May 14, 2021

To the Good People of New York’s 9th Congressional District,

I’m excited to announce the return of my weekly newsletter, where you can keep up to date with my activity on Capitol Hill and the happenings around our district. This outlet will provide me a crucial means of communicating directly with you, my constituents, as we join together to navigate these uncertain times. As your congresswoman, it is my privilege and responsibility to represent you in Congress, so please continue to engage with me. I want to hear from you!

To reach out to my office, send us an email at clarke.house.gov/contact/email/. If you’d like to call, you can reach my D.C. office at 202-225-6231 or my Brooklyn office at 718-287-1142. 
Remember to encourage your neighbors to sign up for this newsletter at clarke.house.gov/contact/newsletter/. 

If you’d like daily updates on my work in Congress, visit my website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. I wish you well, and I look forward to my next opportunity to get in touch with you.

Regards,
Yvette D. Clarke
Member of Congress

Child Tax Credit: The American Rescue Plan’s Child Tax Credit payments set children up for success and puts money in the pockets of hardworking parents to help fuel our economy. These payments can provide your family $300 a month for every child 5 years old and younger, and $250 for every child from ages 6 to 17 years old. Secure your payment by filing your taxes for free today here. 

Vaccination Sites: We in New York’s 9th District are fortunate to live in a country where access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are available to every adult and increasingly more children. In securing the safety of our district and nation, it is critical we do not take this blessing for granted. I implore every American to get vaccinated at their earliest possible opportunity. We can defeat the pandemic, but only if we work together. For a list of vaccination centers in New York’s 9th District, please look here.

Sponsored Legislation: This week, I introduced the following bills to the House of Representatives that I believe will better equip our country against the modern threats of cyberattacks and climate change;

• H.R. 3138 The State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act;                                            In recent years and recent days, we’ve witnessed the devastating consequences a cyber attack can have on our country. I introduced H.R. 3138 to deliver the critical resources necessary for protecting our government networks from the very real and dangerous threat of cyberattacks. This bill, among other provisions, establishes a $500 million DHS grant program with a graduating cost-share that incentivizes States to increase funding for cybersecurity in their budgets. With these much-needed funds, vulnerable entities will have the defense they need to shield themselves from the ever-increasing threat of cyber attacks.
• H.R. 3139 The Peaker Act;                                                                                                              To overcome the existential danger posed by climate change, we cannot afford to leave any stone unturned. A specific subset of power plants, known as a peaker plant, are significant sources of pollution in America. These plants consume fossil fuels and emit their toxic byproduct into our environment at obscene levels. This bill would require the Secretary of Energy to submit to Congress an annual report on peaker plants in the United States and to provide financial incentives for replacing peaker plants with technology that receives, stores, and delivers energy generated by renewable energy resources. Through concentrated efforts like the Peaker Act, we can begin to root climate change out at the source.  

Co-Sponsored Legislation: This week, I lent my support and commitment to the following bills;

• H.R. 3115;
  This bill would ensure a free breakfast and lunch for every public school student. I chose to co-sponsor this bill, because we cannot neglect our children as they navigate their critical years of development. Study after study proves the necessity of a full stomach for children, yet child after child goes hungry in America. H.R. 3115 would fix that tragic fact.
• H.R. 3149;
  This bill would expand access to health care services for immigrants by removing legal and policy barriers to health insurance coverage. I chose to co-sponsor this bill because health care is a right, not a privilege, and I believe no human being should be stripped of their rights because of the circumstances of their birth. H.R. 3149 would permanently protect these vulnerable populations.

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke Honors The Life of Ms. Mary Bishop

It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of the Director of Constituent Services for the 9th District of NY, my dear friend, and colleague Ms. Mary Bishop. Mary has been with our office and me for more than 15 years; she began working with me in my campaign for Congress in 2006 and was critical to our success. She was among the first of my staffers to work with me in DC as my first congressional scheduler. After an extended period, she returned home to her beloved 9th Congressional District. Mary was a consummate public servant who was passionate about helping others. She seemed to be driven to help others who found themselves in the most difficult of circumstances, and she was gratified by bringing a smile to the face of those in distress.

Mary had a heart of gold. She embodied what it meant to advocate for the people, and her passing will resonate in our district immensely. She fought on behalf of every constituent that she encountered as if they were her blood relatives. She ingratiated herself to decision-makers and established relationships that would accrue to the benefit of the most vulnerable amongst us. On a personal note, I will miss Mary dearly. We celebrated together, laughed together, and shared a passion for the people of the 9th district together. Mary Bishop worked hard, played hard, and was a God-fearing woman who loved her family immensely. She was a proud Caribbean Woman from Trinidad and Tobago, who added so much to the richness of the cultural diversity in our office and her adopted home, Brooklyn, New York.

I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to Mary’s immediate and extended family, loved ones, friends and all who were touched by the life and legacy of the incomparable Mary Bishop.

This week, I partnered with the Small Business Association to present #HealBrooklyn, a virtual town hall with restaurants and the entertainment industry, to discuss the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and Shuttered Venue Operations Grant Programs and provide the critical information New Yorkers need to take part in the programs. You can watch a recording of the full town hall here.

• The Hill: House lawmakers roll out bill to invest $500 million in state and local cybersecurity
• The Washington Post: Officials call for greater TSA accountability after Colonial Pipeline cyberattack

I spoke on a series of bills I voted in favor of that are set to make incredible progress in our battle against America’s mental health crisis. You can read the full thread here.

In response to the cyber attack against Colonial Pipeline, as Chairwoman of the House Homeland Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, And Innovation Subcommittee, I intend to hold a series of hearings to investigate the attack.

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