EC from DC
Yesterday, I, along with my colleague Congressman Cedric L. Richmond of Louisiana introduced House Resolution 696. This resolution honors the heritage of jazz in the United States, acknowledging the seeds of jazz and its evolution into a signature American sound.
As you know, Kansas City, Missouri, is known as the place where musical geniuses, such as Charles “Yard Bird” Parker, Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams and countless others, lived and perfected their style of jazz in the historic 18th and Vine District.
On Tuesday, we marked Equal Pay Day, the day when, more than three months into the year, women’s wages finally catch up to what men were paid in the previous year. Once again, I call on all Members of Congress to come together in support of the passage of the critical Paycheck Fairness Act. More must be done to close the wage gap that still exists between women and men.
This week, President Obama completed his responsibility that Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution outlined, to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court. On Wednesday morning he announced that he is nominating D.C. Circuit Court Chief Judge Merrick Garland to serve as the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, to take the seat of the late Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.
If you truly want to see how Congress was designed to work, this past Tuesday’s vote on H.R. 3700, “The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015” was the vote to watch. It was a true example of what I have written about on several occasions, civility and compromise. This bill is one of the largest sweeping reforms of our nation’s housing program in twenty years and Republicans and Democrats worked together to get it done.
H.R. 3700 passed the House with a unanimous 427 votes to 0. Republicans and Democrats working together: it can be done.
Through some small miracle of air travel, I was able to make it up to DC this week for an announcement that no amount of snow was able to keep me away from. On Tuesday, the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission made and presented its selection for a second national WWI memorial to be constructed at Pershing Park in Washington, D.C. at the National Press Club.
I had the privilege of speaking to large crowds in a few cities this past weekend, in celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday: Charlotte, North Carolina and St. Louis, Missouri. I was reminded of a Bible verse that made me ponder, deep thoughts about a necessity in life that can be a considered a blessing and a curse…sleep.
On Tuesday night both Houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, gathered to receive the last State of the Union address from President Obama. This year’s speech was very forward looking and not simply a “victory lap,” as last State of the Union speeches have been for previous presidents. President Obama made it clear that he wants to infuse everything he does for his last year in office with the possibility of the American spirit, and that we cannot take our foot off the gas pedal; he will continue to work until his last hour in office next January.