Hannah

I get it, but just want to say I think you did an outstanding job of playing a Blue Dog Democrat. Kudos.

James: Freeman amendment is a sophomoric stunt Senator Heather James has laid out why she will not be supporting the Freeman amendment to the border bill being supported by some Senate Democrats. Senator James said: "I have been on record supporting comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship, many times before. I voted for the 2013 bill, which received 68 votes in the Senate. The belief that this is some sort of political gotcha, being pushed by a Senator who has introduced a bill to literally ban immigrants from owning houses, is asinine. It is a stunt, offered in bad faith, at a time when others are trying to get on with the serious work of figuring out a deal that will get through the Republican-controlled House." Senator James again challenged the Republicans to docket the Freeman bill in the House, if they were actually serious about an immigration proposal. One-pager: 1. The amendment requires a full national E-Verify program. E-Verify doesn't work. When the program was last audited *, it found that over 50% of undocumented immigrant workers were approved anyway. The error rate has also led to nearly half a million legal workers being wrongly denied employment (and that's just those who successfully challenged). More than a third of all incorrect challenges take more than 8 days to resolve. E-Verify is a costly data surveillance program that is ineffective at preventing abuse of immigration rules. The one major concession wrung out of the immigration negotiations by Democrat leadership was to drop the E-Verify provision. This amendment, clunkily and carelessly, reinstates it anyway. 2. The amendment is not being offered in good faith. The amendment seeks to double the number of employment-based visas issued each year, not counting those with certain higher qualifications and their families. The RAISE Act seeks to retain the hard cap of 140,000 visas. These two positions are mutually incompatible. Every time the RAISE Act has been offered as an amendment this Congress, Senators Freeman and Cambridge have voted for it. When asked at a press conference whether he supported doubling the cap or not, Senator Freeman twice declined to answer. The less than subtle crowing from Republicans that their amendment was going to divide Democrats was also, to some of us, a bit of a hint. 3. The amendment is hopelessly vague. It boils down years of debate on immigration reform to a "points-based system" for which no points are allocated and no agencies are empowered to make any determinations. 4. The amendment will kill any chance of border security passing. This is solely because of Republican opposition. A bill must pass House and Senate to become law. Republican House leadership have been clear they will not take up any bill offering a pathway to citizenship. If the amendment passes, the bill has no chance of passage in this Congress. Senator James was one of 68 Senators to vote for the 2013 bill. The bill never received a vote in the House. * 2009 audit by WeStat. PDF file: https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/data/FindingsEVerifyEval2010.pdf -30-

James continues campaign for Spokane Tribe of Indians Senator Heather James has once again introduced legislation to address equitable and just compensation for the Spokane Tribe of Indians, continuing a campaign she has waged throughout her time in Congress. "In my very first Congress back in the House, I saw the Colville Reservation Grand Coulee Dam Settlement Act pass; but more than 20 years later, justice continues to be withheld from the Spokane Tribe of the Indians. But I will keep fighting," said Senator James during a visit to the Spokane Indian Reservation to promote activism for the bill and discuss other tribal issues. The legislation addresses an 80 year injustice, stemming from the taking of tribal lands by the federal government for the Grand Coulee Dam. The Grand Coulee Dam has been an important source of hydroelectric power for the Western states since, but the Spokane Tribe of the Indians have never been compensated for their loss of land, which saw them lose cultural heritage sites, fishing grounds, and natural resources. The bill, based on the compensation received by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in 1994, does not increase taxpayer obligations. "Though decades have passed, the injustices created by the damages to the Tribe's lands and livelihoods linger," said Senator James. "It's time to correct this through Congressional action." As well as the Spokane Indian Reservation, Senator James will also visit the Colville and Yakama Indian Reservations on her tour of Indian Country as she promotes her slate of bills addressing Native issues, including the Tribal Social Security Fairness Act, and the Native American Business Incubators Program Act. This bill would spur job growth and business investment in Indian Country by funding small business incubators. "Business on tribal lands often face difficulties with access to capital because they tend to be in very rural areas and face federal restrictions on leasing, so it's vital we cut through the red-tape and create spaces for networking, gaining the resources to build a business, and accessing start-up loans," said Senator James, as she introduced the bill. -30-

