Weekly Wrap
After a very productive August district work period, Members returned to get to work For The People. This week, the NDC announced its official endorsement of two pieces of legislation put forward by the NDC Health Care Task Force to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by reducing premiums and expanding health insurance coverage for consumers. NDC Members also released a statement on the Administration’s irresponsible decision to redirect $3.6 billion in military funding to build the border wall.
More on what Members have been up to below.
Coalition Highlights
NDC Endorses Health Care Stabilization Bills
The NDC announced its official endorsement of two pieces of legislation put forward by the NDC Health Care Task Force to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and improve insurance coverage and affordability for Americans. Read more in Bloomberg Government.
- H.R. 1425, The State Healthcare Premium Reduction Act, introduced by Reps. Angie Craig (MN-02) and Vice Chair Scott Peters (CA-52), would give $10 billion annually to states to obtain funding for state reinsurance programs or to provide financial assistance to individuals enrolled in qualified health plans to reduce out-of-pocket costs.
- H.R. 584, The Incentivizing Medicaid Expansion Act, introduced by Reps. Marc Veasey (TX-33) and Vice Chair Terri Sewell (AL-07) would make states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA eligible for the same federal funding matches as states that did so within the initial window.
NDC Members Release Statement on Administration’s $3.6 Billion Military Funding Grab
NDC Chair Derek Kilmer and National Security Task Force Co-Chairs Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Anthony Brown (MD-04), and Haley Stevens (MI-11), released a statement on the Administration’s decision to redirect $3.6 billion in military funding to build the border wall.
NDC Urges House Appropriations Committee to Act on Member-Led Amendments
Last week, the NDC Future of Work Task Force and National Security Task Force Co-Chairs sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey and Ranking Member Kay Granger to retain New Dem-proposed amendments as provisions when the House and Senate conference on the Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations package.
- The Future of Work Task Force Co-Chairs, led by Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11) and cosponsored 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 (BLS) measures labor trends and conducts the contingent worker survey to ensure the most accurate data is available to policy-makers.
- The National Security Task Force Co-Chairs, led by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) and cosponsored by Reps. Brad Schneider (IL-10), Anthony Brown (MD-04), and Brendan Boyle (PA-02), offered an amendment to act upon a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study focusing on the impact of personnel vacancies within the Department of State.
NDC Climate Change Task Force Releases Priorities for U.S. Climate Policy
Over August, NDC Chair Derek Kilmer, Vice Chair Suzan DelBene, and the Climate Change Task Force, led by Co-Chairs Don Beyer (VA-), Sean Casten (IL-), Elaine Luria (VA-) and Susan Wild (PA-07), released priorities for U.S. climate policy to combat climate change with politically durable, long-lasting policy solutions. Read the one-pager and the full principles. More action to come from the full NDC on these priorities soon.
NDC Participates in Congressional Startup Day
NDC Members, led by Freshman Leadership Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), participated in the 2019 Congressional Startup Day on August 21. Congressional Startup Day, previously known as Startup Day Across America, allows entrepreneurs to meet with their elected officials to discuss the importance of startups and the impact they have on local communities. Read more about New Dems’ engagement in Congressional Startup Day on Medium.
Member Highlights
Committee Action
Judiciary Committee Passes Carbajal’s Gun Violence Prevention bill
The House Judiciary Committee passed Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (CA-24) Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Act. The ERPO Act, also known as a ‘red flag’ law, is a bill to temporarily keep guns out of the hands of those who are deemed a threat to themselves or others. It establishes a grant program to incentivize states to adopt extreme risk laws that would reduce gun deaths and injuries, while protecting due process rights.
Bill Introductions
Peters Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Build More Housing Near Transit
Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) introduced the bipartisan Build More Housing Near Transit Act, legislation that would change the rating criteria for the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program, which funds transit projects like commuter rail, light rail, and bus rapid transit through the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program. The bill requires housing feasibility assessments to determine how and where housing units could be built near new transit stops. The bill also prioritizes local commitment to change land use policies to accommodate market-rate and affordable housing.
