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Legislative Updates from Washington, D.C.
Last week was the final week of session before the U.S. House of Representatives adjourned for its August recess. I’m looking forward to being back in Minnesota, spending time in our great state, and taking your concerns and advocacy back to Congress!
Here’s some of what I’ve been working on in Congress the past couple of weeks:
Strengthening Small Business Innovation
Minnesota’s Third Congressional District is home to many brilliant small business owners and entrepreneurs, and I want to do everything I can to make sure they have the resources to not only start, but also innovate and grow their businesses. I introduced my bill, the SBIR/STTR Application Assistance Act, to make it easier for small businesses to apply for innovation and research funding. You can read more about this bill and how it will help Minnesotans here.
Renewing Newborn Screening Programs
As an OB-GYN, I know firsthand how important and life-saving newborn screening can be. I led a group of my colleagues – Rep. Kim Schrier, Rep. Nick Langworthy, and Rep. Mike Simpson – to introduce the bipartisan Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes the life-saving Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act – and reinstitutes the committee that advises on the recommended screening panel, which Health and Human Services eliminated earlier this year.
The health of our newborns and babies is something that should never be a partisan issue – and I’m proud to say that this bill is co-led by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. You can read more about this bill here.
Combatting Misinformation with the Democratic Doctors Caucus
I had a great meeting with my fellow members of the Democratic Doctors Caucus, where we discussed combatting medical misinformation and how to defend vital medical research.
I formed the Democratic Doctors Caucus this year with the five other Democratic doctors in the House of Representatives. Our caucus is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of Americans, advancing pragmatic health care policy, and providing our fellow Representatives with insights on critical health issues. You can read more about the Democratic Doctors Caucus here.
Standing Up for Public Broadcasting
The Republican-controlled House and Senate voted to claw back over $1 billion in funding for public broadcasting. This defunds programs like NPR, MPR, PBS, and thousands of local radio stations across the country that are vital and reliable sources of information.
I joined the rest of the House Democratic Caucus in voting NO to defunding public broadcasting, because Minnesotans deserve safe, independent, and reliable media. |
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