Name: Heather James Media/Outlet: Deadline: White House on MSNBC Reason: American Family Pact "President Murphy has unveiled a balanced set of reforms that will empower the American middle-class and promote good jobs. Central to that, a $15 minimum wage, which I am proud to endorse." "Raising the minimum wage is a good policy for all Americans. It ensures workers are earning enough to put food on the table and cover their bills, it strengthens Social Security, and it increases purchasing power which leads to higher consumption, leading to more sales of goods and services. But while it's good for all Americans, it's especially good for women and minorities, who dispropropionately she fumbles the word make up a lot of the workforce. Women make up nearly two-thirds of the workers who'd be affected by this bill. 1 in 4 working mothers, 1 in 4 working single mothers, would get a raise thanks to this bill. 1 in 6 women tipped workers in poverty, double the rate of working women and triple the rate of working men overall, which is why the tipped worker reforms are so important, too." "Paid family and medical leave is also a vital component of the American Family Pact. I'll spare you the usual stats about what a total global outlier the US is in not having paid leave, you've heard them a thousand times before. Let's not recite them a thousand more times, let's get on and pass this bill. If we want to build an economy for American families, we need to recognize that the overwhelming majority of primary caregivers are women, but women who don't have paid leave and who are low paid simply cannot take time off. Paid leave promotes equality, because women are so overrepresented in jobs currently ineligible for leave." "My bill is just a small part of the American Family Pact, though of course I was proud to see President Murphy give it a namecheck. I wouldn't characterize it as homeownership bill, though, because it's just as important to help renters. Affordable housing supply simply has not kept up with demand. Reforming the Housing Credit will build more houses, create more jobs in construction as well as increasing tax revenue, and open up opportunities for more American families to get into affordable housing." "You campaign in poetry and you govern in prose, someone once said. President Murphy's speech was the poetry, and as we settle down to the prose we do have to accept not every line of every aspect of every bill is going to pass what is a divided Congress, especially with such disarray on the Republican side. There should be negotiation, that's right and proper in a democracy. But we should also not be afraid to fight for our core values, which are promoting the interests of American workers and families."

Name: Heather James Media/Outlet: Squawk Box on CNBC Reason: Economic situation "Today's economic report is good news. The economy is doing well on key indicators on growth and inflation. You guys talk about a tight labor market, I'll call it low unemployment. Let's call the whole thing off." "Of course this is a reflection not just of the recent few months, but of the recovery under President Obama, so I don't think this Congress can take any curtain calls just yet, and of course we need to keep an eye on some things going on below the surface of that seemingly rosy report. We aren't building enough housing and demand is severely outstripping demand. Economic inequality is growing, both in terms of income and wealth. That doesn't make for a stable situation. There are definitely concerns and things we need to work on as a Congress and as a country, but the overall picture is solid." "The worst thing we could do now is blow it all up with protectionist nonsense. Closing our economy to the outside world, to trade, to investors, to immigrants who want to work and build businesses, these are policies that will degrade our economy and hurt everyone." "Another way of blowing it up would be another financial crisis. It was less than a year ago that Republicans were trying to repeal Dodd-Frank in its entirety. Undermining financial regulation will cost us in the long run. Will some traders come on your show and complain? A little, yes. Would the costs if we don't create backstops to prevent risky behaviors undermining our system be astronomically worse? Yes, by a lot. That's why I'm urging Congress to take up the 21st Century Glass-Steagall I've co-sponsored and not to roll back the Volcker Rule as Republicans have been advocating."

