Weekly Recap: What You Might Have Missed
We are rapidly running out of time to get everyone counted in the 2020 census — Just yesterday, the administration defied a court order and said that it will stop counting on October 5! But, there is still time to fill out the 2020 Census. Complete yours TODAY: 2020census.gov. Doing the right thing has never been easier, safer, or more critical!
Here’s how I spent the past week working for you:
Traveled across Delco with community partners for a Census Day of Action
Thank you to everyone who joined us this Sunday for our Census Day of Action! I am grateful to all the organizations and elected officials, including my friends Rep. McClinton and Senator Kearney, and Mayors Keffer and Kirkland who helped make this final push to get everyone counted.
The Census directs critical federal funding for hunger relief, education, transportation and infrastructure, healthcare, and more. For each person who is not counted in the Census, Pennsylvania loses, on average, $2,000 per year in federal dollars.
Requested FTC Inquiry Into Unfair, Deceptive Digital Food Delivery Practices Hurting Small Restaurants And Consumers
COVID-19 has made restaurants increasingly reliant on food delivery platforms as in-person dining remains limited due to the virus. Independent restaurant owners often have no choice between competitive firms offering marketing and delivery services; instead, they are held hostage to the services and terms set by the dominant firm in their market.
The delivery platforms have used this leverage to set excessive fees and commissions, and undertake multiple coercive and potentially deceptive marketing actions such as creating fake phone numbers and websites for restaurants and offering delivery services without restaurants’ consent
I led a letter with Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Jan Schakowksy to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph J. Simons calling for an investigation into market consolidation and unfair and deceptive practices of food delivery platforms and their harmful impact on small businesses and consumers.
Read more here: https://link.medium.com/eeTEZQyO29
Led Justice for Juveniles Act’s Unanimous Passage in the House
Young people in our prison and juvenile justice systems have long been victims of physical and mental abuse. When widespread abuse was exposed at the Glen Mills School in Delaware County last year,I introduced the Justice for Juveniles Act.
This bill exempts youth from the requirements of the Prison Litigation Reform Act to ensure that they can remedy abuse when they are detained.
We must protect the wellbeing of all children, including those housed in corrections facilities. Not only are juveniles more likely to be subject to abuse but they are less likely to be able to remedy it because of their youth.
I am thrilled that our bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support and is ready to be taken up by the Senate.
Read more here: https://link.medium.com/voLKojbA49
Philly Inquirer: https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/glen-mills-abuse-juveniles-for-justice-act-congress-scanlon-pennsylvania-20200921.html
Listen to my remarks on the House floor here: https://twitter.com/repmgs/status/1308130380235538434?s=21
Joined the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress in passing the fifth and final package of recommendations to make Congress work better for the American people.
The committee passed 40 additional. recommendations, with full bipartisan support, which aim to help Congress reclaim its Article One responsibilities, improve the congressional schedule and calendar, boost congressional capacity and reform the budget and appropriations process. The Select Committee also voted in favor of its final committee report, which will be released to the public in the coming weeks.
Hosted a Coffee with Your Congresswoman with Dr. Ala Stanford, Founder of the Black Doctors Consortium
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium has gone above and beyond to bring COVID-19 testing to our communities most in need. So far, they have tested over 11,000 people, over 400 of which have been children. Dr. Ala Stanford is truly a superhero and I am so grateful to her for taking the time to chat with us this week.
Listen to our conversation here: https://www.facebook.com/2317303261926393/posts/2918798455110201/
Learn more about Dr. Stanford’s work here: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/dr-20200420.htmlfbclid=IwAR2xt6VyN7zwYt4JWpXgG3TBmEH3aQpxPfT_f3QiS21AGmTRjzwddPAtOuU
Paid my respects to Justice Ginsburg as she became the first woman to lie in state
It seems incredible to me that Justice Ginsburg is the first woman to lie in state in our nation’s capital, although it is hard to imagine who better to receive that honor. But for her service, her advocacy for women’s rights, we likely would not have seen the wave of women, like myself, enter Congress in 2018. May her memory be a blessing to our country.
Joined Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson for a summit discussing our legislative agenda to improve gun violence response and prevention
On average, we lose 100 people to gun violence every day. This violence has become the second leading cause of death for children in this country. Our thoughts and prayers are not enough. We must mobilize all levels of government to act.
We had a productive convening of federal, state & local officials, including former Philadelphia Police Chief Ramsey, to address the state of gun violence and legislative solutions. The US House has passed multiple gun violence prevention bills this term which the Senate has yet to consider.
Introduced bipartisan bill with Rep. John Curtis to renew human trafficking council
Human trafficking remains far too common in our country. I was proud to join my colleague, Representative Curtis, to introduce this bipartisan legislation in support of the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking. We must use every resource at our disposal to prevent this horrific crime, and protect survivors.
Read more here: https://curtis.house.gov/press-releases/curtis-scanlon-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-renew-human-trafficking-council/
Participated in House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on “Oversight of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice”
The Civil Rights Division is tasked with protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. However, the department, and the DOJ at large during the Trump administration, have largely failed to accomplish this task, even going back to undo the progress of previous administrations.
The Trump Administration’s Civil Rights Division has undermined pending cases, weakened enforcement mechanisms, and withdrawn critical guidance protecting LGBTQ individuals.
This has happened against the backdrop of the Department of Justice, and all its divisions, becoming increasingly politicized and acting to protect the personal and political interests of the President and his allies, rather than those of the American people.
Watch the hearing here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fRfRZXH2Cfo
Celebrated the first annual Indigenous Peoples Day in Rutledge, PA with representatives from the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribe
It was great to celebrate with the Swarthmore and Rutledge Boroughs as they adopted a resolution to honor indigenous people at the behest of Ms Corsen’s fifth grade class at Swarthmore-Rutledge School. We were honored to hear from members of Lenni Lenape Nanticoke, which inhabited much of southeastern Pennsylvania, and so proud of the civic engagement of our young people.
I continue to meet with our local public health and community leaders each week as we work together to map our path out of this pandemic and towards recovery. Thank you for everything you’re doing to keep your friends, family, and neighbors safe. Keep social distancing. Keep wearing your mask. We know that these are challenging times, but we can support each other to come through stronger.
Our office is here to help as we navigate this crisis together. You can reach us by phone at 610 — 626 — 2020 or by sending me a message through our website at scanlon.house.gov/contact.
REMINDER: Voter registration ends October 19. You can register here: https://www.votespa.com/Register-to-Vote/Pages/default.aspx
