{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cohen.house.gov/taxonomy/story-type/enewsletters/remembering-elijah-cummings", "Remembering Elijah Cummings", "2019-10-18", "2019", "2019-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,  \n\tThis week, I remembered my friend and colleague Elijah Cummings of Maryland, a giant of Congress and a man of quiet power and integrity. I also chaired a hearing on strengthening the Voting Rights Act; moved to block federal funds from being used at Trump's Doral Resort for the G-7 Summit next year; introduced the Tax Return Preparer Accountability Act; prepared for my October 25 Memphis roundtable on Complete Streets; celebratedthe naturalization of 60 new American citizens; offered 2020 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars; and offered a health tip on critical vaccinations during pregnancy. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me onTwitter,FacebookandInstagramto see more updates as they happen.\nRemembering Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland  Chairing Hearing on Legislative Proposals to Strengthen the Voting Rights Act  Condemning Trump's Choice of his Doral Resort for the G-7 Summit  Introducing Tax Return Preparer Accountability Act  Holding a Complete Streets Roundtable October 25  Celebrating Newly Naturalized American Citizens  Offering 2020 U.S. Historical Society Calendars  WeeklyHealth Tip  Quote of the Week\nRemembering Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland\nElijah Cummings was a giant in Congress and will be sorely missed. The son of a sharecropperwhorose to be the powerful Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, hewas a lifelong advocate for civil rights and justice and was a staunch defender of the Constitution. He was working hard to hold the President accountable for his impeachable conduct when he succumbed to complications from longstanding health problems on Thursday.We were fiends and I valued the time we spent together. He was amodel legislator, a man of integrity, knowledgeand grace.He will be missed. See my release on his passing here and my statement here.\nChairing Hearing on Legislative Proposals to Strengthen the Voting Rights Act\nOn Thursday, I chaired the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties as itconsideredlegislative proposals to strengthen the Voting Rights Act in the wake of the Supreme Court's disastrous 2013 ruling inShelby County v. Holder. This was the seventh in a series of hearings, including one held in Memphis on September 5, to create a record in advance of passage of H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act which would restore the pre-clearance provisions of the original act and strengthen voting rights protections. See my release on the hearing here.\nCondemning Trump's Choice of his Doral Resort for the G-7 Summit\nOn Thursday, Acting Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney announced that the G-7 Summit of world leaders will be held at Trump's Doral National Resort in Florida next June, a clear plan to violate the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution and an astonishingly corrupt instance of illegal self-dealing. I condemned this decision when I heard about itsince it so clearly presents the appearance of improprietyand joined colleagues Friday in introducing the Trump's Heist Undermines the G-7 (THUG) Act.Public officials should avoid even the appearance of impropriety and this roars IMPROPRIETY.See my statement on the announcement here.\nIntroducing Tax Return Preparer Accountability Act\nEarlier today, I introduced the Tax Return Preparer Accountability Act with Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia to protect consumers from unscrupulousand/or unskilledtax preparers who defraud honest taxpayers. This bill incorporates Internal Revenue Service rules for preparers to meet certain education and testing standards and gives the IRS explicit authority to regulate tax return preparers. See my release about the bill here.\nHolding a Complete Streets Roundtable October 25\nIt is an unpleasant fact that Memphis has a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities for pedestrians, bicyclists and users of public transit. That's why I introducedH.R. 3663, the Complete Streets Act,to create a program to pay for technical assistance and capital grants for projects such as sidewalks, bike lanes and bus stops to improve the safety and efficiency of transit. It's also why I am hosting a Complete Streets roundtable discussion next Friday, October 25, in Memphis to hear ideas from private sector stakeholders and our local, state and federal government on how to produce safer Complete Streets.\nCelebrating Newly Naturalized American Citizens\nOn Thursday, U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker presided at the swearing in of 60 new American citizens from 26 countries in his Memphis courtroom.As I had votes in Washington, mymydistrict staff attendedthis solemn and inspiring ceremony that made former residents of Nepal, China, Egypt, South Sudan, Honduras, Senegal and Laos, among other places, naturalized American citizens. Judge Parker quoted President Obama, who noted that the most important title is not president or prime minister, but citizen. I congratulate all our new Americans.\nOffering 2020 U.S. Historical Society Calendars\nMy office will have a limited number of 2020 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive a calendar, please completethis form on my website. Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee's Ninth District. Please feel free to share this email with other residents of the Ninth District who may be interested in receiving one but who do not receive my e-Newsletter.  \n\t  Sign Up for Congress on Your Corner and this e-Newsletter\n  \n\t  \n\tI enjoy meeting regularly with constituents in the district and helping get answers for them to questions about dealing with federal agencies. If you are interested in attending one of my Congress on Your Corner events, you can sign up here to receive a notification as soon as the next event is scheduled.My next Congress on Your Corner is next Friday, October 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the South Branch Library, 1929 South Third Street, Memphis 38109.  \n\t  \n\tFor those who haven't participated in a telephone town hall, it's easy to sign up for them by using this form.  \n\t  \n\tIf you would like to receive this weekly e-Newsletter, or share it with others, you can do that with this form.  \n\t  Weekly Health Tip\nEarlier this month, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report withcompelling datathat indicated many pregnant women in the United States are not getting vaccines against flu and whooping cough. These vaccines are strongly recommended during pregnancy to protect both mother and child.Seventypercent of those who died from whooping cough in recent years were infants younger than two months. See the C.D.C.'sguidance here.Incidentally, it's not just women who need to get their flu shots: I got mine today.\nQuote of the Week\nI want justice, oceans of it. I want fairness, rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want. -- Congressman Elijah Cummings (1959-2019) at the 2015 Baltimore funeral of Freddie Gray.\nGod has called me to this moment. I did not ask for it. -- Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland (1951-2019) in an August 7, 2019, speech at The National Press Club.  \n\t  \n\tAs always, I remain  \n\tMost sincerely,\nSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cohen.house.gov/taxonomy/story-type/enewsletters/remembering-elijah-cummings"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.6867058370262384, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}