Supporting Law Enforcement |
|
As we observe National Police Week, it was a tremendous honor to speak on the House floor to recognize the more than 800,000 law enforcement officers across the United States who serve and protect our communities commendably each day. The rhetoric against police is making our communities less safe. Too many politicians in Washington are pushing dangerous policies like eliminating qualified immunity and defunding the police. These are reckless policies that put our police officers at greater risk. I am focused on promoting commonsense policies in Congress that stand up for and support those who serve. I recently unveiled a three point legislative plan to Back the Blue - read more below!
My Comprehensive Police Plan:
1. Keeping Illegal Firearms off the Street
-
Cosponsored H.R. 1518, the 21st Century NICS Act: This legislation improves the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in order to search the National Data Exchange database when conducting criminal background checks. This bipartisan change will prevent criminals from buying guns even if they committed crimes in different jurisdictions, keeping our streets, communities, and police safer.
2. Boosting Community-Based Policing
-
Cosponsored H.R. 677, the JUSTICE Act: This legislation works to rebuild trust between police and their communities by providing additional funds for body cameras and grants to police departments to implement community policing best practices. It also funds programs to encourage more individuals to serve their communities as police officers.
3. Backing the Blue
-
Cosponsored H.R. 288, the Qualified Immunity Act of 2021: This legislation codifies the defense of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in federal law, giving them explicit protections in federal court. Eliminating qualified immunity throws fairness out the door and would remove good-faith legal protections for police officers.
-
Cosponsored H.Res. 283, the Establishing a Law Enforcement Bill of Rights: This resolution states that all police officers have the right to defend themselves, to not suffer from verbal use, to due process, and to protections under the Fifth Amendment, among other things. It also reiterates how important policing is to our communities and condemns any calls to disband or abolish the police.
-
Cosponsored H.R. 377, the Patrick Underwood Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2021: This legislation increases penalties for assault on a federal officer, heightening fines and establishing a mandatory imprisonment for assault with a deadly weapon.
-
Cosponsored H.R. 1210, the LEOSA Reform Act: This legislation, widely endorsed by police organizations nationally, amends the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to allow well-qualified off-duty and retired officers to carry their firearms for the protection of themselves, their families, and our communities.
-
Cosponsored H.R. 1690, the Defending our Defenders Act: This legislation makes the murder of a state or federal law enforcement officer a federal crime punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.
|
|
Introduced Legislation to Help our Local Hospitals
This week, I introduced the bipartisan Access for Rural Communities Act with Members of Congress from New York, including Representatives Antonio Delgado, John Katko, Tom Reed, and Elise Stefanik. This legislation supports rural hospitals in our community by preventing them from facing significant financial burdens as a result of arbitrary changes to federal rules. Learn more about this issue and my bipartisan bill to fix it by clicking here.
|
|
Congratulations Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, New Chair of the House Republican Conference |
|
The House Republican conference voted this week to elect Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as the new Republican Conference Chair. Far left Democrats are driving Speaker Pelosi's agenda in Washington and Republicans must be united to deliver real results for American families, seniors, and small businesses. Congresswoman Stefanik is the right choice to lead our conference. She is a proven leader, who has already made history by helping to elect more Republican women than ever to Congress. The Republican Party is a big tent and Congresswoman Stefanik will help grow our coalition and advance the cause of liberty by bringing energy, commonsense, and integrity to this role. |
|
Standing With Israel
Iran-backed Hamas is inciting violence in Jerusalem and firing rockets from Gaza, killing innocent Israeli civilians. I condemn this violent aggression in the strongest terms. While Hamas is doing everything in its power to kill civilians and spread chaos, Israel is doing everything in its power to protect its people and preserve its democracy. The United States stands in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people as they rightfully defend themselves from this terrorist organization.
The Biden Administration’s obvious zeal for a deal with Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, has emboldened Hamas and isolated our allies in the Middle East like Israel. The Iranian regime is empowered by the weakness projected by the Biden Administration, which is why the United States must lead once again from a position of strength. President Biden cannot sit on the sidelines as this crisis deepens. He must make it clear that the United States will not ease pressure on Iran until it agrees to a comprehensive deal, which must include immediate cessation of its support to all terrorist groups, including Hamas.
|
|
Election Integrity Kickoff
I recently launched the Election Integrity Caucus with co-chair Rep. Mike Garcia of California. We were pleased to host our launch event this week welcoming new members of the caucus. Members of Congress are deeply focused on restoring public trust in the democratic process and preventing the federalization of our elections. The caucus has more than 40 members and continues to grow. I look forward to working together with my colleagues to educate the American public on election integrity issues and advocate for meaningful election reforms.
|
|
Weekly Cosponsor Update
I am pleased to share several bills that I cosponsored in Congress this week. I am focused on representing you in Washington and will continue to support commonsense legislation that delivers results for New York families, small businesses, and seniors. This is what I cosponsored this week:
-
H.R. 3202: To amend the Small Business Act and the CARES Act to establish oversight requirements for economic injury disaster loans and advances.
