{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cohen.house.gov/congress-has-big-do-list", "Congress Has a Big To-Do List", "2014-09-05", "2014", "2014-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend, \u00a0\nI hope you and your family had a safe, fun, and relaxing Labor Day weekend. I enjoyed introducing the Stax Music Academy Set at Tom Lee Park on Saturday. Keep reading to learn more about what else happened this week.\nCongress Has a Big To-Do List  Helping Eliminate the Memphis Rape Kit Backlog  Promoting Memphis Exports  Reducing Gang Violence and Gun Crime in Memphis  Remembering Steven Sotloff and Fighting Terrorism  Facebook Photo Contest  President Obama Seeking Mentors for Young People  Make Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property\nCongress Has a Big To-Do List\nCongress will return to Washington next week with a long to-do list, possibly including a request from the President concerning ISIS, and not a lot of time to get everything done. Despite crises around the world and significant issues to address here at home, House Republican Leadership has indicated that they will use the remaining time to bring up several politically-charged bills that are aimed more at shoring up the extreme right-wing base than at actually solving problems. I hope House Republicans change their tune and come back to Washington to actually address the pressing issues before us.\nHelping Eliminate the Memphis Rape Kit Backlog\nOn Wednesday, the Commercial Appeal reported that 77% of all the untested rape kits in the state of Tennessee were collected by the Memphis Police department. Something must be done, and that is why I have been working to help police departments cut through their backlog. Untested rape kits prevent law enforcement from apprehending violent criminals, increase the risk of additional crimes, and rob victims of the justice they deserve. I am pleased that earlier this year the House of Representatives passed an amendment that I introduced to provide more federal resources to local law enforcement agencies specifically to address their rape kit backlogs. The Senate Appropriations Committee has also included my $5 million rape kit backlog reduction provision, and I hope the full Senate passes it soon.\nAbsolutely no one should be a victim of sexual assault, and it is a travesty when communities are terrorized simply because evidence that could be used to prevent these crimes sits untested on a shelf somewhere. We know that, if tested, these rape kits could have helped catch perpetrators and prevent additional attacks. We must do more to cut through this backlog\u2014it\u2019s the least we can do to give victims the justice they deserve and it is an imperative if we want to keep our communities safe from predators. Adding federal funding to help cut down the nation\u2019s backlog improves the chances that Memphis will receive the resources it needs to do the same. My provision to provide additional funding to reduce the rape kit backlog is a step in the right direction.\nPromoting Memphis Exports\nThis week, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that exports from our state supported more than 156,000 jobs in 2013 and that Memphis was one of just 33 metropolitan areas nationwide to export more than $10 billion in goods last year. With so many jobs and so much of our economy supported by exporting goods, it is important for us to remember just how important the Export-Import Bank is for Memphis. The Bank plays an important role in helping Memphis small businesses, and countless companies around the nation, compete in international markets by helping finance exports of goods and services to international markets.\nI was pleased to welcome the Bank\u2019s President and CEO, Fred Hochberg, to Memphis recently. While he was here, he described some of the important benefits Memphis derives from the Export-Import Bank. For instance, since 2007 the Bank has supported nearly $134 million in export sales from Memphis businesses, including nearly $17 million this year alone.\nThis underscores why the Bank is so critical to maintain for the Memphis business community and for supporting and creating jobs right here at home. Currently, however, there is a battle in Washington over reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank\u2019s charter, which is set to expire at the end of the month. Failure to extend the Bank\u2019s charter will mean less security for American exporters and job losses across the nation and possibly here in Memphis too. This is why I cosponsored the Protect American Jobs and Exports Act of 2014, which if passed and signed into law, will reauthorize the charter. While a majority of both Democrats and Republicans understand how important reauthorizing this charter is, several Republican House leaders do not.\nWhen Congress returns next week, we will have only 10 legislative days left to take action and pass legislation to protect American exporters and jobs. I will continue to pressure Speaker Boehner to make this issue a priority and hope the charter is reauthorized quickly.\nReducing Gang Violence and Gun Crime in Memphis\nEarlier today, I was pleased to announce nearly $150,000 in federal funding to help make Memphis safer, reduce gun crime, and prevent gang violence. Today\u2019s funding came through the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which facilitates collaborative efforts between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and other community members to implement initiatives aimed at gang violence and gun crime reduction, prevention and intervention.\nThis funding is in addition to more than $1 million in Department of Justice funding to Memphis-area organizations and municipal governments awarded in recent weeks, including $352,416 for transitional housing programs at Agape Child& Family Services and $838,332 in funding Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funding for Shelby County, which will support a broad range of activities and law enforcement initiatives.\nRemembering Steven Sotloff and Fighting Terrorism\nThis week, the world was once again horrified by video footage of an ISIS terrorist executing\u00a0an American journalist, Steven Sotloff. The beheading of a second American is further proof that ISIS, with its desire to create an extremist caliphate, is a threat to America and to democracy everywhere.\nFacebook Photo Contest\n  \n\tI\u2019m updating my Facebook cover photo\u2014and my next one could be a photo that you took! If you have a great photo that represents the Ninth District and you'd like to have it highlighted on my Facebook page, please\u00a0email it to me here. I'll post the best photos sent in, and anyone who \"likes\" my page will be able to vote to choose which photo will be my next cover photo.\nPresident Obama Seeking Mentors for Young People\u00a0  \n\tIt is important that all children can count on caring adults who are engaged in their lives, but too many young people lack this important support. That\u2019s why President Obama is calling on Americans to sign up as long-term mentors to young people through his new \u201cMy Brother\u2019s Keeper\u201d initiative. The President is seeking people from all walks of life who want to develop sustained and direct mentoring relationships that will play vital roles in the lives of young people in Memphis and around the country. If you are interested in signing up to help young adults in our city stay on track, you can do so\u00a0here.\nMake Sure to Claim Unclaimed Property\nThe State of Tennessee maintains a searchable database of unclaimed property, which can include bank accounts, stocks and dividends, wages, refunds, insurance payments, gift certificates, credit balances and overpayments, and a number of other things. There is no cost for accessing the database, and you may find that you are owed money or property. If you have not searched the database yet or if you haven\u2019t searched in a while, you can visit\u00a0https://www.claimittn.gov\u00a0and see for yourself whether the state is holding any property or assets for you. And you may pass this information along to your friends and family as well!\nAs always, I remain.\u00a0  \n\tMost sincerely,\n  \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": ["http://cohen.house.gov/congress-has-big-do-list"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9630988352000713, "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"}