Stanton Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Permanently Extend Security for Supreme Court Justices
Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-09) introduced a bipartisan bill to permanently extend security protection of Justices of the Supreme Court outside the Supreme Court grounds. Current law authorizes the Supreme Court Police to protect justices—however, the authority to protect them outside of Supreme Court grounds is temporary and set to expire at the end of this year. The bill would provide parity between the Supreme Court Police and the Capitol Police and Secret Service.
Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07) introduced bipartisan legislation which would extend the free school meals program to the 400,000 children living with grandparents or in other arrangements – known as kinship care - who are not currently eligible.
Brownley Introduces the Gun Suicide Prevention Act
Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26) introduced the Gun Suicide Prevention Act, legislation which would work to address the alarming rate of suicides by firearms, particularly among veterans. This bill would require firearm manufacturers and retailers to include warning labels that provide the number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).
Shalala Introduces Bipartisan Cannabis Bill
Rep. Donna Shalala (FL-27) introduced the Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act, bipartisan legislation that would facilitate research into the potential medical benefits and public health impacts of marijuana. The bill would develop a national cannabis research agenda, direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to collect data on the health impacts of cannabis, establish a National Institutes of Health “Centers of Excellence” research designation, and reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III controlled substance.
Member Happenings
Moulton Tours Local Businesses Affected by Trade War
Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) held a town hall with approximately 250 employees at a major employer in the region that has had to cut R&D and whose stock value took a major hit because of Chinese tariffs. He met with the owner of a cheese shop who will see the price of almost everything in the store double because of 100 percent tariffs on European goods, and he met with a specialty bike company that has already lost $100,000 to tariffs which it could have used to hire three employees locally.
Freshman Rep. Wild Turns Grief from Partner’s Suicide into a New Purpose via Washington Post
Following the death of her longtime partner, Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07) is speaking out to draw attention toward suicide prevention and the role of mental health: “Turning her grief into a purpose, she’s crafting mental health legislation and organizing events to spread awareness and help people in crisis.”
Reps. Gil Cisneros (CA-39), Veronica Escobar (TX-07) and Salud Carbajal (CA-24) wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kevin McAleenan seeking answers regarding Department of Defense (DoD) policy on the process for non-citizen servicemembers seeking naturalization and how the Department of Homeland Security, specifically the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), evaluates servicemember applications for naturalization.
Houlahan: What Makes America Great Is What Makes American Startups Thrive via Roll Call
In honor of Congressional Startup Day, Freshman Leadership Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) penned an op-ed in Roll Call highlighting the importance of the entrepreneurial spirit in communities across our nation, which drives innovation and advancement: “As elected representatives, we are humbled by the innovative talent across this country. We encourage everyone to learn about and visit their local startups, elevate small businesses, and say thank you to the hardworking Americans who make our economy work.”
Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06) joined fellow lawmakers, advocates, and survivors in a historic series of events that urged action on passing legislation to prevent gun violence. The House Judiciary Committee marked up and voted to approve a series of bills to help respond to the growing problem of gun violence, including McBath’s H.R. 3076, the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019, which was added to H.R. 1236.
Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) penned an op-ed in Business Insider asserting the Administration is downplaying the threat of white-supremacist terrorism and emphasizing the need to act now by passing the NO HATE Act: “Right now, an enormous number of these heinous acts go unreported, including even high-profile crimes like the murders of Heather Heyer and Khalid Jabara. Assembling accurate data is a vital step toward the larger goal of creating a coordinated national strategy for stopping the rise of white-supremacist violence, and it would also rebut those who falsely and harmfully claim that no such problem exists.”
Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-09) penned an op-ed in the AZ Mirror addressing the need for increased federal funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund to ensure public lands and national monuments, in Arizona and across the nation, are properly protected: “Now is the time to solve this and guarantee that funds retained in the LWCF are used for their intended conservation and recreation purposes.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-27) penned an op-ed in the Miami Herald pushing to end gun violence by urging the Senate to take action on commonsense background checks legislation: “This year, there have already been more than 10,000 deaths due to gun violence. Americans deserve political leaders who listen to them.”
Next Article Previous Article