Dear John,

After a busy week in Washington, I am writing with a new update from The Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work. 

Last week, the House passed my amendment as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Additionally, the House reaffirmed our commitment to protect reproductive healthcare by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act. The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing to examine the “State of Credit for Young, Beginning, and Underserved Farmers.” Lastly, the House passed the Active Shooter Alert Act, legislation to use existing communications technology to create an active shooter alert system.  

For the full recap, please read below. 

National Defense Authorization Act

On Friday, the House passed the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA equips the Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. military with the proper resources and authorities to meet the greatest threats to the United States and our common defense. 

This important legislation includes my bipartisan amendment, which would require military departments to review all installation-level web information about suicide prevention and behavioral health and ensure contact information is up to date and certified annually to Congress.

This year the defense bill includes pay increases for service members and their families, supply chain security, investments in science and technology competitiveness, and support for research capacity.

Our national security policies must reflect our values of prioritizing the health, wellness and safety of those sworn to defend our country. I am pleased to have joined my colleagues in advancing this critical legislation. 

For additional information on the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA, please click here. 

Women's Health Protection Act & Ensuring Access to Abortion Act

Last week the House reaffirmed its commitment to protecting reproductive freedom by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act.

For the second time, the House advanced the Women’s Health Protection Act, which prohibits governmental restrictions on accessing abortion services and ensures health care providers and patients have a statutory right to provide and receive abortion care, restoring a nationwide right to such care. The Ensuring Access to Abortion Act prohibits any person acting under state law from restricting or impeding a person's constitutional right to travel across state lines for the purpose of obtaining a lawful abortion. 

 Abortion is health care. I am resolute in my belief every woman deserves to make her own medical decisions in consultation with her provider without government intervention or fear of punishment. 

Active Shooter Alert Act

Last week the House passed the Active Shooter Alert Act, another step to address the crisis of gun violence in our country. The Active Shooter Alert Act would use existing communications technology to create an Amber alert type of active shooter alert system to send critical alerts to affected communities.

Active shooter incidents have been on the rise over the last two decades. Between 2000 and 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified 373 active shooter incidents across 43 states and the District of Columbia; leading to 1,100 people killed and 1,915 wounded. The Active Shooter Alert Act would implement lifesaving tools and allow those in law enforcement, public safety, emergency management, and telecommunications to establish best practices for sending alerts.

As I voted on this legislation, I carried with me the words of  students at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville and Danbury High School. 

Gun violence prevention remains an issue of great importance to the students and families in the Fifth District and to me. I will continue to support measures that address the gun violence crisis in our country.

The State of Credit for Young, Beginning, and Underserved Producers

On Thursday, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing to review the State of Credit for Young, Beginning, and Underserved Producers.

During the hearing, the Committee had an opportunity to hear how many of the small and family-owned farms in Connecticut’s Fifth District could benefit from changes to Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans – including increasing the cap on Direct Farm Ownership Down Payment Loans and allowing FSA to pre-approve loans for beginning farmers in the industry. 

Connecticut boasts a diverse agricultural sector. Accordingly, I was particularly interested in hearing recommendations on how Congress can support the creative farming pursuits happening across our state. 

My remarks during the hearing can be viewed here. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, please continue to share your thoughts and priorities with me.

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress