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** Weekly Wrap 10/25/2019
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Members of the New Democrat Coalition mourned the passing of Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-07) and remembered his life and contributions to our nation. Rep. Cummings, who was the well-respected Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, was a true patriot and public servant, remembered as a “Master” and “Mentor” of the House, and who pushed his colleagues to strive for more and rise above politics.

In case you missed it – Last week, the New Democrat Coalition, led by the Technology Task Force Co-Chairs Sharice Davids, Kendra Horn, Harley Rouda, and Darren Soto, endorsed legislation on technology and artificial intelligence. These bills are forward-looking, responsive to the realities of our rapidly advancing technological world, and consumer- and worker-focused while promoting innovation. In addition, the NDC, led by the Housing Task Force Co-Chairs Denny Heck, Katie Hill, and Ben McAdams, endorsed legislation to address housing affordability and shortages throughout the United States. More on that below.

This week, the House of Representatives passed The Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act, which would secure our nation’s elections and protect American democracy. The SHIELD Act contains provisions from bills endorsed by the New Democrat Coalition, including NDC Chair Derek Kilmer’s Honest Ads Act and Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s (MI-08) PAID AD Act, along with several others led by New Dem Members.

More on what Members have been up to below.

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COALITION HIGHLIGHTS

House Passes New Democrat Coalition-Supported Legislation to Protect American Elections ([link removed])
The House passed The Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act. This legislation would prohibit foreign spending in American elections by closing loopholes, improving transparency and accountability requirements, and mandating disclosures of illicit offers from foreign governments and entities. The SHIELD Act contains provisions from two bills previously endorsed by the NDC: Chair Derek Kilmer’s (WA-06) The Honest Ads Act ([link removed]) and Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s (MI-08) The PAID AD Act ([link removed]) .

ICYMI: NDC Endorses Tech & AI Legislation ([link removed])
ICYMI: The New Democrat Coalition, led by the NDC Technology Task Force ([link removed]) Co-Chairs Sharice Davids, Kendra Horn, Harley Rouda, and Darren Soto, endorsed three pieces of New Dem Member-led legislation: H.R. 2013, The Information Transparency & Personal Data Control Act (DelBene), H.R. 827, The AI Jobs Act (Soto), and H.Res. 153 (Lawrence). These bills will help ensure that every American can benefit from technological advancement while fostering innovation.

See more in the New Democrat Coalition’s press release ([link removed]) , Suzan DelBene’s press release ([link removed]) and video ([link removed]) , Darren Soto’s press release ([link removed]) , as well as in Bloomberg Law ([link removed]) , POLITICO
([link removed]) , The Hill ([link removed]) , Yahoo News ([link removed]) , and Florida Daily ([link removed]) .

ICYMI: NDC Endorses Housing Legislation ([link removed])
ICYMI: The New Democrat Coalition, led by the NDC Housing Task Force ([link removed]) Co-Chairs Denny Heck, Katie Hill, and Ben McAdams, endorsed four New Dem Member-led housing bills – H.R. 927, The Sustainable Communities Act (Rep. Norma Torres), H.R. 3077, The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (Rep. Suzan DelBene), H.R. 4307, The Build More Housing Near Transit Act (Rep. Scott Peters), and H.R. 4351, The Yes in My Backyard Act (Rep. Denny Heck) – intended as preliminary actionable solutions to address the housing shortfall identified in the Task Force’s 2018 report, “Missing Millions of Homes ([link removed]) .”
Read more in the New Democrat Coalition’s press release ([link removed]) and TIME Magazine ([link removed]) .

NDC Chair Highlights Importance of Modernizing Workforce at Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative’s Briefing on Capitol Hill ([link removed])
NDC Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) spoke at the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative’s “Policies in the Age of Automation: Solutions for a Changing Economy ([link removed]) ” briefing, highlighting the work the Coalition has done to modernize existing policies to support our nation’s workforce. He spoke about the New Dem’s Economic Opportunity Agenda: A Future That Works ([link removed]) , which lays out the steps necessary to empower Americans by closing the skills and opportunity gap, creating a 21^st century social contract, and supporting workers and entrepreneurs. See more from the NDC ([link removed]) and the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative ([link removed]) .

NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chair Don Beyer Joins Business Forward to Discuss New Dem Priorities for U.S. Climate Policy ([link removed])
NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chair Don Beyer (VA-0) joined Business Forward ([link removed]) to discuss the NDC policy principles ([link removed]) and endorsed legislation ([link removed]) to combat climate change. Through the principles and legislation, the NDC seeks to address the climate challenge with the urgency the crisis demands and to embrace the notion that the U.S., through its powerful economy and culture of innovation, is best positioned to lead the international community in developing climate-forward policies and technologies. More on the priorities in the NDC’s press release ([link removed]) and press conference
([link removed]) .
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

FLOOR ACTION
House Passes Davids’ Bipartisan Legislation to Help Female Entrepreneurs ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Sharice Davids’ ([link removed]) (KS-03) bipartisan Women’s Business Center Improvement Act, which improves access to resources and opportunities for female entrepreneurs. This legislation increases funding for the Women’s Business Center Program from its current level at $18 million annually to $31.5 million. Women Business Centers operate across the country and provide a full range of critical counseling and technical training services for small businesses primarily owned by women.