James introduces legislation to update housing credit Admitting that it was "not quite as sexy" but "just as worthy", Senator James was proud to see her proposal to update the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) included in President Murphy's American Family Plan alongside such bigger ticket items as a minimum wage increase and paid family leave. Speaking on the floor of the Senate as she laid out her bill, Senator James said: Greasing the wheels of demand while never developing beyond SFH zoned housing that is out of the price range of renters will never advance the goal of making housing affordable for all Americans. This legislation aims to take positive, concrete, realistic steps towards that aim by financing new affordable housing development. Her bill, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017, dramatically expands credit authority for the LIHTC, which would be renamed the Affordable Housing Credit, and makes technical changes to make the credit more streamlined and responsive to the needs of developers. "Demand for affordable housing is increasing and supply isn't matching that demand, there is simply no way to square that circle without building more, and these reforms will aid that," says Senator James. The expansion of the tax credit proposed in the bill would help create or preserve over 1.3 million homes over 10 years. "That's a 400,000 increase upon the program's current capacity," says Senator James. "Additionally, this bill would create almost half a million new jobs over the next 10 years. The tax credit currently supports tens of thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue through the construction industry, so expanding the credit is a win for jobs, too." The bill contains specific provisions to help underserved communities such as the 58,000 homeless students in the US currently unable to access affordable rental units, as well as veterans, Natives, and rural communities. "The LIHTC has been a hugely successful government program, and its expansion was part of the outgoing Obama administration's final budget request. We now have a chance to realize that vision and start building the homes Americans need," says James. -30-

Name: Heather James Media/Outlet: The NPR Politics Podcast Reason: Reflecting on Senate session so far "The Senate's just voted to confirm President Murphy's final nominee. This has been a perhaps unnecessarily drawn out process but ultimately, we got it done, showed both determination and flexibility, and now hopefully we can move on. The standout confirmation this session was of course Justice Jackson, though. The first African American woman on the Supreme Court, and with bipartisan support. I also want to mention Judge Watford, who was treated pretty abysmally throughout this whole mess, and whom I'd dearly love to see take up a place on the Court he deserves to sit on." "The Senate has been reasonably active this session despite the supposed gridlock. We've already sent President Murphy legislation on reducing generic drug prices, supporting the Mississippi Delta, and futureproofing our economy against job loss through automation. And we've important legislation on Medicare drug price negotiation, HBCU and MSI funding, and the I-5 Relief Act, which we're waiting for the House to take up. Washington can actually get things done, when we sit down and try." "Tacking riders onto bills is an easy and cheap way to get a quick hit, in the press or on the donor circuit, but it's definitely something that makes it harder to pass legislation. We need to be more disciplined about rejecting pork, and saying no to political stunts that are just designed to make the business of passing sensible bills that work for the American people -- something Congress should be more than capable of doing -- more difficult." "There are a lot of issues where there should be promising ground for bipartisan cooperation. It definitely seems like there's scope for compromise among Republicans on drug prices, financial regulation, and labor law, and I think an issue like cybersecurity is something where a sensible bipartisan deal could be staked out, too. So long as there's a Republican party there will always be obstructionism, but I also think there are many who know the Tea Party is over and it's time to get down to the business of government."

James introduces bill to update landslide preparedness Senator Heather James has introduced legislation to improve the response to landslides and help local communities prepare to mitigate their impact. Senator James said a recent mudslide in La Push and Forks was "evidence of the incredible damage these events can do to local communities". Senator James has been working on landslide issues since the 2014 Oso incident. The USGS estimates landslides cause up to 50 deaths and ~$2.5bn of damage a year in the United States, and Senator James says current USGS capabilities are not fit for purpose. "The advent of 3-D computer mapping technology, insights from geospatial imaging, and new technologies such as ifsar and lidar, need to be incorporated into a national response plan to address landslide risk," says James. Earlier this week, Senator James's Tsunami Warning, Education and Research Act was signed into law by President Murphy, and she says that landslides are "next on the agenda". "There is obviously a great deal of partisan division in Congress at the moment but I can assure you landslides don't care about red states or blue states. This is a problem that's obviously affected Washington recently, such as in Oso and now in La Push, but it' s truly a national problem and one on which Congress should be able to come together and give the USGS the resources they need." -30-

James to weigh options on her own bill Senator Heather James has admitted she is "unsure" how she will vote on her own bill, the Apprenticeships and Jobs Training Act of 2017, after wrecking amendments by conservative Democrat Senators have "added significant and burdensome complications". Although the Senate rejected pork barrel amendments for Florida and Iowa, and Vice President Ford cast a tie-breaking vote to prevent what called James "a deeply damaging move that would have hurt Washington state farmers, who would face higher tariffs at a time when Canada and Mexico buy nearly 50% of Washington's agricultural produce", they did incorporate amendments on private teacher tax credits and SBA direct loans. "It is not really clear to me what private school tax credits have to do with apprenticeships," said Senator James, "But in any case this entire scheme is highly likely to be ruled unconstitutional. Chief Justice Rehnquist's opinion in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris followed the precedent set in Mueller v. Allen that tax credits cannot go directly to religious schools. If the ACLU, FFRF, or similar groups were to challenge this program, I would certainly sign on with an amicus." More damaging, according to Senator James, is the SBA direct loan program tacked on in Title III. "The SBA has never given direct loans except in cases of disaster assistance, so this completely changes the mandate of a long running, successful government program," says James. "The SBA's entire budget last year was a little over a billion dollars, so the appropriations for this bill are going to punch a hole in the budget process and there's no indication how that's going to be filled. And the SBA already has numerous loan guarantee schemes, including ones for women and minority small business owners." James speculated the purpose of the amendments was "probably more about trying to sink the bill with a poison pill than actual legislative achievements" but that for now she would not be supporting a motion to end debate "until these problems are ironed out". -30-

James bill to promote apprenticeships considered by Senate The Apprenticeship and Jobs Training Act of 2017, introduced by Senator Heather James, is being considered by the Senate. Introducing the bill, Senator James spoke on the Senate floor: At a time when Americans are rightly worried about the burden of student debt on school leavers, apprenticeships offer an alternative to a traditional college education that allow young people to start learning and earning on the job. The bill contains a tax credit to incentivize employers to work with federal or state recognized apprenticeship programs, a pensions draw down option for older workers who undertake mentoring work to train new workers, and licensing reforms to allow veterans leaving the military with job training to convert that training into approved credits for apprenticeship schemes. "According to the National Association of Manufacturers, two-thirds of manufacturers report a shortage of available, qualified workers," says Senator James. "There is a skills gap in this country: 53% of jobs are at least 'middle skill', meaning they require post-secondary training, but only 43% of workers are trained to this level: yet college is not the right option for everyone. Apprenticeships provide an excellent alternative that offers training and advancement." Senator James said the Department of Labor has found that workers who finish apprenticeships earn nearly $250,000 more over a lifetime compared to job seekers with similar work experience. "This bill would be the first national apprenticeship incentive program," says Senator James. "A pragmatic and sensible approach to improving US skills and addressing shortages in the manufacturing sector." The bill will be considered by the Senate. -30-

Welcome (back)

