Last Friday, April 19, marked 100 days since the new House Democratic Majority was sworn in on January 3rd. It has been a busy and fast-paced year so far, so I wanted to take a moment to look back at the work we’ve done so far – and what is on the agenda moving ahead.
Chairmanship of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee
In January, at the outset of the 116th Congress, I was honored to be named Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, a panel that I consider to be one of the most effective and bipartisan subcommittees in all of Congress. Notably, a key naval oversight panel has not been led by a member from Connecticut since 1873, when Stephen W. Kellogg of Waterbury served as Chair of the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department in the 42nd Congress (1871-1873). Prior to that, Samuel Ingham, a two-term Congressman with connections to Hebron, Jewett City (Griswold) and Essex, served as chair of the Committee on Navy Affairs in the 25th Congress (1837-1839).
Since being named Chairman, our subcommittee and the full House Armed Services Committee has begun to review the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget request, which includes a request from the Navy for three Virginia-class submarines next year. This proposal is a welcome reversal from the Defense Department which, just a few months ago, publicly opposed my efforts to expand submarine construction. I am working with a bipartisan coalition to support and defend this request, and recently secured the support of over 70 of my colleagues on both sides of the sides of the aisle in advocating for this additional submarine work.
My work on the Seapower Subcommittee is not just about submarines, however. Since the start of the new session, I have convened four public hearings to examine a broad range of issues in the panel’s jurisdiction. We’ve heard testimony on an broad range of topics – from Navy’s efforts to reform training and oversight to prevent ship collisions, the need for investing in our domestic “sea lift” and maritime capabilities, and the budget requests for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps for programs and infinitives we oversee. You can follow my work on the subcommittee at my website.
Expanding Access to Affordable Healthcare, and Protecting Students
These first 100 days have provided new opportunities to introduce and advance some of my top legislative priorities.
For example, in January I introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal the “Cadillac Tax” (H.R. 748), a 40% excise tax on certain employer-sponsored health insurance plans that would dramatically worsen the health care affordability crisis for thousands of Americans, primarily older workers, women, and working families. In February, I joined Congressman John Larson (CT-01) and others to introduce the Medicare Buy-In and Health Care Stabilization Act (H.R. 1346), a bill that would provide middle-age Americans a new option for affordable, quality health care by providing those 50 and older the option to buy-in to Medicare. In March, I introduced the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (H.R. 1682), a bipartisan bill that would help ensure that seniors and others aren’t surprised with astronomically expensive medical bills for doctor-prescribed care due to illogical federal policy.
I’ve also reintroduced legislation to reform the way we care for “Blue Water” Navy Vietnam veterans, and all veterans who were exposed to the toxic chemical known as “Agent Orange” during the course of their service. In March, Blue Water Navy Vietnam veterans and their families earned a big win when VA Secretary Wilkie recommended that the Department of Justice at long-last drop a legal dispute over a federal court ruling from January which found that Blue Water veterans should be eligible for the same benefits related to exposure to Agent Orange as other Vietnam veterans.
Earlier this year, I introduced the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309), which would help curb the rising rates of workplace violence in health care and social service settings by simply requiring the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a standard that requires health care and social service employers to write and implement a workplace violence prevention plan to protect employees from violence incidents in the workplace. Following dramatic testimony about the rise of violence against health care workers, and support from a host of organizations including the American Federation of Teachers, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and most recently the American Public Health Association, I’m encouraged that this bill is poised to see action in the coming months.
I was also joined by Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) in reintroducing the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act (H.R. 1707), a bill that would allow undergraduate borrowers repaying public or private loans to refinance those loans to an interest rate of 3.76 percent, and have continued to highlight the need to protect veterans, servicemembers, and their families from the predatory lending practices of for-profit colleges by closing the 90-10 loophole. As a senior Member of the House Education & Labor Committee, I’ll continue to press towards ensuring these sorts of protections for students, and for veterans and servicemembers seeking to advance their education.
Advancing Legislation For The People
The new House Democratic Majority has achieved a great deal in just 100 days, and I’ve been honored to be a part of some of our historic work. Following previous failures to hold even a single hearing on gun violence throughout the duration of past Congresses, I joined my House colleagues in finally voting to pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which expands background checks to cover nearly all sales and transfers of firearms, as well as the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 1112), which closes a background check loophole known as the “Charleston Loophole”. We also voted to pass Rep. Rosa DeLauros’s Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7), which takes steps towards ending gender-based wage discrimination and ensuring that women receive equal pay for equal work. We also voted to restore a pay raise for federal workers in 2019 when we passed the Federal Civilian Workforce Pay Raise Fairness Act (H.R. 790). In March, we passed the Save the Internet Act (H.R. 1644), a bill to reinstate the 2015 Open Internet Order and restore Net Neutrality, and throughout the duration of these first 100 days our caucus has never failed to stand up and fight back against attempts by this Administration to undermine the Affordable Care Act and to wipe away protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions.
Getting Things Done for Eastern Connecticut
The uptick in activity hasn’t only been in Washington – the first 100 days have seen a flurry of developments for eastern Connecticut. Perhaps most notably has been the progress we’ve seen on finding new avenues to provide relief to homeowners, condo-owners, and others suffering from crumbling foundations. In February, the Education & Labor Committee approved the Rebuild America’s Schools Act (H.R. 865), which included a section I authored to help local municipalities with the cost of repairing or reconstructing school buildings that have been impacted by crumbling foundations, like Birch Grove Primary School in Tolland. Congressman John Larson and I have also worked to receive further clarification from the IRS which establishes that additional damage that occurs to a property beyond a foundation to a home as a result of fixing a crumbling foundation will now be rightfully covered under the federal casualty loss deduction. I was also proud to help the Connecticut Foundations Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC) achieve official designation as a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, which opens up more opportunities for CFSIC to raise funds, and expand their ability to provide financial assistance to homeowners with crumbling foundations.
From progress on crumbling foundations relief, to victories in finding federal Trade Adjustment Assistance for former employees at both Garbo Lobster in Groton and Crabtree & Evelyn in Woodstock, to securing an increase in commercial summer flounder quotas for our constituents who have spent their lives fishing in southern New England waters, to working with the Rhode Island delegation to secure federal resources to protect the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed, some of the work we’ve accomplished will make a positive impact for generations to come. We’ve accomplished all of this, and more, in only 100 short days.
At the same time, my office has been hard at work helping and responding to constituents like you. Since the start of the year, we’ve answered nearly 25,000 calls, letters and e-mails, and opened over 200 new cases for constituents facing difficulties with federal agencies and benefits.
The Next 100 Days
Later this month, the House will re-convene for a busy three-month session. During this period, we will start debating the various appropriations bills that make up the federal budget for next year. We will also “mark up” the defense authorization bill that includes many important priorities for our region. Your feedback and input is welcome as we tackle these and other issues in the months ahead – and hope you will take a moment to follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to receive the latest updates on my work in Washington and Connecticut. And, as always, do not hesitate to contact my office if I or my staff can be of any assistance.
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
