Weekly Wrap
Ahead of #ClimateWeek at the U.N. General Assembly summit this week, the NDC released policy principles and endorsed legislation to combat climate change with the urgency this crisis demands. Of the twelve endorsed climate bills, seven are bipartisan and all are actionable steps towards reaching the NDC goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In September, the NDC also endorsed legislation to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and improve coverage expansion and affordability. The ACA has expanded coverage to millions of Americans, and protected coverage for millions more. These bills would help fortify the health insurance system, further expand coverage, and bring down insurance costs for more Americans.
The NDC also endorsed bipartisan legislation introduced by NDC Members to protect our nation’s elections. Our free and fair elections are a cornerstone of American democracy, and these bills are necessary reforms to better protect our elections ahead of 2020.
This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry following revelations that President Trump asked the leader of another country to investigate a political opponent. Not only is that an abuse of power – it’s dangerous to our national security. NDC Members serve on all the key committees including the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chaired by NDC member Rep. Adam Schiff, which is expected to take a lead role in gathering more information about all the threats to our national security, election security, and constitution.
More on what Members have been up to below.
Coalition Highlights
ICYMI: NDC Releases Climate Change Priorities
Last week, the NDC released policy principles and endorsed legislation to combat climate change. In doing so, the NDC seeks to address the climate challenge with the urgency the crisis demands, and to embrace the notion that the U.S., through its powerful economy and culture of innovation, can be best positioned to be the global leader in developing and producing the next generation technologies to help the international community combat climate change.
Read more from NDC Chair Derek Kilmer, Vice Chair Scott Peters, and Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Don Beyer, Sean Casten, Elaine Luria and Susan Wild. More on what Democratic Leadership, think tanks, and environmental experts have to say.
Read the latest coverage on NDC’s climate change priorities in POLITICO, Bloomberg Law, The Guardian, E&E News, and The Well.
Member Highlights
Committee Action
Small Business Committee Passes Craig’s Bipartisan Bill to Help Small Businesses
The House Committee on Small Business passed Rep. Angie Craig’s (MN-02) bipartisan SCORE for Small Business Act of 2019. This bill will hold the Small Business Administration’s SCORE Program more accountable, allowing it to better serve rural and traditionally underserved communities.
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Passes Fletcher’s PFAS Bill
The Energy and Commerce’s Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee passed Rep. Lizzie Fletcher’s (TX-) PFAS bill, which states that the EPA Administrator should set guidelines for firefighters when dealing with PFAS-based firefighting foam. PFAS chemicals are considered “forever chemicals” because they never break down over time; the scientific community is only beginning to understand the effect that they have on human health.
Floor Action
House Passes Escobar’s Homeland Security Improvement Act
The House passed Rep. Veronica Escobar’s (TX-16) Homeland Security Improvement Act, a critical bill to address our nation’s immigration challenges at the southwest border in a responsible and humane manner by ensuring accountability, transparency and oversight.
House Passes Perlmutter & Heck’s SAFE Banking Act with Overwhelming Bipartisan Support
The House passed Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) and Denny Heck’s (WA-10) Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Act of 2019, which allows marijuana-related businesses in states with some form of legalized marihuana and strict regulatory structure to access the banking system.
Bill Introductions
Reps. Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), and Cindy Axne (IA-03) introduced legislation to stand up for workers and consumers by ending executive bonuses during corporate bankruptcies.
Mucarsel-Powell and Stevens Introduce Legislation to Change Student Loan Defaults on Credit Reports
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26) and Haley Stevens (MI-11) introduced the Clean Slate Through Consolidation Act and the Clean Slate Repayment Act to remove default records from the credit history of federal student loan borrowers who have consolidated their defaulted loan or repaid the loan in full.
Member Happenings
NDC Vice Chair Terri Sewell (AL-07) penned an op-ed in Modern Healthcare discussing America’s physician shortage and her bipartisan proposal to solve the issue: “The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019…would increase the number of Medicare-supported residency positions by 3,000 each year for the next five years, for a total of 15,000 new positions…Our bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study strategies to increase diversity within the health professional workforce.”
Murphy Takes Action on Election Security
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07) spoke at the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) election security symposium, highlighting the importance of transparency to safeguard American elections. She also recently introduced a bipartisan bill ensuring that Congress, state leaders and affected voters learn of significant intrusions into election systems. Read more in The Washington Post.
Bera and Schrier Introduces Vaccine Resolution
Reps. Ami Bera (CA-07) and Kim Schrier (WA-08), two of the three medical doctors in the NDC, held a press conference on the importance of vaccines. Rep. Bera also recently introduced a bipartisan resolution that recognizes the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccinations in the United States and worldwide. See photos from the press conference here.
Rep. Darren Soto (FL-09) led a bicameral group of colleagues in sending a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The letter requested the publication of a Federal Register Notice (FRN) detailing the requirements for the disbursement of disaster recovery funds appropriated for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These funds are intended to mitigate the impact of future hurricanes under the Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program.
Peters Moderates Climate Panel for San Diego Chamber of Commerce Visit
NDC Vice Chair Scott Peters (CA-52) joined Tiernan Sittenfeld from League of Conservation Voters, Dr. Margaret Leinen of the Univeristy of California San Diego, and Rev. Mitch Hescox of the Evangelical Environmental Network, to discuss the urgency of climate action and how bipartisanship is key to advancing legislation to address the climate emergency.
Horsford Hosts Veterans Suicide Prevention Roundtable
Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04) hosted a Veterans Panel and Policy Discussion to give veterans and service providers the chance to share their experience, help those struggling with suicidal ideation, and offer their perspectives on policy solutions that can help save lives and empower veterans to live healthy and meaningful lives.
Reps. Elaine Luria (VA-02), Joe Cunningham (SC-01), Denny Heck (WA-10), Katie Hill (CA-25), and Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02), sent a bipartisan letter to leadership of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, urging them to authorize the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) at $100 million in the FY2020 Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Read the full letter here.
Trone Leads Effort for ‘Congress Goes Purple’ in Honor of National Recovery Month
In honor of National Recovery Month, Rep. David Trone (MD-06) led the effort for ‘Congress Goes Purple,’ where Members wore purple in order to increase awareness about mental and substance use disorders and celebrate Americans in recovery. See more on Facebook and Twitter.
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