Celebrating Black History Month; Rail in South DeKalb; COMPETES Act Passes House & More

Dear Friends,

I want wish everyone a happy Black History Month. I was proud to partner with AMC Networks and Color Of Change to celebrate Black History Month by sharing my thoughts for a public service announcement. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Our jobs today is bending that moral arc – we can't wait for it to do itself – we've got to be the ones to do it. To watch my BHM PSA, click HERE.

COVID

I want to thank everyone who sent me well wishes after contracting COVID recently. I'm back to 100 percent. Fortunately, my case was manageable thanks to the vaccines, which everyone should get by the way. Increasingly, this is a deadly disease only for the unvaccinated. Don't wait, vaccinate. Here's my COVID-19 resources page that shows where and how you can get the shots. We're making progress, but we have more work to do according to this article from the AJC: Racial gap for COVID vaccinations narrowing in Georgia.

HEAVY RAIL TRANSIT

I've been talking a lot lately about the need to bring heavy rail to South DeKalb. I sent two letters in the past two weeks to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) – one with Sen. Jon Ossoff and the entire Georgia Democratic Congressional Delegation about the importance of leveraging infrastructure law funding for transit investments and the other about the state's planned overhaul of the I-285/I-20 interstate interchange in South DeKalb that would make our longtime dreams of expanding MARTA in the area difficult, if not impossible. Congress has delivered historic funding, but states can choose how to spend those dollars. I am working to ensure GDOT changes direction and chooses to use the federal dollars I helped provide to invest in equitable, clean, and affordable public transit. I'm going to continue working and speaking out on this important issue until we make some real and lasting progress on this front.

COMPETES ACT PASSES HOUSE

I'm pleased to report that two bills I previously introduced or co-led passed the House as part of the COMPETES Act last Friday. My Cybersecurity Opportunity Act will create a cybersecurity grant education program to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions (HBCUs & MSIs) to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Our nation will be stronger and better protected if we leverage the full scope of our potential, which includes future leaders at HBCUs & MSIs. In addition, the bipartisan Stopping Harmful Offers on Platforms by Screening Against Fakes in E-commerce (SHOP SAFE) Act would protect consumers and businesses by stopping the online sale of harmful counterfeit products. Both of these bills are included in the COMPETES legislative package. The Senate has already passed a version of this package, and I am hopeful that the House and Senate will soon send a final bill, including my legislation, to the president.

Working to help fix supply chain issues, strengthen American manufacturing, and turbocharge American scientific research is what my service in Washington is all about. Protecting American consumers online – particularly with the proliferation of fake N95 masks and other dangerous products sold online – and strengthening our cybersecurity by maximizing all the tech talent can go a long way in securing our global competitiveness. I was pleased to work with Sen. Ossoff on the cybersecurity initiative as well.

ETHYLENE OXIDE EPA RULING

As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Ethylene Oxide Task Force, I announced recently that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to stand by the 2016 IRIS Value of ethylene oxide (EtO). This is particularly important for my Newton County constituents because the ruling maintains the EPA's finding that EtO is a significant toxin and harmful to surrounding, and the agency can now regulate it accordingly. I consider this the beginning of the process and an important first step, not the end. Our communities in and around the ethylene oxide plant in Covington deserve transparency and accountability – from both industry and government – and, and moreover they deserve to breath clean air, free of toxic pollution. I will continue working as part of the task force to do everything I can to protect my constituents in Newton County and beyond.

If you have an issue with a federal government agency, please don't hesitate to call my district office at 770-987-2291. Thank you and I hope you and your family have a wonderful Black History Month!