U.S. House of Representatives
Lunch, Thursday, March 31, 2016
Registration 11:30 am
Holiday Inn – University of Memphis
3700 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111
Registration Deadline – March 28th
Congressman Steve Cohen is a fourth-generation Memphian who has dedicated his life to public service. As a child, the challenges of living with polio taught him how to overcome obstacles through persistence and determination, values which would shape his career as a legislator. Filing to run for office on the same day he first registered to vote, Congressman Cohen stepped onto the path that has defined his life and affected the lives of people in Memphis, across Tennessee and now across America throughout his career in national, state and local politics.
During his term as a Shelby County Commissioner, Congressman Cohen cast the deciding vote for the creation of The MED which today, as Regional One Health, remains one of the finest health care institutions in Memphis.
During his 24 years in the Tennessee State Senate, Congressman Cohen amassed a strong record of passionate, honest and unselfish service. He consistently spurned special interests to stand up for the people’s interests. Before he was elected to Congress, he became known throughout the state as the “Father of the Tennessee Lottery,” after leading the referendum effort that instituted arguably the most successful education initiative in Tennessee history.
Since the inception of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program in 2004, over $3.5 billion has gone to students continuing their education at the college level. As a State Senator, Congressman Cohen fought for nearly twenty years before the State Lottery was established. Countless students have benefited from Congressman Cohen’s tireless efforts to provide Tennesseans with access to affordable, quality, post-secondary education.
Upon election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, Congressman Cohen immediately distinguished himself on the Hill for his thoughtful legislation and quick wit. He also quickly earned a reputation as a champion of civil rights and justice on the highly influential Judiciary Committee.
The Congressman has remained a steadfast leader on issues of importance to the people of the 9th District, working closely with President Barack Obama and leading the policy debate on issues like infant mortality, universal health care, the economy, crime and criminal rehabilitation, veterans issues, transportation and infrastructure, and of course, education. His persistence and hard work has paid off with a $30 million Choice Neighborhood grant to redevelop and revitalize Foote Homes and surrounding areas, a $15 million TIGER grant to create jobs and fund the Main Street to Main Street Connector Project to make major improvements to the Main Street corridor as well as connect to West Memphis with a pedestrian and bike trail along the Harahan Bridge, an additional $9 million in the federal budget and a $2 million dollar federal grant to the city of Memphis to help reduce the backlog of untested sexual assault kits that could catch predators and prevent crime, and many other projects and policies. Congressman Cohen also lead the effort in Congress for the state of Tennessee to receive a guarantee disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment totaling more than $530 million over the next 10 years to help the state’s hospitals and community health centers recoup expenses incurred caring for those who cannot afford to pay. In November of 2015, Congressman Cohen was named a member of the Highway Bill Conference Committee where he worked with his colleagues from the House and Senate to craft the first bipartisan, long-term surface transportation bill in a decade to improve our nation’s infrastructure. And President Obama has nominated several of Congressman Cohen’s recommendations for federal positions, including Judges John Fowlkes, Sheryl Lipman and Bernice Donald, U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton III, and TVA Board Members V. Lynn Evans and Ron Walter, who have all been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.