Dear John,

After a very busy last week of the 2023 legislative session, I am writing with an update from The Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress, and highlights of my work.

Last week, I introduced the School Violence Prevention Act, legislation to expand access to school-based violence prevention programs. Additionally, the House passed the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. The House Republican majority also advanced H.Res.918, which authorizes the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary to move forward with investigative proceedings to impeach the President.

More from the week: The Committee on Education and the Workforce, where I serve as Vice Chair, held a markup of four bills including A Stronger Workforce for America Act to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Lastly, I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to House and Senate Leadership requesting additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

For the full recap, please read below. 

School Violence Prevention Act

On Wednesday, I introduced the School Violence Prevention Act. This legislation provides organizations with grants to create or expand school-based programs to support children at the highest risk for involvement in gun violence. 

To qualify for grants funded by the School Violence Prevention Act, organizations must facilitate partnerships between youth and their communities, increase teacher professional development for trauma support services, and use evidence-based programming that is effective at preventing or reducing violence among children. 

According to recent reports, an estimated three million children witness a shooting each year. These traumatic incidents have been linked to poor academic performance, including lower grades and increased absences from school in comparison to their peers. Those who have been exposed to violence are more likely to engage in crime as adolescents as well.

Under my legislation, kids who are at risk for involvement in gun violence would receive education-based programs that address gun violence.

To learn more about the School Violence Prevention Act, click here.

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
 
Last week, the House passed H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation has also passed in the Senate and now awaits signature by President Biden. 

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) aims to equip the U.S. military with the proper resources to address security threats to the United States, spur innovation between business and the Department of Defense (DOD), and support service members and their families.

The Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA provides funding to support a 5.2% pay raise for both military servicemembers and the DOD civilian workforce. This is the largest pay raise for servicemembers in decades. Additionally, the legislation invests in the European Deterrence Initiative and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative – increasing America’s capacity to confront Russia and support Ukraine. 

The legislation also includes language from my amendment, which would require the Secretaries of the military departments to review suicide prevention policies and update contact information provided online to members.   While the language does not mandate an annual review as I intended, the inclusion of this language is a step in the right direction to ensure we are providing our servicemembers with mental health support. 

The previous version of the NDAA brought to the floor of the House of Representatives included divisive provisions that would harm the fundamental rights of servicemembers and weaken recruitment and retention in each branch of the military. While the conference report contains provisions I am not entirely pleased with, it represents a bipartisan effort to ensure the brave men and women who risk their lives for the safety and freedom of our country make a living wage, receive stable health care, and have access to affordable and safe housing. 

Learn more about the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act here.

Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act

On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 1147, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. This legislation is designed to increase access to the critical nutrients students need to grow and thrive by expanding the milk options schools are allowed to offer students through the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. As a cosponsor of this legislation, I was pleased to support its passage on Wednesday. 

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for America (DGA) reports that nearly 90% of Americans do not meet their daily dairy intake recommendations, with kids aged 2-18 typically not meeting those recommendations. As children receive most of their daily nutrition at school, it is important they be provided with a variety of options to choose from. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act makes this a reality. Significantly, this legislation does not change existing requirements for milk alternatives or require schools to serve higher-fat milk options.

For additional information on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, please click here.

H.Res.918

For weeks, the House Republican majority has operated in chaos and dysfunction, giving in to the most extreme members of their party. This pattern continued last week as their leadership brought H.Res.918 before the House for a vote. 

H.Res.918 directs the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary to move forward with investigative proceedings to impeach President Joseph R.  Biden. To date, there is no evidence that President Biden has committed an impeachable offense. 

This impeachment inquiry is further proof that House Republicans are not interested in legislating on behalf of the American people but are being fueled by partisanship and extremism. 

Committee on Education and the Workforce Markup

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup of four pieces of legislation: 

1. H.R. 6585, Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act
2. H.R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act
3. H.J. Res. 98, Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the National Labor Relations Board relating to “Standard for Determining Joint Employer Status
4. H.R. 3400, Small Businesses before Bureaucrats Act

Of particular note are the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act and the A Stronger Workforce for America Act. Both pieces of legislation passed out of committee with bipartisan support. 

The Bipartisan Workforce Pell Grant provides opportunities for student workers looking to gain skills in high demand fields by allowing Pell Grants to support students enrolled in high-quality, short-term workforce programs that will lead to career advancement.

A Stronger Workforce for America Act makes critical updates to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that will increase the amount of skills development provided under the law, strengthen connections between employers and the workforce system, and put more Americans on the pathway to a successful career.

A Stronger Workforce for America Act also includes my legislation, the YouthBuild for the Future Act, which invests in the YouthBuild job training program to allow more disadvantaged, rural, and low-income youth in the Fifth District of Connecticut to confidently join the workforce and have successful futures. 

Additionally, it includes a piece of legislation, Opening Doors for Youth Act, which I co-led with Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Congressman Chuy Garcia (IL-04). This bill helps at-risk and disconnected youth gain their first work experiences on a pathway to a rewarding career. 

I worked in a bipartisan manner to ensure young people have the tools they need to be successful.

The full markup is available here.

Support for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

Administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps households with low incomes afford their home energy bills. In Connecticut, eligible households typically receive benefits ranging from $180 to $530 paid directly to the utility or fuel provider. Last week, I joined 115 of my colleagues in sending a letter to House and Senate Leadership requesting increased funding totaling $1.6 billion for the program. 

In Fiscal Year 2023, the LIHEAP program distributed a total of more than $4.5 billion in home heating assistance to families across the United States, including $100 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and an additional $1 billion from the government funding package passed in September 2022.

Despite significant federal investment, LIHEAP continues to be underfunded, with just 20 percent of eligible households currently receiving assistance through the program.

According to recent reports, approximately 424,000 Connecticut households face unaffordable home energy costs. For these families, LIHEAP is a critical lifeline that prevents them from making the impossible choice between buying groceries, keeping the lights on, or heating their home.  

Connecticut was recently awarded a total of $7,081,189.00 in LIHEAP funding for this winter, including $70,040,439 in formula funding and an additional $2,040,750 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

I joined my colleagues in requesting additional LIHEAP funding in any government funding bill to ensure all Connecticut families can have a warm home this and every winter. 

To determine if you are eligible for LIHEAP funding, please click here.

And that’s a wrap! 

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress