This week, both the House and Senate voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which includes my bipartisan bill, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act.
The Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act will improve the maternal care received by women of color and save lives. The telehealth study included in the omnibus will allow us to better understand how telehealth services were utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that this vital healthcare service remains available to people across the country.
I am also happy to announce the $50 million investment included in the funding package that addresses gun violence prevention and will empower communities to engage in evidence-based prevention practices and save lives.
I am proud to have voted to pass this funding bill to keep our government open, ensure that our government workers and servicemen and women are paid, and to invest in the futures of our communities.
Updates from Washington
Congressional Hearing on the Neglected Epidemic of Missing BIPOC Women and Girls
Recently I chaired a hearing of the Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to examine the disproportionate rates by which BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—women and girls go missing, the disparate treatment their cases receive by law enforcement and the media, and potential solutions to address this crisis.
This is an issue that is important to Chicago and the South Suburbs, and to communities across the country. This week I also wrote about the epidemic of missing Black women and girls and what we can do to address this crisis for The Chicago Sun-Times. You can read that piece here.
To watch the complete hearing, click here.
Passage of Emmett Till Antilynching Act
The Senate recently passed Rep. Bobby Rush’s Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022 and it is headed to President Biden’s desk to be signed. The bill, which would make lynching a federal hate crime, is completely overdue and I am proud to have voted in favor of this legislation. After more than 200 failed attempted to outlaw lynching, I am glad my colleagues and I have finally made it a reality.
If you’d like to learn more about the bill, click here.
Passage of the Postal Service Reform Act
Earlier this week, the Senate passed the Postal Service Reform Act and it is finally headed to President Biden’s desk for signature. The bill will overhaul the United States Postal Service’s finances and allow the agency to modernize. It will also ensure six-day-a-week mail delivery.
I am proud to have voted in favor of this bill and am excited for President Joe Biden to sign it into law. I know I don’t have to tell you about the mail delivery issues we’ve experienced across Chicagoland and all of Illinois. Our country needs a strong USPS and I am glad we delivered.
State of the Union
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union Address to the nation. I was very pleased with his speech and am very optimistic about how we will move forward. The speech highlighted many accomplishments from the past year, some of them included getting our nation vaccinated, putting our economy back on track, and passing the American Rescue Plan.
