{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cohen.house.gov/taxonomy/story-type/enewsletters/welcoming-us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-memphis", "Welcoming U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to Memphis", "2016-07-25", "2016", "2016-07", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nThis week, I welcomed U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to Memphis, attended an event in Orange Mound on youth involvement in neighborhoods, honored the graduates of the Veterans Court, attended the Memphis Urban League Empowerment Luncheon, remembered my colleague Congressman Mark Takai, and announced a $12.3 million grant for Memphis International Airport. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook\u00a0to see these updates as they happen.\nWelcoming U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to Memphis  Promoting Youth Involvement in Orange Mound  Honoring the Veterans Court Graduates  Helping African American Youth Secure Jobs  Remembering My Colleague Congressman Mark Takai  Applauding\u00a0Federal Funding for Memphis  Early Voting has Begun  Bringing Congress to your Corner\nWelcoming U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to Memphis\u00a0\nOn Wednesday, I welcomed U.S. Secretary\u00a0 of Commerce Penny Pritzker to Memphis. I accompanied Secretary Pritzker on her tour of the FedEx Global Hub on Wednesday night during prime shipping hours. On the tour, I spoke with Secretary Pritzker about bringing more jobs to Memphis. I take every opportunity to showcase Memphis and encourage government officials to keep Memphis in mind as they do their jobs.\nPromoting Youth Involvement in Orange Mound\nOn Wednesday, I attended the \u2018This is Orange Mound\u201d bus tour final stop at the Orange Mound Art Gallery. This event was sponsored by Levi Frazier and Deborah Glass-Frazier, co-founders of the Blues City Cultural Center, who have been actively involved in the arts in Memphis. I spoke about how youth can take ownership of their neighborhoods through voting, volunteering with community based organizations, supporting and promoting local businesses, and holding other members of the community accountable. Neighborhood youth in Orange Mound must be directly involved in their neighborhood if the community is to have a promising future. \u00a0\nHonoring the Veterans Court Graduates \u00a0\nOn Wednesday, I attended the Shelby County Veterans Court graduation ceremony at the Criminal Justice Auditorium at the Shelby County Jail. The Veterans Court is a project that my office helped start with Judge Bill Anderson and Director Jerry Easter. \u00a0It provides a means for veterans to have their records expunged and provides them support and rehabilitation for substance abuse and mental health issues. It was a wonderful program to attend. This is the fourth year of the program. Over 100 people have graduated and only three people have been re-arrested. The positive spirit of the staff and volunteers was evident, as was the appreciation of the veterans who showed their positive relationship with the staff. It was heartwarming to see a government program work. \u00a0Congratulations to the sixteen veterans who graduated, and kudos to Judge Bill Anderson.\nHelping African American Youth Secure Jobs\nOn Thursday, I attended the Memphis Urban Empowerment Luncheon. At the luncheon, the Memphis Urban League announced a new program, the \u201cSave Our Sons\u201d initiative, aimed at helping young black men with job training and educational services. Urban League President Marc Morial (pictured above) spoke on education, jobs and justice. I sported on my lapel \u201cDutch\u201d and \u201cMorial\u201d buttons. Marc and his father Dutch were both former mayors of New Orleans. Marc took pictures of my buttons and sent me a note about how much he appreciated me wearing them. It is great to have historical buttons to wear during these occasions. \u00a0\u00a0\nRemembering My Colleague Congressman Mark Takai\nOn Wednesday, my colleague Congressman Mark Takai (HI-01) passed away from pancreatic cancer. Read my statement on his passing here.\nApplauding Federal Funding for Memphis\nOn Thursday, I announced Memphis International Airport received a $12.3 million Airport Improvement Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Read more about the grant here.\nEarly Voting has Begun\nEarly voting has begun in Shelby County for the August 4th Federal and State Primaries and County General Election. Polls are open weekdays from 10AM to 7PM and Saturdays from 10AM to 4PM through July 30. A list of early voting locations can be found here.\nBringing Congress to your Corner\nOver the summer and fall, my office will hold \u201cCongress on your Corner\u201d events.\u00a0Please mark these dates on your calendar. If you have questions or problems with Social Security, Medicare, FHA, the VA or any other federal agencies, my staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide assistance.\u00a0\n Friday, August 12th from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Whitehaven Branch Library (4120 Millbranch Rd)\n\tThursday, September 1st from 12pm-2pm at the Orange Mound Community Center\u00a0 (2572 Park Ave)\n\tFriday, October 14th from 12pm-2pm at the Hickory Hill Community Center (3910 Ridgeway Rd)\n Please visit my website at\u00a0https://cohen.house.gov for more information on Congress on your Corner.\nAs always, I remain.\u00a0  \n\tMost sincerely,  \u00a0  \n\tSteve 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/welcoming-us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-memphis"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.8057170566171408, "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"}