Preventing Domestic Terrorism, Grant Workshops, Supreme Court Ethics & More

Dear Friends,

I'm back in Washington this week voting on H.R. 350, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act – which I helped pass out of the Judiciary Committee – as well as voting on three bills to provide assistance to small businesses and help entrepreneurs. I'm also serving as Speaker Pro Tempore this afternoon and will chair my Courts Subcommittee on Supreme Court ethics on Wednesday.

But before I dive into the week ahead in Washington, I want to thank constituents who participated in any of the more than dozen events that were held both in person and virtually last week. For those folks who missed these important events, I've included links below in case you'd like to go back and learn about grants, small businesses or watch the art competition.

A quick recap:

• On April 12, I traveled to Brookwood High School to recognize Niheer Patel as my 2022 Congressional App Challenge Winner.

• On April 13, I took a tour of four community projects I funded through $5 million in our appropriations process.

• On April 18, I held a Small Business Virtual Workshop entitled: From Start Up to Enterprise to help our local businesses grow and thrive.

• On April 19, I participated in as a panelist for Atlanta Business League Business Enrichment Seminar and held the first of three grant workshops: How To Start A Nonprofit Organization. I also held my annual Art Competition event to award more than $35,000 in college scholarships to high school students.

• On April 20, I held the second of three grant workshops: Introduction to Government Funding: The Grants Process and April 21 the third grant workshop: Potential Grant Opportunities.

• And on April 22, I participated in a virtual roundtable discussion with the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys.

So, you can see my staff and I were very busy during the district work session. I want to thank my DC and district staff for all their hard work to bring these important events to our constituents.

As I said, I'm in Washington this week to help pass H.R. 350, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which would greatly enhance the federal government's efforts to combat domestic terrorism and keep communities across the country safe by addressing the rise of neo-Nazi groups and white supremacists, a scourge on our nation.

I will also be chairing the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet for a hearing titled: "Building Confidence in the Supreme Court Through Ethics and Recusal Reforms." Did you know that Supreme Court justices are not subject to a voluntary code of ethics, unlike every other federal judge? This just doesn't fit with how Americans understand what it means to be a judge – let alone a justice of this nation's highest court. The justices of the Supreme Court should set the standard for ethical conduct to better ensure neutrality and transparency in our judiciary. My committee is tackling this important issue. I'm also the sponsor of legislation to address this and other issues with the courts. Building and maintaining public trust in the independence and integrity of our federal courts is critical to a functioning democracy.

As always, I appreciate your time and feedback. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to represent you in Congress. If you have an issue with a federal government agency, please don't hesitate to call my district office at 770-987-2291. For policy and legislation questions or concerns, please call my Washington, D.C., office at 202-225-1605.