Dear John,

Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work. 

On Wednesday, the House took action to avert a rail strike and support railroad workers. On Thursday, I introduced the Students' Access to Freedom and Educational Rights (SAFER) Act, legislation to strengthen civil rights protections against harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, disability, and age. Additionally, the House passed the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act, legislation to expand grant programs for individuals struggling with mental illness. The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which enshrines marriage equality into law. The House will reconsider this legislation next week. Lastly, please see an update on the federal student loan payment program. 

For the full recap, please read below. 

Supporting Workers 

Railroad workers showed up every day during the COVID-19 pandemic, risking their health to keep freight moving. On Wednesday, the House took action to prevent a railroad shutdown. The legislation passed will raise wages, ensure paid sick time & protect workers.

• H.J.Res 100: 
  • This legislation provides a 24% raise, no changes in copays, deductibles or coinsurance costs, time off for routine, preventative and emergency medical care, and provisions maintaining two-crew operations. 

• H.Con.Res. 119: 
  • This legislation would ensure freight railroad workers have seven days of paid sick leave, which can be used without penalty under rail carrier attendance policies. 

As your Congresswoman, I am continuously working to improve the American workforce and safeguard worker protections. This legislation will keep workers on the job and our economy moving forward. 

SAFER Act 

On Thursday, I co-led the introduction of the Students' Access to Freedom and Educational Rights (SAFER) Act. 

Despite long-standing legal protections, discriminatory harassment in schools persists at extraordinary rates. Too often, schools fail to provide students—especially students of color, LGBTQI+ students, and disabled students—the support and services they need, denying them equal educational opportunities. These injustices persist, in part, because of judicially created barriers to enforcement of Title IX’s protections against sex-based harassment, which have been mirrored in court interpretations of protections against harassment under Title IV and Section 504.

 The SAFER Act will strengthen civil rights protections against harassment based on sex (including harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, pregnancy, a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, and sex stereotypes), race, color, national origin, disability, and age. 

Specifically, the SAFER Act: 

• Strengthens protections against discrimination by ensuring that schools provide support and protections against retaliation to student survivors so they can keep learning in the wake of harassment
• Ensures stronger enforcement of civil rights protections by the Department of Education; invest in training and more effective responses to harassment in schools; invest in Title IX coordinators
• Ensures greater transparency of students’ experiences with harassment in K-12 schools, federal investigations of schools for violating civil rights laws, and schools’ claims of religious exemptions from complying with Title IX.

To learn more about the Students' Access to Freedom and Educational Rights Act, please click here. 

Student Loan Payment Pause Extension 

On August 24, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a Student Debt Relief Plan that includes one-time student loan debt relief targeted to low- and middle-income families. The program is currently on hold as the Supreme Court reviews lower-court orders that are preventing the Department of Education from moving forward. 

On November 22, 2022, the Biden-Harris administration announced that it has extended the pause on federal student loan payments to no later than 60 days after June 30, 2023, while lower court lawsuits resolve.  

For up-to-date information on student debt cancellation, please visit the Department of Education website linked here.

Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, U.S. prisons incarcerate a disproportionate amount of people who have a current or past mental health problem. Half of people incarcerated in prisons and two-thirds of people in jails had either current “serious psychological distress” or a history of mental health problems. Yet only about a third of those reporting serious psychological distress were currently receiving treatment.

Many U.S. prisons and jails are filled with people who have a current or past mental health problem, but many facilities do not have the capacity to meet the needs of those in their care. 

The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) is a grant program that allows states and localities to develop programing to connect individuals with mental illness and substance abuse issues to evidenced-based and comprehensive treatment within the criminal justice system.

On Tuesday, the House passed the Justice and Mental Health and Collaboration Reauthorization Act. The legislation would reauthorize the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) for five years.  

Additional information on the legislation is available here. 

Respect for Marriage Act 

Last week, the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act. The legislation enshrines and protects marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples and repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman and allowed states to decline to recognize same-sex marriages preformed in other states. 

 The updated bill also includes protections for religious liberties, clarifying that non-profit religious organization would not have to provide any services, facilities, or goods for the solemnization or celebration of marriage. The House will reconsider this legislation next week. 

 No person should face discrimination because of who they are or whom they love. I am happy to have joined my House colleagues in passing this legislation in July. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Please continue to share your thoughts and concerns with me. 

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress