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Friends,
It’s been a busy week in Washington, as it has across the country. We introduced comprehensive police reform legislation, pushed the Trump administration to continue expanded unemployment benefits, and fought to protect Colorado’s public lands. I’ve included more details in the updates below.
We’re also focused on the upcoming COVID-19 relief package, and our office wants to hear from you. As local economies continue to reopen, we need to make sure families and workers are safe and supported. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our regional offices, which you can contact here.
Wishing you all a safe and healthy weekend.
Michael
PUSHING FOR COMPREHENSIVE POLICE REFORM
In the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the fair and overdue demands of protesters across the country, I joined my Senate colleagues Cory Booker and Kamala Harris in introducing the Justice in Policing Act—the most comprehensive police reform legislation in U.S. history.
We must act to dismantle centuries of systemic oppression and racism in our country—from slavery and Jim Crow, to redlining and inequalities in our education system, to mass incarceration and the killing of black Americans by law enforcement. This is one step of many we must take to seek justice and equal protection under the law for black Americans.
Read more about the bill here.
EXPANDING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
At a Senate Finance Committee hearing, I pushed Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia to explain why the Trump administration is threatening to take away the $600 weekly benefit that has supported Americans who are unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This unemployment benefit has helped Coloradans pay rent, put food on the table, and keep the lights and internet on. The benefit should not expire at the end of July. That’s why I’ve proposed the Worker Relief and Security Act to ensure this benefit stays in place until the economy starts to recover.
Watch my remarks from the hearing here.
PROTECTING PUBLIC LANDS
After 10 years of fighting for permanent and full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)—which has invested more than $281 million in Colorado projects—the Senate is finally taking up the legislation. The bill will also address the maintenance backlog at the National Park Service, Forest Service, and other land management agencies.
Thank you to the local elected leaders, conservationists, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts who we’ve worked with for years to secure locally-led LWCF projects in our state. And thank you to those who also support the CORE Act, a bill we’re fighting for in the Senate that would protect more than 400,000 acres of Colorado’s public lands.
#RENAMERUSSELL
Everyone who works in the Russell Senate Office Building—both senators and staff—has to walk through the doors each morning of a building named after a staunch segregationist. Richard Russell spent his career opposing civil rights and blocking anti-lynching bills.
It’s long past time we renamed the Russell Senate Building to honor someone else.
Use the hashtag #RenameRussell and tell us who it should be.
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