Name: Jereh Ford Position: Vice-President Party: Democratic Avatar: Major Caucus: New Democrats Gender: Male (0 points, 0 points running total) Age: 57 (0, 0) Sexuality: Straight, divorced with > 3 children (0+15, 15) Jereh was previously married to Zima Charles, with whom he has four children (DeAndre, Eliyah, Zamari, and JonMarcus). He is now married to Daniela Steinberg, with whom he has two daughters, Cailyn and Tamasin. Race: Black (5, 20) Jereh is African-American with both Igbo and Yoruba ancestry. Religion: Roman Catholic (0, 20) Jereh attends St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral (rather infrequently, though). He occasionally attends Temple with his wife and daughters. Education: College Degree at Public University, Master's Degree at Top University (0+10+10, 40) Jereh attended the University of Memphis, where he played football, was Navy ROTC, and graduated with a degree in cellular and molecular biology. He subsequently attended Officer Candidate School. Background: Middle Class (0, 40) Jereh was born and raised in Memphis. His father was an administrator at the University of Memphis and his mother worked as a dispatcher and union representative. Career Information: Lawyer, Commissioned Officer (10+10, 60) Jereh was commissioned as a United States Marine Corps officer and served for 9 years on active duty. After returning from Kuwait he transferred to reserve assignment while he attended Harvard Law School. He remained in the reserves for another 8 years, leaving as a Major. He subsequently worked as a lawyer in commercial and mergers and acquisitions law in Rhode Island, New York, and Memphis. Awards and Extras: Major Military Award (10, 70) Jereh was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions in the Gulf War. Political Experience: House of Representatives (5 terms), House of Representatives Subcommittee Chair/RM (4 Congresses), (5×3+4×2, 95) In 2006, Harold Ford Jr. [no relation] decided to run for Senator, and therefore did not run for re-election in the Tennessee 9th Congressional district. Jereh entered a competitive primary. The national mood meant his military service record helped: he was sometimes cited as one of the few successful "Fighting Dems". Having spent little time in Memphis, with no local political connections, a middle class Catholic background, and a white partner, he was not universally popular among the Democratic primary crowd who essentially decide the Tennessee 9th, and faced a bitter primary challenge in 2008, but has gradually earned the trust of his community and won re-election without significant opposition since. In 2008 he was an early endorser of Barack Obama. In 2016 he endorsed Ambassador Julius Tuck; after Tuck's exit from the race, he had not made a new endorsement by the time Senator Murphy conceded to Mayor de la Cruz. During his time in Congress, Jereh has been a loyal Democrat, with a slightly more progressive voting record than his predecessor. Committee Assignments: Judiciary The Constitution and Civil Justice Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Homeland Security Counterterrorism and Intelligence Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications (Ranking Member) Oversight and Management Efficiency Ethics Key Votes: (1×5, 100) 110: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act NAY 111: Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act NAY 112: United States–Colombia Free Trade Agreement YEA (5) 113: Bipartisan Budget Act YEA Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization YEA 114: Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act YEA

James introduces bill to address tribal Social Security equity "Tribal council leaders deserve to access Social Security," says Senator Heather James, who today introduced the Tribal Social Security Fairness Act. The bill allows tribal government leaders to opt-in to Social Security and receive benefits, correcting a longstanding defect of the administration of retirement benefits that came to light following a 2006 ruling by the IRS. "When Social Security was amended in 1951 to give state and local officials access to Social Security, no provision was made for tribal officials. When the IRS then ruled against tribal officers accessing benefits, it came as a shock," says James. "This is something that can be fixed simply and swiftly by the federal government." The bill allows the Social Security Administration to reach agreements with tribes to provide coverage, including retroactive coverage for periods when FICA payments have been made. James says that the bill follows on from a bipartisan push by Washington state House members in 2015, but that that inquiry clarified that the SSA would need new authorizing legislation to enter into an agreement with a tribe. "I'm hopeful we can act to rectify this injustice and provide seniors who've worked to represent their people retirement benefits they're entitled to," says James. -30-

Name: Heather James Media: Good Morning America on ABC Reason: Wisconsin election and Washington context "I'm obviously not qualified to speak to the specifics of Wisconsin local politics: after all, I'm lactose intolerant! But in terms of the campaign overall what I saw was a referendum on responsible government. For a sitting Governor to lose to, all respect and congratulations to my friend Ron Kind, but for a Governor to lose to a House member is something of a reality check. The complete dysfunction on the Republican side, flip-flopping on policies they've advocated for years, undermining each other in political horse-trading, cycling through what will now be their third leadership change in a matter of weeks, can't have inspired much faith among voters." "That said, Democrats cannot afford to sit on our laurels. Winning one Senate seat moves us from knife-edge votes to slightly-blunter-knife-edge votes; we are still the minority in the House. We have a Supreme Court vacancy that's been open for over a year now, and a Vice President to confirm. I am confident that Majority Leader Storm will continue with an agenda tackling the issues that matter to Americans, and working across the aisle to get meaningless progress done. The latest bit of obstructionism, on infrastructure funding for California, was too ridiculous even for many Republicans, thankfully. Disaster aid needs to go to affected communities and not be held up by attempts to politik state policies from Washington D.C." "The attempts by some Republicans to portray themselves as the party of labor didn't really play in Wisconsin, unsurprisingly. While they're blocking legislation allowing federal workers to unionize, voting to rip health care benefits away from millions of workers, and above all preventing a living minimum wage increase, they can't seriously claim that mantle. But maybe some of their friction on their side suggests a deal on some of these issues is possible in the future."

