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Dear John,
Welcome to your Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work.
Last week, I hosted a Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition in the 21st Century Listening Session at UCONN Health in Farmington with my colleagues, Congressman Bennie Thompson (MS-02) and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) to gain input from Connecticut stakeholders on the Farm Bill.
More from the week: The House Committee on Education and Workforce convened a full committee markup and passed comprehensive healthcare legislation to improve transparency in healthcare. Also, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force met to continue discussions around efforts to end the epidemic of senseless gun violence. Lastly, the Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition held a public forum in D.C with national stakeholders to discuss the needs of the people in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill.
For the full recap, please read below.
| Weekly Wrap: July 10 - 14, 2023 |
Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition in the 21st Century Listening Session
On Monday, I welcomed my colleagues on the Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition in the 21st Century, Congressmen Bennie Thompson and Jim McGovern to UConn Health Center in Farmington for a nutrition focused listening session. We heard from nearly 90 stakeholders, industry leaders, and constituents including representatives from food banks, food pantries, faith leaders, professors, health care providers, elderly advocates, community providers, and local elected officials. Throughout the listening session, attendees stressed the importance of supporting nutrition programs in the Farm Bill.
Over 35,000 households in CT-05 receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This timely conversation reiterated the critical importance of protecting SNAP and other federal nutrition programs for the people of Connecticut and across the country.
As we approach the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, it is imperative voices from every community are heard and included.
Recording of the Nutrition Task Force Listening Session is available here.
Full Committee Markup on Bills to Improve Health Care Transparency
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup on four bipartisan bills that will take promising steps to lower health care costs for workers and their families and promote transparency and competition.
The comprehensive health care package approved by the committee included, the:
With the advancement of this legislative package, we are continuing our work in making health care more accessible and affordable for patients and families.
Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Meeting
Every day, gun violence incidents continue to plague communities nationwide. Last year, more than 48,000 people died from gun violence. Inaction on this issue is not an option.
Thursday morning, I attended a Gun Violence Prevention Task Force meeting where we continued discussions around efforts to end the epidemic of senseless gun violence. We are working to find legislative solutions to save lives. Most recently, I signed three discharge petitions to bring common sense gun safety legislation to the House Floor for a vote. The bills would strengthen background checks, close dangerous loopholes, and ban assault weapons – all of which have the widespread support of the American people.
Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition in the 21st Century Public Forum
As the week ended, the Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition in the 21st Century hosted a public forum at the Capitol. We received critical feedback on issues ranging from climate resiliency to broadband to nutrition to Ag education and everything in between. The Farm Bill provides Congress with the opportunity to address the intersection of all these issues and bolster the entire food system. The feedback shared will help guide the Task Force compile and present unified Democratic Farm Bill priorities.
Watch the public forum here.
And that’s a wrap!
Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, please continue to share your thoughts and priorities with me.
Jahana Hayes
Member of Congress
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