin Allred (TX-32) joined NBC to discuss the increasing prices of insulin in America and the work he’s doing to combat this issue: “We’ve seen the cost of insulin go way up. We have seniors who are rationing their insulin. We have people passing away, because they can’t afford their insulin… It is something we have to do something about.”
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