Working to Create STEM Jobs

Nov 30, 2012 Issues: 9th District, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee

Dear Friend,

This week I voted to support bipartisan legislation that would allow more foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced technical degrees to stay in the country.  It’s important that we keep these talented students in America to help grow our economy and create STEM jobs.  I also visited New York City as a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to assess the damage that resulted from Hurricane Sandy and the federal response to the disaster.

STEM Jobs Act
Hurricane Sandy Site Visit
Up With Chris Hayes
Electrolux Memphis Manufacturing Plant
Presidential Inaugural Ticket Information
UTHSC
Medicare Open Enrollment Season Underway
Congressional Calendars

Grant Announcements

STEM Jobs Act
Today I voted to support bipartisan legislation that would allow more foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced technical degrees to stay in the country.  The bill would eliminate the Diversity Visa Program and shift up to 55,000 green cards a year to foreign students who graduate from qualified U.S. schools with a doctorate or master’s degree in the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and math.  It’s important that we keep these talented students in America to help grow our economy and create STEM jobs. I am always willing to work with my Republican colleagues on the other side of the aisle to create more jobs in Memphis and across the country.  Click here to learn more about this measure.

Hurricane Sandy Site Visit
Earlier this week I visited New York City as a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  The site visit gave me, Chairman John Mica and other Committee members an opportunity to assess the damage that resulted from Hurricane Sandy, the response to the disaster and helped inform the Committee as it conducts oversight of the federal government’s role in the response and recovery.  In light of the potential need for Congress to consider supplemental disaster funding and the Committee’s ongoing work to reform and speed up disaster response and recovery, the site visit provided us with a better understanding of the situation on the ground.

Up With Chris Hayes

This past Sunday I appeared on MSNBC’s ‘Up With Chris Hayes’ and discussed many important domestic and international issues such as the Gaza conflict, the future of Egypt, and the next U.S. Secretary of State.  Click here to see the program.
 
Electrolux Memphis Manufacturing Plant
The first wave of Electrolux employees moved into the new $190 million Memphis manufacturing plant earlier this week. The 50 employees will be among the first to work in the 750,000-square-foot facility that will begin manufacturing stoves and ranges in 2013.  The employees include plant management, human resources, construction management and staff support.  One of their first responsibilities -- and one of the company’s most important efforts -- will be to install equipment in the plant’s research and development center.  This includes the technology and machinery to simulate a stove’s lifetime usage and performance expectations and more than 300 products can be tested at one time.  Click here to learn more.
 
Presidential Inaugural Ticket Information

President Obama’s inauguration will take place on January 21, 2013. I recognize the historic significance of the inauguration ceremony and am glad that some District 9 residents are planning to be in our nation’s capital to share in the experience.  Information about how many tickets each Congressional office will receive for the inauguration will not be available until December.
 
Because of the logistics of this event, and because we anticipate an unprecedented number of ticket requests, no exceptions can be made to the requirements listed on this page. We don’t yet know how many tickets our office will be allocated, but we feel certain of two things: 1) we will receive far fewer tickets than the number needed to meet all requests, and 2) we will get a very limited number of seated tickets, so requesters should assume that any tickets received will not be seated.  Click here to learn more about the inauguration.
 
UTHSC

On Tuesday I announced that the National Eye Institute, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded a grant worth $375, 000 to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center for vision research.  The research will focus on development of new blood vessels for the retina.
 
Medicare Open Enrollment Season Underway

Medicare open enrollment season has begun and will continue until December 7.  Now is the time to make changes to your Medicare plan if necessary. Picking a health plan is a very important and personal decision, and one that should be reviewed each year. This is the only time during the year that changes to drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans can be made, so I encourage you to take a look at your health plan and explore whether or not you need to alter your current coverage.
 
People with Medicare can call 800.MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov for plan information.  You can also reach out to The Aging Commission of the Mid-South’s SHIP (State Health Insurance Program) for assistance.  SHIP is an unbiased, objective counseling service that provides beneficiaries with information so that they can make educated decisions concerning their plans.  The SHIP program does not sell insurance.  If you have questions regarding Medicare or would like to know about counseling locations, please call SHIP at 901.222.4111.
 
Congressional Calendars
There are a limited number of 2013 Congressional Calendars available through my office.  If you’d like to receive one of these free calendars, please click here to fill out a short form.  I have already received a number of requests from some who are not residents of District 9.  Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee’s 9th District.  Please feel free to share this email with other constituents who may be interested in receiving a calendar.
 
Grant Announcements
I regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others.  These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are updated regularly on my website.
 
Wishing you a happy and safe weekend,

As always, I remain,

Most sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress