For NV-03
CLICK HERE TO READ REP. LEE'S 2019-2020 TERM IN REVIEW REPORT
For Our K-12 Students
Before joining the House, Congresswoman Lee spent her entire career working to improve Nevada’s public education system and help students succeed in and out of the classroom. As a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Congresswoman Lee has brought her on-the-ground education experience to Capitol Hill and has helped introduce and pass commonsense legislation to improve Nevada’s schools and America’s education system.
Early in her term, Congresswoman Lee introduced the Keep our PACT Act, a key bill that safeguards funding for America’s Title I public schools, which are schools in which 40 percent or more of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch. The bill would also ensure that Individuals with Disabilities in Education (IDEA) programs have the funding that they need. For eligible children with disabilities, IDEA programs give them access to free public education that takes into account their special education needs.
Nevada leads the nation in regards to largest average class size, which is why Congresswoman Lee took action and introduced an amendment to the Rebuild America’s Schools Act to address overcrowding in K-12 classrooms. Through her experience as an education advocate, Congresswoman Lee understands the negative impact crowded classrooms have on students’ education and overall well-being.
Congresswoman Lee also introduced an amendment that would increase funding for the STARBASE program, which invests in Science Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs and resources in K-12 schools. For Nevada to be competitive in the economy of the future, we must invest in STEM education for today’s students.
In the News
KVVU (Fox, Las Vegas) - Rep. Susie Lee discusses plan to bring dollars into Nevada classrooms
Las Vegas Sun - Susie Lee addresses Legislature on schools, Yucca Mountain
Fatherly - The State of IDEA Special Education Funding Shows That Lawmakers Don’t Prioritize Kids
For Our College and University Students
Congresswoman Lee understands that every American deserves access to higher education. Unfortunately, with cost-of-living, tuition, and student debt skyrocketing, it’s harder than ever to afford an education. Through her work and leadership on the House Committee on Education and Labor, Congresswoman Lee is leading the fight to improve the nation’s higher education system and open access to college for every American.
In September 2019, Congresswoman Lee and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin led the introduction of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would overturn Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s rewritten borrower defense rule that gutted essential protections for student borrowers, many of whom are students of color and veterans who were defrauded by predatory school. The bill also protects taxpayer dollars. CRA resolutions of disapproval allow Congress to overturn regulations from federal agencies with a simple majority vote in both chambers. After the Senate and House passed the resolution with bipartisan support, it now awaits action from President Trump.
Since her first day in Congress, one of Congresswoman Lee’s top priorities has been cutting through partisan bickering and working with her colleagues, regardless of party, to find commonsense solutions to our nation’s toughest problems. That’s exactly what she did when she and Republican Congressman Jim Banks of Indiana joined together to introduce and lead House passage of the bipartisan Student Veteran Protection Act. Their bipartisan bill, which was passed as part of the Protect the GI Bill Act, would help student veterans by removing the financial burdens of GI Bill overpayments. Currently, when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) overpays a school for GI assistance for a student veteran, the student, not the school, is responsible for reimbursing the VA. This commonsense bill would shift the financial burden from the student veteran to the school—where it belongs
As a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, Congresswoman Lee helped the Committee pass the College Affordability Act (CAA), the comprehensive and landmark legislation to reform America’s higher education system. The Committee’s final version of the CAA included four bills that Congresswoman Lee sponsored as provision, including the Preventing Risky Operations from Threatening the Education and Career Trajectories (PROTECT) Students Act, Pell Grant Sustainability Act, Protecting Undergraduates with Board Limitations from Influence and Conflicts Act, and Protecting Access to Student Transcripts Act.
In the News
Washington Post - Congress rejects Trump rule that makes college loan forgiveness harder
CNN - Senate Democrats to force vote this week to reverse DeVos student loan policy
CBS News - So deep in student debt, they're suing Betsy DeVos over delays in loan forgiveness
Roll Call - House Democrats push through measure to nullify Trump student loan rule
Las Vegas Review-Journal - Rep. Susie Lee introduces bill to increase value of Pell Grants
Nevada Current - House panel advances effort to rein in higher education costs
The College Post - New Bill Seeks Indexing of Pell Grants to Inflation
Truthout - In Stunning Bipartisan Rebuke of DeVos, Senate Overturns Anti-Student Rule
For Our Families and Seniors’ Health
Affordable and accessible health care in America is in a dire state, which is why Congresswoman Lee has made expanding quality, affordable health care a top goal. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought some relief to Nevadans, there’s still much work that needs to be done. The coronavirus pandemic has also highlighted why addressing our nation’s health care shortcomings is so urgent.
In December 2019, Congresswoman Lee helped the House pass the Elijah E, Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3), sweeping legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans. If enacted, this bill would save American families $158 billion in lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. That would be $1,920 for every American family of four. American taxpayers would save more than $500 billion.
H.R. 3 also included Congresswoman Lee’s Enhancing Retirement Security for Medicare Beneficiaries Act as a provision, which would guarantee that retirement savings aren’t counted when determining if someone qualifies for Medicare Part D’s Low-Income Subsidy (LES) program. This provision alone would benefit many of the 95,581 residents in Nevada’s 3rd District enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan.
Congresswoman Lee’s bipartisan bill, the Supporting Older Americans Act, was signed into law by the President in March 2020. This landmark law reauthorizes and strengthens the Older Americans Act, which benefits roughly 11 million older Americans who use important social services and community-based programs like Meals on Wheels. The law also strengthens the aging network's ability to respond to public health emergencies and emerging health threats, like the coronavirus pandemic.
Nevada has suffered from a shortage of doctors for far too long. As a result, Congresswoman Lee successfully introduced an amendment in the fiscal year 2020 budget that increased funding for Graduate Medical Education slots. The amendment was signed into law and secured $53 million to address Nevada’s doctor shortage crisis.
Our state’s doctor shortage crisis has impacted our rural communities, such as Searchlight and Sandy Valley, exceptionally hard. Congresswoman Lee and her Republican colleague, Congressman Steve Watkins of Kansas, came together and introduced the bipartisan Rural and Underserved Residencies to Attract Long-term (RURAL) Physicians Act (H.R. 3150). The bill would allow student loan borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment throughout their medical or dental internship or residency if the internship or residency is served in a rural, medically underserved community or in a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility. The RURAL Physicians Act would help doctors work and grow their careers in Nevada, helping address our doctor shortage.
Health care in this country is already expensive enough, and for any person to receive a surprise bill from a provider that they were led to believe is in their network is a burden that no Nevadan deserves. Congresswoman Lee and a group of freshmen congresswomen introduced the UPDATE Act, a bill to protect Americans from surprise bills due to out-of-date insurance directories. The bill requires insurance companies to regularly update their provider directories to prevent patients from unknowingly receiving out-of-network care.
In the News
Las Vegas Review-Journal - Lee, Horsford discuss lowering prescription drug costs
Nevada Current - Prescription drug prices make Americans sick, regardless of politics
Nevada Current - As Horsford, Lee tout drug price bill, House progressives win more concessions
Nevada Current - Lee’s amendment funds medical positions at DeVos’s expense
Nevada Today - Rep. Susie Lee Holds Community Discussion on Prescription Drug Costs (and More)
AARP - Updated Older Americans Act Sent to House of Representatives
For Our Veterans
Congresswoman Lee knows the freedoms we enjoy every day in America aren’t free. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affair and the chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, Congresswoman Lee is a staunch voice for the rights of our veterans. In her role as chair of the Technology Modernization Subcommittee, she leads the House’s oversight of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) system.
Congresswoman Lee and Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman of Virginia saw that the needs of our student veterans weren’t being met. Together, they launched the bipartisan Veterans Education Caucus. They formed the caucus to highlight the experiences of America’s student veterans and create a space for members of Congress to collaborate in a bipartisan fashion on policies and solutions to improve the lives of student veterans and enhance their educational and economic opportunities.
During the Vietnam War, thousands of servicemembers were exposed to the toxic Agent Orange herbicide. Today’s veterans who were exposed to this toxin are now eligible for long-overdue health benefits needed to treat long standing health conditions caused by this exposure thanks to the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which Congresswoman Lee cosponsored in the House and was signed into law by the President in June 2019.
Congresswoman Lee’s concern for the health of our veterans also led her and Republican Congressman Steve Watkins of Kansas to introduce the bipartisan Leave No Veteran Behind Act. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to reach out to veterans with whom they have not had contact in two or more years, to ensure that every veteran is aware and has access to the comprehensive medical services provided by the VA. In support of this bill, AMVETS National Executive Director Joseph Chenelly said, “Our hope is that by requiring the VA to reach out to more veterans and help them with scheduling and transportation, more veterans will visit VA doctors, and in turn, less veterans will be affected by suicide or preventable health conditions.”
To ensure new veteran mothers have access to the health coverage they deserve, Congresswoman Lee and a group of her Democratic and Republican colleagues introduced and helped the House pass their bipartisan Newborn Care Improvement Act, which would extend coverage of newborn health care for the children of veterans. Currently, veterans are only eligible to receive seven days of newborn care, after which they must find and sign up for health insurance for their newborn. This bill would double that available time to 14 days of care, providing additional time for veterans to find the best health coverage, especially during a high-stress period.
Honoring the dedicated service of our veterans can be done in big and small ways. As the daughter of a veteran, Congresswoman Lee is proud that her first-ever original bill signed into law was H.R.1198, a bill renaming the 404 South Boulder Highway post office to the Henderson Veterans Memorial Post Office Building. As Congresswoman Lee puts it, “Recognizing and remembering what our veterans have done to defend and protect our country matters. It matters so we never take for granted the sacrifices of so many so we may prosper. It matters so our children learn to value selflessness. It matters so we never forget that our veterans deserve every single American’s support.”
In the News
Las Vegas Review-Journal - Susie Lee to chair VA subcommittee on technology modernization
KTNV (ABC, Las Vegas) - Henderson post office renamed in veterans' honor
Federal News Network - Congress seeking more answers on VA electronic health record delay
MeriTalk - House Reps. Want Transparency on VA EHR Delay
Modern Healthcare - Lawmakers press VA officials on app privacy
For Our Workers
Congresswoman Lee’s goal is to make sure southern Nevadans have the resources to thrive in our fast-changing economy. To prepare Nevada for the future, we must keep up with a more modern and automated economy.
As part of her effort to bolster services for seniors through the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, Congresswoman Lee and Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott of Virginia introduced and helped the House pass a bill to invest in and support direct care workers. The Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act (H.R. 4397) invests in training and employment advancement opportunities for America’s direct care workers. The coronavirus pandemic has shown us how critical supporting our direct care workers is.
As part of Congress’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Congresswoman Lee helped introduce the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act to ensure workers have access to extended, job-protected leave to care for themselves and their families amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill was included as a provision of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which was signed into law.
Congresswoman Lee also introduced the Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act, which would increase critical federal aid for Medicaid programs as state unemployment rates worsen. Parts of this bill were included in the House-passed Heroes Act (H.R. 6800).
Congresswoman Lee and Nevada’s U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen introduced the Cyber Ready Workforce Act. This bill would give students and workers apprenticeship opportunities in the cyber industry, giving them the key skills they need to compete in the developing 21st-century economy.
As part of her effort to support our veterans, Congresswoman Lee introduced the bipartisan Hire Student Veterans Act to help ensure that all student veterans can take advantage of valuable paid internships or work opportunities while in school.
There’s no doubt that solar is revolutionizing energy in America, especially Nevada. In response to this reality, Congresswoman Lee introduced the bipartisan American Energy Opportunity Act, which would provide the tools for local communities to streamline permitting processes for resident and business solar energy systems.
In the News
Las Vegas Sun - Our country depends on cybersecurity
Bloomberg Law - Cybersecurity Workers Shouldn’t Need College Degrees, DeVos Says
The Hill - Lawmakers introduce legislation to improve cyber workforce funding
The Hill - How to avert the direct care workforce shortage
Disability Scoop - Bill Aims To Boost Direct Support Workforce
Forbes - Remember To Thank Military Families For Their Service Too
Daily Energy Insider - House bill seeks to streamline permit process for distributed energy system