I hadn't considered that without a Vice President, the PPT signing out would create an impasse in the Senate (and with all the quality debate flowing back and forth on the Senate floor, we wouldn't want that!) so for now I will sign back in. But please advance the nominations soon, admins. Your total inactivity is killing the game.

signed out

Name: Heather James Media: State of the Union on CNN Reason: AHCA The so-called American Health Care Act demonstrates that after seven years of complaining about the ACA, Republicans still have not come up with any viable solution. The AHCA would deny insurance to millions of Americans who've gained health care coverage for the first time thanks to the ACA. And it would effect a massive wealth transfer from low and middle income Americans to pay for tax cuts for the very wealthy. This bill would weaken Medicaid, explode income inequality, and cost jobs: over a million over the next decade, according to the Milken Institute. There is some good news, I guess. It would make some savings on Social Security. Because Americans would be dying earlier, but hey. Republican messaging on health care this session has been confused: Senate Republicans introduced an amendment, written by a Democratic Senator [Michael Bennet of Colorado], to provide extra support to insurance exchanges, while House Republicans turned around and voted for a resolution that would completely undermine that same bill by weakening those exchanges. Numerous Republicans flip-flopped after years of hardline opposition to support the Democrats' bill on Medicare drug price negotiation, but there seems no prospect of House Republicans giving that bill a vote. Just what is the Republican health care plan? A closed motion to prevent any amendments, and it passes on party lines, without a single Republican dissent. It appears that when they're in the majority, Republicans suddenly become a lot less interested in the supposed bipartisan cooperation and compromise they talk about in the Senate.

James: time to raise the minimum wage Senator Heather James issued a statement on her continued support of the Raise the Wage Act, after self-proclaimed champion of the workers Senator David Stewart's attempt to kill the bill off in committee was beaten back on the Senate floor by Senate Democrats. "You know what would really impress the Teamsters? Passing the Raise the Wage Act!" says James, who pointed out that the Teamsters have repeatedly endorsed the Raise the Wage Act and called on Congress to raise the minimum wage. "Let's measure the two parties' respective commitment to workers' rights by their action on raising the wage: voting for it, or playing silly parliamentary games to try and obstruct it?" The Raise the Wage Act would raise the minimum wage to $15 over seven years, and thereafter tie further increases to inflation; it would also eliminate subminimum wages for tipped workers, young workers, and persons with disabilities, thereby ensuring every American worker earns a fair wage. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the policy would raise wages for 40 million American workers (30% of the workforce) with an average pay increase of $3,500 p.a.. Sen. James says the minimum wage is particularly consequential to women: "Two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women, so raising the minimum wage is one of the most effective means of improving pay conditions for women in the workforce." 40% of Black and 33% of Hispanic workers would also get a pay raise under the bill. James says she will oppose Republican efforts to water down the bill by cutting the increase to just $11, and calls on Congress to come together and pass the legislation. "We can work out a deal to support small businesses," she says, saying they would be the hardest hit by any damaging trade war resulting from "reckless suggestions" on trade policy, "But we are not going to gut the core wage aspect of the bill." -30-

