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Rep Anna Eshoo

Anna's Weekly Update - May 24, 2018

May 24, 2018
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Weekly Update From Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo

Highlights of Legislation the House Took up This Week 

S. 2155, Legislation to Roll Back the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

Voted: NO

This week the House passed S. 2155, the so-called Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act by a vote of 258 to 159.

In 2010, following the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Congress enacted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which overhauled our nation's financial regulatory system to prevent a financial crisis of this kind from happening again.     Dodd-Frank requires banks with more than $50 billion in assets to have the necessary capital reserves to weather economic downturns and to maintain financial living wills to safely wind down failed firms.

S. 2155 exempts banks with assets between $50 and $250 billion from these requirements, reducing the number of banks that are considered "too big to fail" from 38 to 12, and exempts large banks such as American Express and SunTrust.

By exempting large banks from federal oversight, S. 2155 repeats the mistakes that were made which led to the financial crisis of 2008. This legislation increases the risk of another economic crisis to occur.

Signed a Discharge Petition on DACA- a procedural tool to force a vote on any bill if 218 Members sign on

Since President Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in September 2017, I've been working to enact a permanent legislative fix to give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship, and in the interim allow them to remain in the only country they've ever known. There is bipartisan support in Congress for a legislative solution to DACA that pairs border security measures with a path to citizenship for Dreamers, but the Speaker refuses to allow the legislation to come to the Floor of the full House and have a vote on it.

By signing the bipartisan Discharge Petition, I'm advancing the effort to have a series of bills on DACA automatically come to the Floor to be voted on. 218 signatures are required and as of today, 212 Members have signed it. Only 6 more to go!

Policy Letters Anna Cosigned this Week

Letter to California State Assembly Leadership on Rape Kit Backlogs

Next week the California State Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on two bills (S.B.1449 and A.B. 3118) that will bring transparency and accountability to sexual assault kit testing practices across California. There must be timely submission and testing of sexual assault evidence kits, but currently there is not accurate information as to how many kits are in storage. This backlog hampers the ability to bring perpetrators to justice and can result in repeat offenders continuing to victimize innocent people.

S.B. 1449 requires that newly collected sexual assault kits be submitted within 20 days and tested no later than 120 days after receipt. A.B. 3118 requires a statewide audit of California's current sexual assault kit backlog.

I joined colleagues from the California delegation this week in writing to the authors of the legislation to offer our support and urged swift passage.

Weekly Highlights

On Sunday, May 20th I had the opportunity to participate in a Firearm Safety Roundtable at Saratoga High School with Vice Mayor Manny Cappello, students, faculty members, and Reverend Erik Swanson representing the South Bay Interfaith Clergy Coalition for Firearm Safety to listen to the students and discuss what measures can be taken to reduce gun violence in our country.

The students asked superb questions and together we explored the many facets of gun violence in our country and public policies to address it. I think we all learned a great deal from each other.

It was wonderful to welcome eight grade students from Hillbrook School in Los Gatos to Washington, D.C. this week. We discussed the issues they care about, including the status of DACA, and gun violence in schools, including bipartisan policies pending in Congress to address the ongoing tragedies. Every student is a source of inspiration to me.

In the Words of My Constituents

Every week hundreds of my constituents call and write to me to express their concerns, share their passions and ask questions regarding a wide range of legislation and policies. I actually read every communication and every constituent receives a personal response from me regarding their specific questions and comments.

Here's a snapshot of the issues constituents wrote and called me about this week:

·         771 constituents wrote to me in opposition to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts in the Farm Bill.

·         237 constituents wrote to me in support of net neutrality.

·         116 constituents wrote to me in opposition to the killing of Palestinian protestors in Gaza.

·         10 students from schools across our Congressional District wrote to me about issues they care about, including climate change, gun violence, the cost of healthcare, and the gender pay gap.

Anna's Recommended Reading 

I frequently read articles or see videos that I think my constituents would benefit from.  

New York Times Op-Ed (5/21/18) - "What Moral Heroes are Made Of"

David Brooks explores what it means to be a "moral hero," someone who spends their life fighting poverty, caring for the young or the sick, or single-mindedly dedicating themselves to a cause.

NBC News Op-Ed (5/10/18) - "Trump's Iran deal withdrawal is an arrogant rejection of the post-war system America built"

On May 9th President Trump announced the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Iran Nuclear Agreement. This piece was written by a longtime friend, Simon Rosenberg. He examines the President's decision through the wide lens of post-World War II history.

Staying Informed

You can find more press releases, commentary and information on issues at my website, eshoo.house.gov. And please visit Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more ways to stay informed.