McBath Recaps Accomplishments for Georgia’s 6th District After First Term in Congress

This morning, Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06) released her accomplishments of the 116^th Congress. As a freshman member in the U.S. House of Representatives, McBath had multiple pieces of legislation signed into law by the President, secured millions of dollars for the Sixth District, and assisted thousands of constituents with their federal cases. Her bill to serve veterans experiencing financial hardship was deemed the “biggest bill” passed by a first-term member. During her first two years in office, she was described as “an effective lawmaker” and “one of the House Democratic Caucus’ most important voices.”

“Each and every day we are called upon to serve our communities in Congress – that is what this work is about. They are trusting us to do everything we can to advocate and legislate on their behalf,” said McBath. “I am so proud of the work we did to return millions of hard earned dollars to constituents throughout the district, to have conversations with our friends and neighbors at town halls and community events, and to have multiple pieces of bipartisan legislation signed into law. Truly, this work is about serving my community in Congress, and I look forward to continuing that work to solve problems, connect with people, and create policy to help serve our fellow Americans.”

During the 116^th Congress, McBath:

• Held 15 town halls and more than 200 community events
• Led 4 pieces of legislation signed into law by the President
• Returned $3,177,683 in earned benefits to constituents
• Secured $5,605,400 in federal grant funding
• Resolved 3,069 constituent casework inquiries – many shared their stories.
• Responded to 76,178 phone calls and letters
• Sponsored and cosponsored 325 bills
• Nominated 62 students to U.S. Service Academies

Since being sworn into her first term on January 3, 2019, McBath has championed bipartisanship and has prioritized causes to help Georgia families, veterans, and small businesses, including:

• Securing $500 million for the CDC to help fight public health crises. After learning of budget cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reading a CDC-released report outlining the immediate need for improved public health data systems to fight ‘life-threatening epidemics,’ McBath led the bill to help modernize the CDC. The $500 million to help identify, track, and respond to pandemics and other public health crises was secured as part of a COVID-19 relief package.
  
• Voting for vital federal coronavirus relief. McBath voted to pass the bipartisan CARES Act that helped deliver tens of millions in federal funding to Georgia’s Sixth District for small business and Paycheck Protection Program funding, safety initiatives at local schools to help keep students and teachers healthy, rent assistance for struggling families, and hazard pay for frontline workers.
  
• Introducing legislation signed into law to keep our children safe, set them up for educational success, and support our qualified child care providers. The Child Care Protection Improvement Act creates an inter-agency task force to identify barriers in background check completion and recommend best practices to overcoming them. Interstate background checks have been particularly challenging with no streamlined processes for conducting background checks across state lines.

• Sponsoring legislation signed into law encouraging humanitarian innovation. The bill expands programs designed to encourage inventors to pursue their life-saving ideas and create new, global humanitarian solutions. By increasing the power of the program, it gives entrepreneurs more freedom to support one another as they aim to serve our world.

• Creating the first annual Summer Storytime Program for Georgia’s Sixth District. Over the course of the summer, McBath read evening stories to children virtually, and each Sunday, hundreds of children, families, and community members tuned in to watch and were encouraged to read along together.

• Leading legislation to protect students at for-profit institutions after the closure of Argosy University in the Sixth District. McBath heard from concerned students across the Sixth District in early 2019 as news broke that Argosy University would be closing its doors, leaving more than a thousand individuals without a degree or chance of loan repayment. Additional legislation led by McBath allows for Pell Grant restoration in cases where students were misled, and was included in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act with several additional bills led by McBath.

• Successfully advocating for bipartisan legislation to examine the social disparities affecting black males in America. McBath signed on as a cosponsor and took personal interest in the bill because of the hateful manner in which her son, Jordan, and so many black men and boys are taken from their families. The bill, signed into law in August 2020, establishes a commission to annually report on the current societal conditions affecting black men and boys and make recommendations to the president and to Congress. Alongside the bipartisan leaders of the bill, McBath successfully advocated for the bill to be signed into law.

• Working to make college more accessible and affordable. Language McBath introduced was included in the omnibus package to make Pell Grants easier and more generous for prospective students, as well as simplifying and accelerating the FAFSA and federal aid eligibility process.

• Building safer and more secure communities. McBath helped procure $85 million for grants to improve the NICS firearms background check system, $6.7 million above the FY 2020 enacted level.

• Writing bipartisan legislation signed by President Trump to protect disability payments for veterans facing financial hardship. President Trump signed H.R. 2938, the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act, into law in August 2019. This bipartisan legislation stands up for veterans by amending current bankruptcy law and supporting disabled veterans’ eligibility for relief during financial hardship. Read more from Military.com.
• Securing a $5 million federal grant for the Akers Mill Ramp Project to improve transportation infrastructure. McBath requested the grant in a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and it was awarded to Cobb County and the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID). In June 2019, McBath spoke directly with the Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation to request the Department’s support for the project. Despite bipartisan support in 2016 and 2018, three previous attempts to secure federal funding for the project failed.
  
• Helping local synagogue Temple Emanu-El secure a safety improvement grant to modernize security and protect a community gathering place. McBath announced in November 2019 that a federal grant had been awarded to Temple Emanu-El of Greater Atlanta by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security. The grant provided $75,000 to help keep Temple congregants and community members safe by updating security, replacing insufficient lighting, and addressing a lack of visibility. McBath offered her endorsement of the Temple’s grant application in early June. The grant award was received by the Temple after several unsuccessful petitions in recent years. “We have worked for years to make our facility more secure and welcoming and appreciate Congresswoman McBath’s office’s help in securing new funds for us to further enhance our physical security in response to rising anti-Semitic threats,” said Robert Wittenstein, President of Temple Emanu-El.
  
• Securing $25 million in gun violence prevention research funding to find solutions to prevent gun deaths. The important firearm injury and mortality prevention research funding, the first in two decades, authorizes life-saving initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, including critical projects at the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in Chamblee to improve understanding of the solutions to prevent gun deaths.

• Leading the passage of the first bipartisan gun purchase background check bill, H.R. 8. A Member of the House Judiciary Committee, McBath helped lead the passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act as one of her first actions in office. The passage of the historic gun violence prevention bill marked the first time Congress passed a bill to ensure that all firearm sales be subject to background checks.

• Passing the USMCA, a new trade agreement to help businesses thrive. McBath voted to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new agreement is supported by both the business community and organized labor, and will benefit American businesses, workers, and the economy.

• Co-sponsoring and passing H.R.3 to lower prescription drug prices for seniors.The Lower Drug Costs Now Act will help bring down the cost of prescription drugs and level the playing field for American patients who are paying more for their medicines than patients in other countries. The comprehensive health care legislation included McBath’s bill to cover hearing aids for Medicare beneficiaries. Those living with cancer, arthritis, asthma, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis are expected to experience significant savings as a result of the bill. While the bill passed the House with bipartisan support, it has yet to be taken up by the Senate.

• Fighting for $310 million in Highway Funding for Georgia as part of a commitment to secure transportation funding. In November 2019, McBath voted to save $310 million in highway funding for Georgia in the continuing budget resolution approved by the House of Representatives on a bipartisan vote, after previously urging House leadership to repeal the proposed rescission of a total of $7.6 billion in highway funding.