Introducing My 500th Bill

Dear Friend,

This week, I introduced my 499^th and 500^th bill since I entered Congress in 2007. The bill I introduced on Thursday would substantially revise the way controlled substances are handled in medicine, scientific research, and law enforcement. I also participated in the ribbon cutting for the Greenbelt Landing project on Mud Island for which I secured $3 million in Community Project Funding, introduced a bill to enhance transparency for deaths in law enforcement custody, hosted a congressional briefing on cerebral palsy, noted that open enrollment for Affordable Care Act coverage begins Sunday, called for increased penalties for head hits in football, recognized International Day of Political Prisoners, and offered a Friday Flashback, a Bill Day and a Garry Trudeau cartoon, and a weekly health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.

Introducing My 500^th Bill

Reforming the Controlled Substances Act

Cutting the Ribbon at Greenbelt Landing

Helping Account for Deaths in Law Enforcement Custody

Conducting a Briefing on Cerebral Palsy

Noting Open Enrollment for ACA Plans Begins Sunday

Calling for Increased Penalties for Head Hits in Football

Recognizing the International Day of Political Prisoners

The Friday Flashback

A Bill Day and a Doonesbury Cartoon

Weekly Health Tip

Quote of the Week

Introducing My 500^th Bill

On Thursday, I introduced my 500^th bill since coming to Congress in 2007, making me the fifth most prolific member over that nearly 20-year period. (Read about the bill below.) Last Congress, the Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint project of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, named me the fifth most effective Democratic member of the 118th Congress. The Center assessed bills I sponsored, how far into the lawmaking process they moved and how substantial the policy proposals were. As I prepare to leave Congress, I am proud of this legacy of accomplishment and how these laws have improved the lives of Memphians.

Reforming the Controlled Substances Act

On Thursday, I introduced the Public Health and Research Reforms in Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the most comprehensive measure ever proposed to revise major portions of the 1970 CSA. My bill would update the framework of federal drug regulation to align with public health, equal justice and scientific accuracy goals. See my release on the measure here.

Cutting the Ribbon at Greenbelt Landing

On Wednesday, I participated in the ribbon cutting for the Greenbelt Landing recreation area and boat ramp on Mud Island for which I secured $3 million in Community Project Funding. The project will enhance the experience of tourists arriving in our city by riverboat and improve the regional economy.

Helping Account for Deaths in Law Enforcement Custody

On Monday, I introduced the Death in Custody Reporting Reform Act with Representatives Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California and Bobby Scott of Virginia to correct deficient and incomplete reporting of deaths in law enforcement custody despite prior efforts to assure accurate reporting in the Death in Custody Reporting acts of 2000 and 2013. See my release on the measure here.

Conducting a Briefing on Cerebral Palsy

Also on Monday, I hosted a bipartisan Congressional briefing on cerebral palsy to address funding, data tracking best practices and health outcomes with epidemiologist Dr. Matt Maenner, Ph.D., Chief of the Childhood Development and Disability Branch of the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) and Kim Hindery, CEO of Child Neurology Foundation, the mother of a child with the condition. CP is the most prevalent life-long physical disability. A senior member of my staff who has a child with the condition organized the well-attended event which also focused on the need for a dedicated federal research effort I have long advocated.

Noting that Open Enrollment for ACA Plans Starts Sunday

Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act coverage begins Sunday and ends on January 15. To apply for or renew existing coverage, click here. Most people who apply will be eligible for financial help to lower their premiums. Republicans let the ACA tax credits that lowered premiums expire.

Calling for Increased Penalties for Head Hits in Football

Earlier today. I released a statement calling on both professional and college football programs to take the issue of traumatic brain injuries more seriously and to impose meaningful penalties for players who make deliberate head hits. See that statement here.

Recognizing the International Day of Political Prisoners

As the Special Representative for Political Prisoners of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, I called attention to today's International Day of Political Prisoners. The day marks the hunger strike held by Russian dissidents on October 30, 1974. It is important to call attention to the conscientious men and women devoted to freedom and democracy. See a joint statement I made with Assembly of the Council of Europe General Rapporteur for Political Prisoners Azadeh Rojhan here.

The Friday Flashback

This is me at the January 21, 2017, Women's March from the downtown courthouse to the National Civil Rights Museum.

A Bill Day and a Doonesbury Cartoon

Weekly Health Tip

Tomorrow is Halloween or a rare "Saturween" we've come to find out. That means a lot of people will be out on the streets in the dark on a Saturday night. The National Highway Traffic Administration has some good guidance (warnings, really) on what to expect and how to employ best practices here. The Food and Drug Administration also has useful Halloween safety tips here.

Quote of the Week

"When a democracy begins to slide toward autocracy, legislative elections offer the most significant potential turning point. If voters endorse the new regime - or the party in power manages to subvert the popular will - the slide can accelerate. If voters successfully reject the regime, democracy can begin to recover. The United States will be stronger if the 2026 midterms are such a turning point." - The New York Times editorial "Trump Has Failed. Hold Him to Account" on Tuesday.

As always, I remain

Sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress