Weekly Update | May 16, 2020
Helping Americans Keep Their Health Insurance
We've gone from one of the greatest economies I've seen in my lifetime to the highest jobless rates since the Great Depression in less than two months. We have to help people keep their health insurance. Nearly 20 years ago, my wife was in the fight of her life battling colon cancer and I would never want someone going through something like that in fear of losing their doctors or their provider because they've lost their job due to a pandemic without the option of getting another one.

This week, I led a group of Republicans and Democrats in introducing the Health Care Protection to help people keep their health insurance through COBRA or access health care on the exchange if they need it. Our bill is a reasonable, bipartisan approach to helping people afford health care during this crisis and it's frankly something Congress could use a little bit more of right now.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this bill.
The House Needs Hearings, Bipartisanship On Next Coronavirus Package
In two months, Congress passed four bipartisan bills totaling 3.5 trillion dollars because this crisis required immediate spending to help and much of that spending continues to be distributed today. Since then, the House should have been working, holding bipartisan hearings to examine what more is needed to help states, especially as many of them begin to reopen, but that's not what happened.

Instead, Speaker Pelosi spent the last three weeks behind closed doors crafting a three-trillion-dollar, partisan bill (H.R. 6800) that includes measures to federalize elections, change our immigration laws, and spend billions in taxpayer dollars unrelated to Coronavirus without one single hearing.

I've worked with my colleagues across the aisle on many issues we've heard about from our constituents, including releasing a bipartisan bill to help people who have lost their jobs keep their health insurance. The American people deserve a measured, bipartisan response, not a rushed, partisan bill that is going nowhere.
CLICK HERE or video above to here more about the issues with federalizing our election process, which is included in H.R. 6800
Democrats pushed through a partisan rule change that authorizes proxy voting, allowing members of Congress to give their vote away to Speaker Pelosi.
CLICK HERE or the video above to learn more about the dangers of proxy voting.
Introduced the Nurse Workforce Protection Act
I joined Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard this week to introduce the Nurse Workforce Protection Act. This bipartisan bill will help prevent health care providers who receive COVID-19 relief from furloughing nurses. We are co-chairs of the House Nursing Caucus. Nurses are the backbone of our health care delivery system and if a provider is receiving federal funding, they should not be furloughing nurses.

File Photo: U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13) visits the Illinois State University Mennonite College of Nursing on March 4th, 2019 to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
Resources Update
UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE: Illinois launched the PUA Portal for self-employed individuals to apply for unemployment insurance on Monday. The expansion was funded by the federal CARES Act. IDES provided further information this week which can be found here .


Helping Constituents Cut Through Red Tape in Godfrey
“Peter [on your staff] was INCREDIBLE! Please don’t ignore this positive review, Peter is an amazing civil servant, who treated our matter professionally, and as quickly as possible. This was my first experience working with civil servants on a tax issue, and I couldn’t be more pleased how Peter helped us. Thank you Peter!”

-Jay in Godfrey, IL
More Important Updates
Coronavirus Live Q&A Episode w/ Lindy McDonald, Owner of Myler Automotive Repair in Champaign, IL on the PPP
Recently, I launched a new Coronavirus Live Q&A series on Facebook where I host a special guest to discuss issues impacting either you or others in your community. On Wednesday evening I was joined by Lindy McDonald who along with her husband owns Myler Automotive Repair. Myler Auto is a small business that has been part of the Champaign-Urbana community for more than 40 years. We talked about how the Paycheck Protection Program has helped her business survive COVID-19 and continue to pay her employees who are like family to her.
The People's House Should Be Working
We were not elected to Congress to give our vote to someone else. Allowing proxy voting sets a dangerous precedent. It shuts out the voice of our constituents and gives all the power to a select few, namely Speaker Pelosi. We have a constitutional responsibility to represent our constituents and we should not abdicate it. I've worked with our Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rules Committee Ranking Member Congressman Tom Cole to develop a plan to safely reopen Congress . Just as many of our constituents have continued to work so should their members of Congress. Speaker Pelosi should work with us to implement, not try to diminish the voice of members.

2020 Congressional Art Competition Winner Announced
I was proud to announce the winner of my 2020 Congressional Art Competition. Congratulations to Dorie Bulthuis, a senior at Cerro Gordo High School​ on her 1st place finish! Her art piece "Content" is pictured here. It will be hung in the United States Capitol​ for one year representing IL-13. Read the full announcement and see the second place winner at the link below.



"Content" by Dorie Bulthius
NSF CARES Act Funding for University of Illinois COVID-19 Testing Research
This week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $682,662 to five COVID-19 related research projects at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Three of the grants are specifically aimed at shortening the amount of time it takes to process COVID-19 tests . 

Testing is a key component to getting America reopened. We've taken great strides to increase testing capacity and with NSF-sponsored research like this that process will only improve going forward. Read more at the link below.



Related:
CDC Advice for Mental Well-Being During COVID-19
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Below are tips from the CDC to cope with COVID-19 related stress:

  1. PAUSE. Breathe. Notice how you feel
  2. TAKE BREAKS from COVID-19 content
  3. MAKE TIME to sleep and exercise
  4. REACH OUT and stay connected
  5. SEEK HELP if overwhelmed or unsafe
2 Year Anniversary of U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem
This week, was the two year anniversary of the U.S. Embassy being opened in Jerusalem. Thank you President Trump for your leadership and friendship towards Israel.
3 Ways to Take the 2020 Census
The U.S. Census Bureau has reported that 63.3% of IL-13 households have now completed their 2020 Census. Have you?