On July 12th, President Biden signed my Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act into law. Thanks to this bipartisan legislation -- which I sponsored with my Democratic and Republican colleagues Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon -- more mothers and babies will experience a healthy birth and make it home with their families.

The Stillbirth Prevention Act clarifies that current funding through the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant may be used for stillbirth prevention activities. This is important because over 21,000 babies are stillborn every year, and it’s time for this silent crisis to come to an end.

It's always good to connect with residents in person when I have the opportunity. Over the past week, I met with members of the Rotary Club of Mecklenburg-South during their weekly breakfast meeting to discuss some of my key initiatives around Healthcare, Hunger, Housing, and Higher Education. I also extended greetings to the new pastor of Rock Hill AME Zion Church in Concord, Rev. C. Rashard Alexander as he takes the helm. Thank you to both organizations for inviting me to join you!

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reaching out to K-2 veterans! 
           

 On July 11, 2024, the VA began contacting Veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad (K-2) Air Base in Uzbekistan to let them know about benefits they may be entitled to as a result of toxic exposures while serving at that location. 
Potential exposures include: 

•    Jet fuel
•    Volatile organic compounds
•    Particulate matter and dust
•    Depleted uranium
•    Asbestos
•    Lead-based paint

The Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 expanded benefits for Veterans who served at K-2 and have health conditions that may be related to their exposure to toxins while there. Expanded benefits include access to VA Disability Compensation and VA Health Care.

VA will continue calls to Veterans who served at K-2 in an attempt to connect all eligible Veterans with their earned benefits. But, you don't have to wait to be contacted. If you have health conditions you believe were caused by toxic exposures at K-2, we encourage you to visit VA.gov and apply for your benefits today.

Contact the VA Winston-Salem Regional Office or our Congressional district office at 704-344-9950 for assistance. 
      

The City of Kannapolis will receive a $1 million federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), toward cleaning up a “brownfield” (an EPA designation for an environmentally contaminated site).

The multipurpose grant will fund assessments, community engagement planning and support clean-up activities at multiple contaminated sites. 

“I am proud to have supported the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and to bring home these much-needed resources for the city of Kannapolis,” said Rep. Adams. “You can’t build affordable housing, or grow food, or treat sick children, on contaminated land. By removing contaminated sites and soil, we’ve ensured this land can now be utilized by the community.” 

National Night Out is Tuesday, August 6th. There will be numerous events happening throughout our district in an effort to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Check your community calendars for events near you!

Since our last Adams Alert, our nation has witnessed a series of events that threatened to undermine our democracy. However, in the resilient fashion that is the American spirit, we remain strong. Like all of you, I watched in disbelief, the attempt of former President Trump, and one week later, witnessed the grace with with President Biden graciously passed the baton back to the citizens of this nation.  

I also lost a dear friend and colleague, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, of Houston, Texas and will join other Members of Congress at her memorial next week.

Whether we share the same ideologies or not, this is an excited time in our history and it is important that all citizens fully engage in their civic duty and the governance of our nation. I am thankful for President Biden’s leadership, from the decades he served as a member of the U.S. Senate, to his service as President Barack Obama's Vice President, to his historic single term as our 46th President. Historians will say that he served this nation and its citizens well.  

That's where I will lay my hat this week. 

God Bless,