Dear West Virginian,

I’ll be honest: This week was really frustrating. On Wednesday, the Senate voted to begin debate on the JUSTICE Act—common sense police reform legislation that I introduced with my friend and colleague Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina and others. However, Democrats blocked debate, refusing to move forward or even discuss the bill. I spoke about my disappointment and frustration on the Senate floor later in the day:

America is crying out for a solution, which we attempted to begin with the JUSTICE Act. There is widespread agreement among the American people that Congress must pass police reform legislation. We weren’t even asking to pass this bill. We were simply asking for our Democrat colleagues to join Republicans in meeting the 60 vote requirement to pass a motion to proceed to consider the JUSTICE Act.

To be clear: this vote would simply allow us to begin debating this legislation. It means we could consider amendments and debate certain issues and reach a compromise that would improve the bill. This is how we reach true, bipartisan solutions on important issues that matter to the American people.

The most frustrating part is that both Democrats and Republicans agree on about 70 percent of the bill. Both the JUSTICE Act and the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the House Democrats’ bill, make lynching a federal crime, call for increased data collection, more training for law enforcement officials and incentives for law enforcement officers to wear body cameras, and create a national criminal justice commission.

Of course, there are disagreements about qualified immunity. But, let’s have that debate on the floor! Let’s talk about it! Let’s at least be responsive to the cries we hear on the streets of every town in America.

And yet, for purely political reasons, Democrats refused to move forward on the JUSTICE Act. To be quite frank, it seems like they would rather keep the unrest in our country as a campaign talking point instead of actually working toward a solution.

I talked more about this on Fox News Channel’s “Your World” with David Asman:

I’m hopeful we can move forward soon.

Securing the Federal Judiciary for Generations

The Senate reached a big milestone this week. As of Wednesday, the Senate has confirmed 200 federal judges appointed by President Trump. For the first time in four decades, there is not a single circuit court vacancy in the country. Among the 200 include Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, as well as West Virginia federal District Court Judges Tom Kleeh and Frank Volk.

I strongly believe that judges must apply the law and the Constitution as they’re written. Confirming judges has been a top priority for this Senate, and we’ll continue working with President Trump to confirm well-qualified federal judges who will not try to legislate from the bench.

Capito Connect Update

This week, I introduced a new bill to help expedite the deployment of broadband by creating a fund to be used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)to incentivize grant awardees to complete their buildout obligations on a shorter timeline.

The Accelerating Broadband Connectivity Act would:

Create a fund to be used by the FCC following the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction to incentivize winning bidders to complete their buildout obligations on an accelerated timeline.
Build upon the existing RDOF process to get high-speed broadband service to rural consumers much faster than the current timetable for deployment using RDOF dollars.
Require service providers who receive funds from the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Fund to meet a series of accelerated milestones for their RDOF deployments.
Allow the FCC to conduct the auction in a way that maximizes value to American taxpayers while connecting consumers more quickly.

I questioned members of the FCC about broadband buildout and telehealth initiatives during a Commerce Committee oversight hearing this week. You can watch my questioning here:

REMINDER: Make Sure You Get Your Individual Check!

If you haven’t visited it already, the IRS has opened an online portal for lower-income individuals who are not required to file a tax return, have not filed tax returns for 2018 or 2019, and are not on Social Security retirement, Social Security disability (SSDI), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The purpose of the portal is to provide information in order to receive a stimulus check. Enter your information to track the status of your payment here.

Those who have filed a return for 2018 or 2019 or are on Social Security retirement, SSI, or SSDI do not need to do anything to receive their check.

However, if you’re on SSI and have dependents, you’ll need to fill out additional information to get the extra $500 per child.

Here’s a great Q&A page on the IRS site. If you have questions, check it out!

And here’s another good Q&A page that provides more details about your Economic Impact Payments (EIP).

Be Vigilant for Scammers!

Unfortunately, there are bad actors that are using this health crisis to take advantage of unsuspecting residents, especially our senior citizens. Please note the IRS WILL NOT call you and ask for your bank account information to deposit your individual relief check.

Check out my coronavirus webpage for more information about scams and what I’m doing to try and mitigate them.

Additional Resources

I created a page on my website with information and resources to keep you up-to-date on the coronavirus situation as it continues to evolve. Check out that page here, and please share with friends so they can keep up with the latest.

In addition to my webpage, I also want to make sure you know where to get the latest updates from the medical experts at CDC.gov and West Virginia DHHR.

I will continue doing my best to keep you up to speed on what we are doing here at the federal level to help and other resources that can be useful back at home. I will be posting regular updates on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, so be sure to follow me there.

Important Information If You’re Visiting DC

Because of coronavirus concerns, all Capitol and White House tours have been suspended indefinitely. Please contact our Washington office to reschedule. Additionally, requests for flags flown over the Capitol may be delayed, and access to the Capitol and House and Senate office buildings is being restricted. Feel free to contact our office at (202) 224-6472 with any questions. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Counting on West Virginia

Have you taken your 2020 census yet? PLEASE DO!

Taking the census takes 10 minutes and could mean thousands of more federal dollars for West Virginia!

Do you part and take it here: https://my2020census.gov/

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been discussing the importance of taking the census, and I encourage you to do the same so you can spread the word to fellow West Virginians. Click here to read a column I wrote about this.

How Can We Help?

Whether you need help with a casework issue or have a question about scheduling a meeting at one of my offices, my staff and I are ready to assist you. Learn more about the services we offer at www.capito.senate.gov.

You can also submit your feedback and share your stories with me by visiting my “Share Your Stories” webpage here: www.capito.senate.gov/ShareYourStories.

Social Media Recap

Join me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for regular updates and photos.

Sincerely,

Shelley Moore Capito

United States Senator