April 7th
1000 MORE's weekly nonpartisan roundup of the most important happenings in federal government, written in a way that doesn't require a law degree to understand, with tools to take action
April 7, 2023
This week in MORE POWER:
Environmental Justice for All Act
A bill to increase the number of truck drivers
Failed Bank Executives Clawback Act
Gun bills in Congress
Policy NOT Politics
Environmental Justice For All Act
According to Capital B, more than 200 petrochemical plants surround the mostly poor, Black residents of Louisiana's Cancer Alley, a rural 85 mile stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Jo Banner, founder of The Descendants Project to protect Black communities, says that they “existed long before these industries came in and began poisoning the land and our people.” This is just one example of a region in the U.S. where communities have to organize to sue the government and industry to clean up the pollution in their backyards and stop further harms, attributable to racist zoning practices that push cancer causing chemical plants into communities under the guise of “providing jobs.”
Members of Congress have been working alongside activists and community groups to disrupt this decades long pollution pipeline. That's why Rep. Raúl Grijalva, (D-AZ), working alongside Rep. Barbara Lee, (D-CA) reintroduced the Environmental Justice for All Act in March. If this bill became law, it would strengthen existing anti-discrimination laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as environmental protections in the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. It would also include diverse communities in federal public health research, prioritize money for parks and recreation in underserved urban communities, fund the investigation of personal and childcare products containing chemicals linked to adverse health impacts, and support research to identify safer alternatives for cosmetic products marketed specifically toward women and girls of color. Have a view on this that you would like to share?
Here come the trucks.
Strengthening Supply Chains Through Truck Driver Incentives Act
The supply chain is likely something you never thought about until 2020, when prices for goods starting spiking in the pandemic and certain products weren't available. A backlog of imported goods at seaports around the country were to blame. While ports are now largely back online, what was a snowballing hidden problem remains: staffing our nation's freight truck driver fleet. That's what this bipartisan bill in Congress is looking to solve.
According to Rep. Abigail Spanberger, (D-VA), the bill's co-sponsor, "in 2021, American trucking companies experienced a record deficit of approximately 80,000 drivers due to hiring and retention challenges ... many trucking companies have struggled to hire drivers without offering bonuses or increased wages to qualified drivers." That's why the bipartisan bill Strengthening Supply Chains Through Truck Driver Incentives Act would provide a two-year refundable tax credit of up to $7,500 for truck drivers.
Failed Bank Executives Clawback Act
While progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren, (D-MA) has been very clear during her time on the Hill that she believes the banking industry is in need of reform, it may surprise you that conservative Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, (R-MO) teamed up with her to achieve it. If Congress passes their bipartisan bill, the Failed Bank Executives Clawback Act, and the President signs it into law, the bill would make sure that when a bank fails, regulators would be able to take back executive compensation for up to five years prior to the failure.
Hawley said, “bank executives who make risky investments with customers’ money shouldn’t be permitted to profit in the good times, and then avoid financial consequences when things go south. This legislation puts the executives’ own profits on the line, and that’s exactly as it should be.” Have a view on this that you would like to share?
Gun Bills In Congress
While Congress has stalled on passing any meaningful gun legislation this term, the states have taken matters into their own hands. Florida is the latest state to pass a permitless concealed carry law. And yesterday, Tennessee expelled the two youngest Black men in the Tennessee House of Representatives, Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) for protesting in the Capital for gun reform, while sparing white woman Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) who protested with them.
Here are some of the bills the federal Congress can pass when they return from recess to move the needle on gun violence:
Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act: Rep. Maxwell Frost, (D-FL) has introduced his first bill since his historic election as the only Gen-Z member of Congress. He is a survivor of gun violence himself and this bill would set up a new federal agency to coordinate funding and policy for gun violence prevention nationwide.
Mental Health Access and Gun Violence Prevention Act: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced a bill that would provide funding for mental healthcare and set-up a nationwide mental health background check system to prevent guns from getting in the hands of people who could do harm to themselves, their loved ones, and the community at large.
Assault Weapons Ban: Sen. Diane Feinstein, (D-CA) reintroduced this bill, which would largely ban the types of guns used in mass shootings. With the sort of public pressure we saw after the Uvalde shooting, the Senate could bring it to a vote.
You can use the links above to read about these bills in the platform and take action.
Policy NOT Politics
You may be wondering why don't we cover news like former President Donald Trump in court for the first time this week.
It’s because we don’t cover politics; we cover policy.
We cover the bills moving through Congress that will have an impact on your life. If we ever discuss politics surrounding a bill, it's to provide context on the liklihood of its success or failure so that you know what you need to do to make a difference.
What Congress Passed This Week
Nothing. They're in a district work period until April 17th. You can sign into the platform and use the legislators feature to contact them and ask about any upcoming in-person or telephone town halls. Remember, they need to know your views in order to represent you.
District Work Period Starts Now
The House is now in a District Work Period through April 17th, so they are headed home to their districts. The Senate starts their state work period April 3, and it also lasts until April 17th. While your representatives are back home, you can use 1000 MORE to contact their offices and ask about any local, in-person or telephone town hall meetings that you can attend. Remember, Congress needs your input on the issues you care about. They can't represent you unless they know where you stand on the issues.
