RLC Weekly: Charting a Path Forward

March 22, 2024
In The News

Dear Colleagues,

As President Biden told the American people during his State of the Union speech, “there’s more to do to make sure you’re feeling the benefits of all we’re doing." The Regional Leadership Council (RLC) and House Democrats are doubling down on efforts to advance that mission ahead of the Health Care Day of Action (March 23) and the Investing in America Week of Action (April 1-6). Here are a few highlights:

Charting a Path Forward

This week, RLC Leader Rep. Robin L. Kelly (IL-02) released The Kelly Report: A Vision for a Safer America. In collaboration with Members of Congress, academic experts, and gun violence prevention advocates, this comprehensive legislative analysis inspects the root causes of gun violence in America and highlights how Democratic-led legislation has made progress in the fight to end the epidemic of gun violence. This report is a continuation of Rep. Kelly’s tireless work to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and close deadly loopholes that bring guns into American schools and churches. 

"Doing nothing about this crisis is not an option," said Rep. Kelly during her speech on the House Floor. "I hope that this report not only sheds light on the public health crisis that is gun violence in America, but also provides a meaningful road map to create change and save lives." See more from Rep. Kelly, the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention here.

Kicking Off the District Work Period

As the House Democratic Caucus prepares for the Investing in America Week of Action and the Health Care Day of Action, RLC Leaders and House Democrats got a head start by highlighting federal investments that are transforming communities across the country. In Pennsylvania, RLC Leader Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) touted a slew of Community Funding Projects that support local initiatives in Montgomery and Berks Counties. In Los Angeles, Rep. Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) spoke from the heart when he presented $7.4 million to the Urban Peace Institute (UPI) to strengthen peacemaking efforts near his childhood home. 

The RLC encourages House Democrats to use this resource packet to plan similar events during the District Work Period.

Uniting on Local Priorities

The Wilmington Airport has received at least $8.2 million in federal funding since President Biden took office, according to district specific reports compiled by the RLC. This week, RLC Leader Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL) met with local leaders from the Delaware River and Bay Authority to ensure there is continued federal and state partnership in the work to address infrastructure needs in Delaware. For district-level briefings on the airport infrastructure funding already out the door, go to RLC's website here.

What Else?

  • CHIPS news! President Biden announced this week that Intel will build and expand semiconductor facilities across Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico, and Ohio. These projects are projected to create 30,000 jobs. See more from President Biden's visit to Arizona on Rep. Greg Stanton's (AZ-03) social media page here.
  • The Department of the Treasury reported that over 500 organizations have used the direct pay and transferability credit monetization provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to lower the costs of 45,000 projects. Read more on this progress here.
  • Direct Tax File update: Treasury estimates that 19 million taxpayers may be eligible to use the tool, which accounts for over one-third of all federal income tax returns filed. Thousands of taxpayers across all 12 participating states (AZ, CA, FL, MA, NH, NY, NV, SD, TN, TX, WA, and WY) have already successfully used this tool during the pilot’s testing phase. The latest from Treasury can be found here.

For more updates on how to help implement the Investing in America agenda locally, please follow us on social media and share your story on how these investments are making a difference in your community. You can also visit our website for additional resources that will help track these historic investments.