Congresswoman Kelly Enters August District Work Period with Bipartisan Wins

Press Release

As the Senate waged a hyper-partisan battle where Republicans tried to strip millions of their health insurance, Congresswoman Kelly used the days before the August District Work Period to build bipartisan consensus and advance common sense legislation.

The wins:

Bipartisan H.R. 2408 unanimously passed House Foreign Affairs Committee

In May, Congresswoman Kelly joined Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH) in introducing the Protecting Girls Access to Education Act (H.R. 2408). The legislation would prioritize existing aid dollars to ensure that children, specifically girls, are able to receive an education when displaced by conflicts, famine or natural disaster.

Bipartisan H.R. 2422 unanimously passed House Energy & Commerce Committee

In May, Congresswoman Kelly reintroduced the bipartisan Action for Dental Health Act (H.R. 2422) with Congressman Mike Simpson, DMD (R-ID.) The legislation would provide resources for dentists to provide quality, accessible dental care in underserved communities. The legislation has 79 co-sponsors, including 12 Republican and 67 Democratic members. On March 17th, Chicago dentist, Dr. Cheryl Watson-Lowry, DDS, testified on the bill before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee.

Having been positively reported out of committee, both of these bills should now move to the House floor for a debate and vote. "I am confident that we can pass these bipartisan bills that support access to healthcare and education," said Congresswoman Kelly. "I'd like to thank my partners on the other side of the aisle for working with me on this legislation. When we work together, we can achieve great things for Illinois and American families."

Setting the stage for more bipartisan wins:

Bipartisan H.R. 3433 seeks to empower farmers to combat food deserts

On Wednesday, Congresswoman Kelly (D-IL) and Congressman Mike Bost (R-IL) introduced the Feeding America through Farm Flexibility Act (H.R. 3433). The legislation provides a common sense tweak to the crop insurance program to allow farmers to grow fifty percent more fruit and vegetable acreage, if the additional produce is sold or donated into a food desert. Concerning the legislation, Congresswoman Kelly said: "There are people in my district who live 20 miles from farms but simply can't get fresh fruits and vegetables for their families. From my conversations with farmers, it's clear that our current policies are preventing farmers from helping to solve the food desert crisis."

Bipartisan H.R. 3488 seeks to end human trafficking

On Thursday, Congresswoman Kelly (D-IL) and Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced the Reducing the Demand for Human Trafficking Act (H.R. 3488) to give state and local law enforcement the tools and resources that they need to combat human trafficking while supporting survivors. As a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, Congresswoman Kelly has convened three hearings, in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., on preventing and addressing human trafficking and exploitation of young women and girls.

Additionally, the Congresswoman hosted a Breaking Bread dinner on Monday evening. The event was a chance for Members of the U.S. House -- both Democrat and Republican -- to sit down together and share a meal. "I thank all of my colleagues who joined me for dinner. Yes, we work together but we don't often take the time to put politics aside and just talk. I hope this dinner remains a space where we can check the politics at the door, greet each other with mutual respect and talk one-on-one about solutions for the communities we serve."

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