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welcome back

DNC Chair Heather James addresses the conference. Hey everyone, it’s great to be here. I’m not here today to talk about legislative priorities. President de la Cruz has her agenda, and she’ll work with Senator Fakhouri and Leader Pelosi on that. Building a pro-jobs, pro-worker, pro-environment economy, defending and expanding affordable health care, securing stronger protections for voting rights. A progressive policy agenda can set the tone for the next four years. But I don’t have the luxury of thinking four years ahead: I have my eyes on the elections two years from now. Policy is important, but it’s also not always the biggest factor in winning elections. For every ten learned policy wonks, give me just one energized volunteer. Like the activists here today. Who will phonebank and email, go door-to-door. Put up posters and nail down lawn signs. Canvas fifty unlikely voters for that one swing vote that might be the difference. Campaign in summer sun and November rain. We need to build on the successes of this last election cycle by retaining and expanding our majority in the Senate next election cycle, by taking back the House, by competing across the country. We won in Florida and we won in Wisconsin, we won in New Hampshire and we won in New Mexico. As DNC Party Chair, I fully back a fifty state strategy. And as important as the Congressional elections will be, the state and local elections need our full attention, too. There’s a chance to overturn a dozen or more reactionary governorships in 2018, to take back state houses that are passing regressive laws or refusing to roll out Medicaid expansion or trying to block environmental regulations. So the fight to defend the Senate and win back the House, to give President de la Cruz the votes for her agenda, to take back governorships and state legislatures, to advance progressive citizens’ agendas and roll back reactionary laws, starts now, and it starts not in a smoke filled room in Washington, but in local party chapters all across this country. For the next two years, we need to build our momentum until we’re an unstoppable force. Voter registration, fundraising, candidate recruitment. We can write all the progressive policy we want, but we can’t get a thing done until we do the work on the ground, and as Party Chair, that’s what I’m going to be getting involved for the next two years. Thank you.

James introduces bill to permanently reauthorize funding for the LWCF Senator Heather James (D-WA) raised alarms last year in the wake of Republican blocking of a vote on reauthorizing funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which works to conserve and protect some of the most important wildlife habitats in the country. "Hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest depend on the lands maintained by the LWCF," says Senator James. "Blocking a funding vote risks pushing more and more of our most cherished public hands into the hands of private developers, closing them off to the American public and risking destruction of vital biodiversity sites." As such, she has now introduced the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act to make reauthorization of funding for the program permanent. The bill would ensure the revenue stream for the LWCF runs outside the requirements of an appropriations process. It also contains a clause requiring a "sporting 1.5%". Senator James explains: "This means that at least 1.5% of the funds for this vital program have to be used for improving recreational public access to these lands, such as for hunting, fishing, or hiking." Senator James says that public access to the lands preserved by the LWCF is a "national birthright" that should remain open to "all Americans". -30-

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James introduces legislation to expand medical services to underserved communities Senator Heather James introduced the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, a bill to allow Medicare to cover pharmacists providing certain medical services to seniors in underserved communities. Supported by the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the National Community Pharmacists Alliance, and the National Rural Health Alliance, the bipartisan legislation will help older Americans who lack easy access to doctors to obtain medical care more easily. "No one should be left behind because of their ZIP code," says Senator James. "Too many seniors are going without medical care like diabetes check-ups or immunizations because they live in rural communities with limited access to doctors, yet pharmacists right there are licensed to perform those same services. We can help by having Medicare step in and cover those services." Senator James says her own state reflects the need for action. In 16 of Washington state's 39 counties*, there are fewer than 10 doctors per 10,000 residents. "Rural health disparities aren't a new issue in America," says James. Of the five leading causes of death in the United States (heart attack, cancer, accidental death e.g. vehicle injury or opioid overdose, COPD, and stroke) all five are higher in rural areas than urban, as well as higher rates of cancer related to modifiable risk -- including a lack of screenings. "Rural residents in Washington have access to few doctors, have long travel times to reach them, and long wait times to get appointments," says James. "While I applaud work being done by medical schools to improve rural medicine programs, those will take a long time to take effect and action is needed now, by providing support through pharmacists licensed to perform medical services." Earlier, Senator Clarke's bill to provide access to lower cost prescription drugs by taking on "pay to delay" deals in the pharmaceutical sector passed the Senate by unanimous consent, with Senator James listed as a co-sponsor, while Senator James's bill to allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prices has received bipartisan support. "Passing the ACA was a momentous achievement and it's important that we continue to defend and build on it," says Senator James, "But there's more we can on health care, particularly for seniors, and I'm keen to work with Democrats -- and Republicans, who have seemingly abandoned their opposition to Obamacare now and recently even co-opted Democratic bills to provide it with extra funding -- to work towards universal coverage for all Americans, be they rural or urban, seniors or veterans, women or children." -30- * As of January 2017.