-
H.Res. 394 - Condemning the acts of terrorism committed by Hamas against the people of the State of Israel.
-
H.R. 3101: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the firearm transfer tax.
-
H.R. 3018: To impose sanctions on senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party.
|
|
My Votes This Week
I'm committed to restoring transparency to government, which is why I explain every vote I take on the House floor. While we may not always agree, you will always know where I stand on the issues and how I vote in Congress. To read more about my votes, please click here.
- I voted “Yes” on H.R. 1629, the Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. This bill would institute limitations on market exclusivity for drugs designated as “orphan drugs” under Section 526(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This bipartisan bill closes a loophole that could be used to block pharmaceutical competition and prevent innovative treatments for rare conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people from coming to market.
- I voted “Yes” on a package of 16 bipartisan bills, which passed the House by a vote of 349-74. The package included two bills I cosponsored, H.R. 1448, the PAWs Act and H.R. 433, the Family Support Services for Addiction Act. The PAWs Act would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a pilot program on dog training therapy and provide service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses. H.R. 433 provides support for individuals and families struggling with substance use disorder.
- I voted “No” on H.R. 2547, the Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act. This legislation consisted of a package of several partisan bills that would fundamentally and negatively transform the consumer credit market by making it more expensive for borrowers to access credit, increase costs for small businesses, deny access to credit for the lowest income borrowers, and undo efforts to modernize payment collection. The bottom line is that H.R. 2547 makes extending credit more expensive across the board, and could even push lower income borrowers out of the system entirely. Unfortunately, this legislation passed the House by a vote of 215-207.
- I voted “Yes” on H.R. 2877, the Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act of 2021. This bill enables the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in consultation with the U.S. Department of Education and a wide array of other stakeholders to develop best practices for the proper use and implementation of behavioral intervention programs to help communities identify the earliest signs of violence to self or others. It is imperative that school administrators, teachers, and students have the mental health resources they need. This critical legislation will provide schools and communities the tools to ensure the safety and health of every student. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 323-93-2.
- I voted ‘Yes” on H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. This bipartisan legislation would establish additional workplace protections for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. This bill includes safeguards and exemptions for small businesses and other employers, who are not required to make accommodations if they impose an undue hardship on their businesses. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 315-101.
|
|
Town Hall this Tuesday Night
I’m hosting another Town Hall this Tuesday night. I look forward to taking your questions and updating you on my work in Washington and around New York. If you or someone you know are interested in registering for Tuesday’s virtual Town Hall, please check the box below or visit the link here to sign up.
|
|
|
Virtual Town Hall with Congresswoman Tenney
|
|
|
DATE AND TIME
05/18/21 6:30pm
-
05/18/21 7:30pm
Participants will receive a confirmation email with log in details on the morning of the Town Hall.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back The Blue Rally in Southern Tier |
|
I was honored to join the Southern Tier community at the Back the Blue rally to show my support for police officers. It is critical that we stand with the men and women of law enforcement. As we close out National Police Week, let's remember the countless sacrifices made every day by police in our area. It was great to come together at this event with so many others in our community to say “Thank you” to our area’s brave law enforcement officers. |
|
Reflecting on my First 90 Days in Office
I sat down with WKTV recently to discuss my first months in Congress, where I’ve hit the ground running to represent you in Washington. My priority is always to deliver real solutions that bring opportunity back to our region. I’m committed to being a compassionate advocate for your needs and our community.
|
|
Mobile Office Hours Continue Across #NY22
I would like to thank everyone who came to mobile office hours this week in Cortland County! I am pleased to announce that my office will be holding additional office hours in Cortland and Herkimer Counties in the coming weeks.
If you or someone you know are interested in attending a session, please contact my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 or my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713 to schedule an appointment today.
Herkimer County
Wednesday, May 19 11AM – 1PM
West Winfield Fire Department
373 W Main St
West Winfield NY 13491
*Space is limited, please call ahead to make an appointment
***New***
Oswego County
Wednesday, May 26 11AM – 1PM
Town of Redfield Municipal Building
4830 County Route 17
Redfield, NY 13437
*Space is limited, please call ahead to make an appointment
|
|
Have news or updates to share? Email me! |
If you have updates regarding events in the community or other news to share from across New York's 22nd District, please visit the "Contact Me" page on my website to share it with me. My team will try to include as many of your updates from around #NY22 as we can each week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
