Jan's Plans & Pans - December 12, 2022

Dear John xxxxxx,

Last week was another busy week in Washington! After 24 years in Congress, I am finally moving to an office in the Rayburn House Office Building that has a beautiful view of the United States Capitol. I look forward to welcoming you to my incredible new space!

On Thursday, Congress sent another monumental piece of legislation to President Biden’s desk. The Respect for Marriage Act will require states to recognize same-sex marriages, so long as they are valid in the state where they were performed. It also repeals the harmful and disgraceful Defense of Marriage Act, which said that marriage should be between one man and one woman. Earlier this summer, the rogue Supreme Court broke long-standing precedent and stripped bodily autonomy away from millions of Americans with its disgraceful decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should reconsider marriage equality, putting in danger the millions of legal same-sex marriages across the country. We passed this legislation to enshrine same-sex marriage into law and to make it clear that love wins. While we celebrate the passage of this momentous bill, we recognize that our work continues to ensure everyone in our LGBTQ+ communities can live authentically and free from hate and discrimination. As the proud grandmother of LGBTQ+ grandchildren, I will not stop fighting until everyone is accepted for who they are.

On Tuesday, I was part of a bipartisan group of Energy and Commerce Committee leaders who wrote to Ticketmaster raising concerns about potentially unfair and deceptive practices in the live ticketing industry. During a hearing back in 2020, Ticketmaster’s president told us they were committed to transparency, but we have seen quite the opposite. We all saw the chaotic ticket pre-sale for Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert tour. We need answers. We requested, at a minimum, a briefing from Ticketmaster so we can figure out what went wrong.

The lack of equity in health care and housing did not just happen overnight. I was honored to participate in a press conference in Evanston with my colleague, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, to advocate for her bill which will study the effects of slavery and discriminatory policies on African Americans and recommend appropriate remedies, including reparations. It is well past time for our nation to reckon with its history of slavery and systemic racism.

If you need any assistance from a federal agency, whether it be a Social Security problem, an immigration case, or a postal issue, just to name a few, my office is here to help. Head to my website for further assistance and information.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Sign Up for 2023 Health Care Coverage

Affordable, reliable health care coverage is available now at Healthcare.gov. Sign up by December 15 for coverage that starts in January 2023. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, 13 million Americans will save an average of $800 per year and $2,400 per family on Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums. Americans will spend no more than 8.5% of their income towards health coverage.

Income-Driven Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

If you missed the date to apply for the Limited Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Waiver or did not qualify, you may still benefit from the one-time Income Driven Repayment (IDR) Account Adjustment. Under the one-time adjustment, student borrowers may see previous periods of time in repayment status, regardless of the payments made, loan type or repayment plan, count towards forgiveness under the IDR programs or forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, if eligible. In addition, the following periods of deferment and forbearance will count toward the adjustment: 12 or more consecutive months of forbearance; 36 or more months of cumulative forbearance and; with the exception of in-school deferments, months spent in deferment prior to 2013. Finally, borrowers with loans that have accumulated time in repayment of at least 20 or 25 years will see automatic forgiveness, even if you are not currently on an IDR plan. Borrowers with Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loan program (FFEL) loans held by the Department of Education do not need to do anything, adjustments will be made automatically. If you hold a commercially-held FFEL loan, Perkins Loan, or Health Education Assistance Loan, you can apply to consolidate into a Direct Consolidation Loan by May 1st, 2023 to qualify. For more information, you can go to https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment, talk to your servicer, or reach out to my office for further assistance.

Movie Screening Honoring Patsy Mink

Title IX would not have been possible without Patsy Mink, a mentor of mine and a true advocate for so many. Last week would have been Patsy's 95th birthday, so we honored her with a screening in the Capitol of MINK!, a new documentary that chronicles her remarkable life and journey. I am grateful to Breakwater Studios, for such a touching tribute to Patsy, the first woman of color Member of Congress. I was honored to celebrate Patsy's accomplishments with her daughter, Wendy, Naomi Osaka, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus members. Patsy laid the groundwork, now we must continue the fight.