House Passes Craig’s Bipartisan Bill to Improve Small Business Mentorship ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Angie Craig’s (MN-02) bipartisan SCORE for Small Businesses Act of 2019, which improves oversight and efficiency within the Small Business Administration’s SCORE Program to ensure the program focuses on better serving rural areas, disadvantaged communities, and traditionally underserved populations.

House Passes Connolly’s Bipartisan Legislation to Support Georgia ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Gerry Connolly’s (VA-11) bipartisan Georgia Support Act which asserts the United States’ continued support for the independence and sovereignty of Georgia, recognizes Georgia’s commitment to democratic values including free and fair elections, and affirms U.S. opposition to Russian aggression in the region.

House Passes Pappas’ Bipartisan Legislation to Honor POW/MIA Soldiers ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Chris Pappas ([link removed]) ’s (NH-01) bipartisan POW/MIA Flag Act which requires POW/MIA flag be displayed alongside the American flag at certain federal buildings and memorials to honor all prisoners of war and those missing in action, as well as the 81,000 service members who remain unaccounted for from conflicts since World War II. Watch his Floor speech here ([link removed]) .

BILL INTRODUCTIONS
Bera Introduces Bicameral Legislation to Help Ease Working College Students’ Burdens ([link removed])
NDC Leadership Member Ami Bera (CA-07) introduced the bicameral Working Students Act which allows students who must work to complete their degrees more quickly and with less debt by increasing the level of income a student can make before it affects their eligibility for financial aid.

Brindisi, Craig Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Provide Mental Health Resources for Farmers ([link removed])
Reps. Anthony Brindisi ([link removed]) (NY-22) and Angie Craig ([link removed]) (MN-02) introduced the bipartisan Seeding Rural Resilience Act which helps address the growing rate of suicide in rural parts of the country. The bill would implement a partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and USDA to create public awareness campaigns, a Farmer-Facing Employee Training Program, and would instruct the Secretary of Agriculture to coordinate with state, local, and nongovernmental stakeholders to collaborate and determine best practices for responding to farm and ranch mental stress.

Carbajal Introduces Legislation to Create Infrastructure Bank ([link removed])
NDC Infrastructure Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) introduced the National Infrastructure Investment Corporation (NIIC) Act to create a national infrastructure bank, which will help leverage private dollars to give local governments another way to fund critical infrastructure projects, without requiring direct federal spending.

Rice Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Help Prevent Domestic Abusers from Buying Guns ([link removed])
NDC Leadership Member Kathleen Rice (NY-04) introduced the bipartisan Domestic Violence Records Reporting Improvement Act which would help prevent domestic abusers from purchasing firearms by creating incentives for states to provide complete domestic violence records to federal background check databases.

Aguilar Introduces Bill to Respond to Domestic Terror Attacks ([link removed])
NDC Whip Pete Aguilar (CA-31) introduced the Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism (REPORT) Act which requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a report to Congress after an act of terrorism occurs in the United States.

Bustos, Craig, Spanberger Introduce Rebuild Rural America Act ([link removed])
Reps. Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Angie Craig (MN-02), and Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) introduced the Rebuild Rural America Act. This legislation would improve the way that the federal government supports economic development projects in small towns and rural communities to better fit their specific needs.

MEMBER HAPPENINGS
O’Halleran: Fighting to Lower the Cost of Prescription Drugs via Pinal Central ([link removed])
Rep. Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) penned an op-ed in Pinal Central addressing the need to lower prescription drug costs for Americans: “No one should ever have to make the choice between the medication they need and putting food on the table. I’m working hard to ensure this is a reality for all Americans.”

Shalala, Murphy, Soto, Mucarsel-Powell, Wasserman Schultz Lead Letter Urging Congress to Fund Venezuelan Relief Efforts ([link removed])
Reps. Donna Shalala (FL-27), Stephanie Murphy ([link removed]) (FL-07), Darren Soto ([link removed]) (FL-09), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell ([link removed]) (FL-26), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators, urging them to fully fund efforts that would defend democracy and promote the rule of law in Venezuela.

Wild Discusses Challenges with Mental Health Care ([link removed])
Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07) sat down with a reporter from National Journal to discuss mental health care challenges, suicide prevention policy, and her own personal experience with suicide. Read more in her Q&A. ([link removed])

Mucarsel-Powell Hosts Two Events:
* Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26) held roundtable discussion with gun violence survivors ([link removed]) to give them a space to share their stories and discuss the needs for recovery from gun violence and its prevention.
* Rep. Mucarsel-Powell also hosted a roundtable with local leaders ([link removed]) to discuss the Everglades Restoration and Water Resources Development Act. Discussion focused on the ways to work toward better water quality and restoration of the Florida Everglades.



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