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Dear friend,
President Biden's announcement this week about securing enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May continues giving us hope in the fight against COVID-19. As the containment of this virus and the progress of the vaccination campaign continues, we know what we need to do: wash our hands, wear masks and keep safe distances from each other.
This week, I continued my work in Washington, D.C. by introducing and voting to pass comprehensive and much-needed legislation. Below is another update on some of the work my staff and I have done this week to serve you.
Legislative work
Introduction of the POWER ON Act
On Tuesday, I introduced the Prevent Outages with Energy Resiliency Options Nationwide (POWER ON) Act to fix the current regulatory framework that hampers the United States' ability to meet our nation's energy goals. By promoting the interstate transmission of electricity, the POWER ON Act will boost reliability, unlock our full clean energy potential, adapt the grid to withstand the effects of climate change and enable more competitive wholesale power markets, which means lower costs for consumers. The bill's introduction complements the Energy and Commerce Committee's newly unveiled CLEAN Future Act, comprehensive legislation to combat the climate crisis.
To make our national power grid more secure, resilient and efficient, we need to build a Macro Grid to easily transfer electricity from regions that make renewable energy to regions that need it. A Department of Energy study demonstrates that this kind of integrated power system would drive economic growth and increase the utilization of our country's abundant renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower.
For the People Act and the Justice in Policing Act
Last year's election showed that voter suppression persists, and after the last four years, Americans deserve a transparent government that works in their interest. H.R. 1, the For the People Act, passed this week to bolster voters' rights, ensure accurate elections, close campaign finance loopholes and crack down on corruption. Click here to learn more about this sweeping legislation.
This week, I also voted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This legislation was introduced last year and is considered the most progressive police reform bill in American history. The Justice in Policing Act would ban chokeholds, stop no-knock warrants in drug cases, end the qualified immunity doctrine, combat racial profiling, mandate data collection (including body cameras and dashboard camera) and establish new standards for policing.
District work
Day of Action for the American Rescue Plan
Earlier today, I attended a press conference with Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51) to discuss key provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act that specifically help San Diegans. Current and former leaders from the San Diego County YMCA, Veterans Village of San Diego, San Diego County Office of Education, United Way and EITC Coalition, Family Health Centers of San Diego and East County Chamber of Commerce also joined to speak about how this legislation will help the people they support.
This week's casework success story
Andrew from Rancho Bernardo contacted the office at the end of August to request assistance with obtaining his 2019 tax refund. His refund was delayed because there were missing forms after he submitted a non-filer form to try to obtain his first stimulus more quickly. My staff worked with Andrew to gather the missing documents, and explained to IRS officials why he had submitted the non-filer form. Finally, IRS released Andrew's refund for $4,993.75.
NEW: Participate in our weekly poll!
We've recently introduced a new section in our e-newsletter for readers to weigh in on a relevant topic. Thank you to everyone who has participated so far. Here's this week's question:
Have you gotten a COVID-19 vaccine? If not, will you get it once you're eligible to receive it/once it is available?
Click here to submit your answer via Google Forms. We'll share the results in next week's e-newsletter.
Last week's question was: "What do you think should be the next legislative priority for Congress after it passes the American Rescue Plan? Here are the results:
371 responses: 19.1% climate change 17.3% immigration reform 13.5% health care 9.2% national security and 40.9% other (including election reform and security/voting rights, infrastructure, minimum wage, and border security, among other responses)
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or need assistance with a federal agency, reach out to us through our website or by calling the district office at 858-455-5550.
To stay updated on my work throughout the week, you can also follow my social media accounts by clicking on the icons below.
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