Congressman Hank Johnson's E-Newsletter for Oct. 28, 2019

Dear Friends,

Thank you to everyone who attended our town halls this month in Conyers and Covington or who tuned in on our Facebook live feed. We had four successful town halls in every county in the Fourth District, and I thank everyone who participated. We had four excellent discussions on the issues of the day. I'll be conducting telephone town halls in the near future, and we're holding a Twitter town hall on Nov. 6 from 3:30-4:40 PM. I'll have more details on those upcoming town halls soon.

CONSTITUENT SERVICES: Since taking office in 2007, my staff and I have worked to help secure more than $59.5 million for constituents seeking help with federal agencies. Helping constituents solve seemingly intractable problems is what my district office does every day. I'm proud that my staff has been able to help so many constituents receive the money and benefits due them from the federal government. Taking care of home first is my number one priority. If you or a family member needs assistance with a federal agency such as the IRS, VA, Social Security or Medicare, we may be able to help. For more, click HERE. To see what we've done this year, click HERE.

CONGRESSMAN CUMMINGS: Last week, many of us in Congress celebrated the life and legacy of the great Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland. I was privileged to attend the ceremony honoring him in the Capitol and also his homegoing service in Baltimore, Maryland where he served. In the fight for justice and fair play, Elijah Cummings was heavyweight champion of the world. His dedication to decency, integrity and the truth stood as an example not just to those of us who agreed with him but for all his colleagues and for all time. For more, click HERE.

ELECTION SECURITY: On Oct. 24, I voted to pass H.R. 4617, the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act. This strong, commonsense legislation takes decisive and bipartisan steps to fight foreign interference in our elections by strengthening reporting requirements, closing loopholes and deterring foreign activity in U.S. elections. Its passage builds on the bold action House Democrats took to close dangerous gaps in our voting security by passing H.R. 1, the For The People Act, and H.R. 2722, the Securing America's Federal Elections (SAFE) Act, earlier this year. For more, click HERE.

THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON: This week on Capitol Hill, I'm re-introducing legislation to address a growing problem of parasitic diseases – mostly in poor, minority populations along the U.S.-Mexico border, the rural South, Appalachia and distressed urban areas. The bill passed the House of Representatives in 2010 but stalled in the Senate. The "Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act" will require the Secretary of Health & Human Services to report to Congress annually on the impact of these diseases, address their threat and make funding recommendations on how to eradicate them. In Judiciary Committee, we will be focusing on economic opportunity and labor markets, and the impact of Trump's immigration policies on service members, veterans and their families. The impeachment inquiry will also move forward in the Intelligence, Foreign Policy and Oversight committees. For more, click HERE.

In the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, members will hear testimony from Boeing. Namely, the CEO, vice president and chief engineer and chief pilot of the Boeing 737 MAX will come before the Committee to testify regarding the design, development, and marketing of the 737 MAX. After the airline tragedies of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019, the flying public deserves greater transparency on the certification and reliability of this aircraft in order to restore trust in the safety of our global airspace. For more, click HERE.

As always, I appreciate your time and feedback. Please remember you can reach me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as by e-mails, phone calls and letters. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to represent you in Congress.