Recurring Initiatives:

• Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act: to establish and fund research and outreach assistance for victims of postpartum depression and psychosis
• Emmett Till Resolution: mandating the Justice Department reopen the investigation into the Emmett Till case;
• Telecommunications Ownership and Diversification: to increase minority ownership in the telecommunications industry;
• 340B Program Enhancement: to increase access to prescription drugs for low income individuals, through community health centers and other venues;
• Fair Care Act: to address national health disparities through incentives to health providers which earn Fair Care designation;
• Pay Day Loan Revision: to regulate the interest and usage charges assessed by pay day lenders (may involve multiple bills);
• Voice Act: to establish a pilot program in the Department of Education to examine the effectiveness of school-to-work vocational educational programs.

• Telecommunications Spectrum Auction Efficiency Act: to revise the spectrum auction process through capital market innovations;
• Pay Day Loan Revisions: to regulate the marketing and processing of pay day loans through the internet.

Sworn-in to Congress in 1992, Bobby Rush has compiled a decade-long record of achievement in the House:

• Congressman Rush has taken the lead on a wide range of issues affecting the First Congressional District of Illinois and the nation. In the 108th Congress, Rep. Rush authored the bill, H.R. 846, which provides for research on and services for individuals with postpartum depression and psychosis. The bill was named for Chicago-native, Mrs. Melanie Blocker-Stokes. A significant milestone was made on September 29, 2004, when a congressional hearing was held to hear expert testimony as well as a personal account of postpartum depression by the mother of Blocker-Stokes.
• On August 9, 2004, Congress passed Rep. Rush's bill to redesignate two facilities of the U.S. Postal Service in the First Congressional District as the "James E. Worsham Post Office" and the "James E. Worsham Carrier Annex Building," respectively.
• On October 17, 2000, Congress passed the Urban Asthma Reduction Act, 1999. This bill incorporated parts of Cong. Rush's original bill into the Children's Health Act of 2000, which eventually became Public Law No: 106-310. This law amends the Preventive Health & Health Services Block Grant program and includes an integrated approach to vermin management.
• On November 12, 1999, President Clinton signed Cong. Rush's bill, the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act of '99, into Public Law. The law, temporarily addressed the nursing shortage by providing non immigrant visas for qualified foreign nurses, in the Englewood area of Chicago.
• Always keeping his constituents' issues in mind, Congressman Rush initiated the Chicago Partnership for the Earned Income Tax Credit, an on-going program designed to help thousands of low-income, working Chicagoans receive federal tax credits.
• Authored major components of the landmark Community Development and Regulatory Act, signed into law by President Clinton.
• Helped craft the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which established the government's commitment to the e-rate program and opened local telephone, long distance service, and cable service to a new era of competitiveness.
• Sponsored the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999, to enable hospitals in economically distressed areas to obtain qualified nursing personnel regardless of immigration ceilings. The bill was signed into law by President Clinton.
• Sponsored the Urban Asthma Reduction Act of 1999 to expand the Public Health Service funding for asthma management programs in urban areas. Incorporated into the Children's Health Act of 2000, and signed into law.
• Authored amendment to the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act designed to bridge the digital divide in the broad-band market by requiring major telephone companies to build-out a broadband network in economically disadvantaged urban and rural areas.
• Although Rush opposed final passage of the Homeland Security Act, he authored section 801 which established an office for state and local government coordination within the new Department to oversee and coordinate departmental bio terrorism programs for state and local governments. The amendment became effective when the bill was signed into law.
• Member of the House-Senate conference committee on the landmark Energy Policy Act of 2002, H.R. 4.

Sponsored Legislation in the 109th Congress

Co-Sponsored Legislation in the 109th Congress

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