(From Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)
I know this weekend was an especially difficult one for the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri.
While I'm just as disappointed as you are that our Kansas City Chiefs were not playing in the Super Bowl yesterday, I hope that you were still able to spend some time with family and friends to enjoy the game or, like me, contemplate what could have been.
Either way, I have the utmost confidence that we'll get another shot at a Lombardi Trophy next year--and I know that Chiefs Kingdom is already itching for the opportunity.
In hopes of lifting your spirit, I also wanted to let you know there is good news to report from my work in our nation's capital. Last week, the House of Representatives was able to pass several bipartisan bills that will protect survivors of sexual assault and harassment, ensure reliable mail delivery from the U.S. Postal Service, prevent a completely unnecessary government shutdown, and more.
Additionally, I was thrilled to announce last week another $60 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be coming back to Missouri to modernize our transportation systems and implement a statewide network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Although this progress will certainly not heal the heartbreak of the AFC Championship Game, I'm hopeful it will at the very least ease some of our collective pain.
Congress Passes Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act
Last Monday, I was proud to join my colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act with overwhelming bipartisan support.
This long overdue bill would officially ban the practice of using clauses in employment contracts that force victims of sexual assault or harassment to pursue justice through forced arbitration, which has been proven to shield employers and upper management.
While employees will still have the option to resolve these serious allegations through arbitration, they will now also have the choice to handle the process transparently in open court.
It is my hope that not only will this encourage private companies to crack down on nefarious actors who would use their position of power to harass or assault an employee, but also ensure that American workers--and their rights--are protected in the workplace.
Thankfully, the U.S. Senate immediately took up the bill and passed it with a large bipartisan majority, sending the bill to President Biden's desk for signature in the coming days. While there are certainly momentous issues that both political parties can disagree on, I'm hopeful that Congress can come together to pass more common sense legislation like this in the weeks and months to come. As your representative, I'll continue working to find common ground to do just that.
House of Representatives Passes Postal Service Reform Act to Strengthen USPS and Ensure On-Time Mail Service
Having grown up in rural Texas and raised a family in Kansas City, I understand that whether you live in urban, suburban, or rural America, the local Post Office and the U.S. Postal Service are critical to every community in the country. Americans rely on the USPS to deliver life-saving medications, hard-earned paychecks, and other important items every single day--and it is imperative that Congress ensure this extraordinarily popular institution can continue running efficiently and effectively for the American people.
That's why I'm thrilled to relay that the House of Representatives was able to pass the Postal Service Reform Act with my support last week. The legislation will make several reforms to the way the USPS operates that will address financial challenges, improve mail delivery, and support our underappreciated postal workers, including:
Thankfully, the U.S. Senate immediately took up the bill and passed it with a large bipartisan majority, sending the bill to President Biden's desk for signature in the coming days. While there are certainly momentous issues that both political parties can disagree on, I'm hopeful that Congress can come together to pass more common sense legislation like this in the weeks and months to come. As your representative, I'll continue working to find common ground to do just that.
House of Representatives Passes Postal Service Reform Act to Strengthen USPS and Ensure On-Time Mail Service
Having grown up in rural Texas and raised a family in Kansas City, I understand that whether you live in urban, suburban, or rural America, the local Post Office and the U.S. Postal Service are critical to every community in the country. Americans rely on the USPS to deliver life-saving medications, hard-earned paychecks, and other important items every single day--and it is imperative that Congress ensure this extraordinarily popular institution can continue running efficiently and effectively for the American people.
That's why I'm thrilled to relay that the House of Representatives was able to pass the Postal Service Reform Act with my support last week. The legislation will make several reforms to the way the USPS operates that will address financial challenges, improve mail delivery, and support our underappreciated postal workers, including:
Welcoming all future retirees into Medicare, which will deliver quality health care to our committed public servants while saving the Postal Service $22.6 billion over the next decade;
Repealing a burdensome requirement forcing the Postal Service to prefund retirees' health care 75 years in advance--a standard not held to any other government agency--which will save $27 billion over the next decade;
Promoting reliable delivery and transparency through a public-facing, online dashboard featuring national and local level service performance data;
Codifying the Postal Service's longtime tradition of delivering mail and packages six days per week; and
Allowing the Postal Service to raise additional revenues by offering non-commercial property and services to state, local, and tribal governments.
During my time in Congress, I have been an ardent defender of the United States Postal Service, and you can count on me to continue supporting this 245-year-old institution. You can find more information on the Postal Service Reform Act here.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Delivers Another $60 Million to Modernize Missouri's Transit and EV Infrastructure
When I voted for President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law last November, I did so because for decades the United States has failed to make adequate investments in our critical infrastructure, like our transportation systems. This failure has led to increased travel times, degraded buses and railcars, and more frequent disruptions for Americans who rely on public transit to get to work and around town.
Last week, I was elated to announce that Missouri is set to receive another $46 million in 2022 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to modernize public transportation systems, invest in new and sustainable buses, upgrade transit facilities, fund local projects, and so much more--all while supporting and creating good-paying local transit jobs in the process.
The funding comes as the first installment of a five-year investment from the President's transformational infrastructure bill, which will eventually total more than $674 million for the Show Me State.
With this funding, communities throughout the Fifth Congressional District will have an opportunity to make transit safer and more efficient, decrease commute times, and obtain electric buses that will cut down on pollution--and I couldn't be more excited to get to work on some local projects that will have a major impact on our congressional district.
But that's not all.
Additionally, last week I happily announced Missouri will also receive another $14.6 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build out electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the state. As the world continues to transition to a clean energy economy in an effort to combat climate change, it's important that we have the infrastructure in place to ensure a seamless transition.
This funding will create a convenient network of charging stations throughout Missouri over the next five years, which will make EVs more accessible to Missouri families, help accelerate the transition to more sustainable transportation, and support job growth for the technicians and electrical workers who will be responsible for implementing EV chargers. I believe that EVs are the future of Missouri and our nation as a whole--and I'm proud to have played a role in delivering the funding needed to make them more feasible for the future.
You can find more information on the $46 million for transit infrastructure here and more information on the $14.6 million for EV charging infrastructure here.
But that's not all.
Additionally, last week I happily announced Missouri will also receive another $14.6 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build out electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the state. As the world continues to transition to a clean energy economy in an effort to combat climate change, it's important that we have the infrastructure in place to ensure a seamless transition.
This funding will create a convenient network of charging stations throughout Missouri over the next five years, which will make EVs more accessible to Missouri families, help accelerate the transition to more sustainable transportation, and support job growth for the technicians and electrical workers who will be responsible for implementing EV chargers. I believe that EVs are the future of Missouri and our nation as a whole--and I'm proud to have played a role in delivering the funding needed to make them more feasible for the future.
You can find more information on the $46 million for transit infrastructure here and more information on the $14.6 million for EV charging infrastructure here.
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