Rep. Susie Lee Releases 2019 Fourth Quarter Report

Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Rep Susie Lee (Nev.-03) released the following statement marking her final three months of 2019:

"From my first day in Congress, every action taken, policy supported, and legislation introduced has been to benefit my constituents in southern Nevada. While I am grateful to see many of my bills passing with bipartisan support, my most important measurement of success in Congress will always be how much I have directly helped my constituents in Nevada's 3^rd District. I helped Sandy Valley residents retain access to affordable food, recovered $261,373 in individual constituent cases, and helped pass my legislation through the House to lower prescription drug costs for Nevadans on Medicare, reauthorize the Older Americans Act, protect and strengthen the GI Bill for student veterans, and extend newborn care coverage for veteran mothers. This is why I came to Congress, and I'm excited to get even more done in 2020."

Solving Problems for Constituents

In November, Rep. Lee helped the Sandy Valley General Store become an official SNAP retailer after months of uncertainty about the store's SNAP retailer status.

Store owners and Sandy Valley residents, Derrick and Jasmyn Fletcher, contacted Rep. Lee after their SNAP-retailer application was denied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), citing that the store was not in a geographic area with "significantly limited access to food."

In a Nov. 12 letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Rep. Lee highlighted that the next nearest SNAP retailer is a gas station and convenience store a 19-mile drive away. Considering 34 percent of Sandy Valley residents rely on SNAP benefits and the area is highly limited in transportation, Rep. Lee argued that Sandy Valley reasonably qualifies as an area with significantly limited access to food and urged the USDA to find a timely path forward to approving Sandy Valley General Store and ensuring residents' access to their only grocery store in town.

On Nov. 22, USDA officials informed Rep. Lee that the store was reevaluated and approved as an authorized SNAP retailer on Nov. 17, 2019.

This is one of many instances of Rep. Lee going to bat for her constituents, and coming back with real solutions to their problems.

Since Oct. 1, 2019, Rep. Lee's District and Washington, D.C., offices have:

• Recovered approximately $261,373 for constituents.
• Responded to 31,337 emails, calls, and letters.
• Taken on 101 constituent cases.
• Have held 237 official meetings in the district.
• Have held or attended 43 public events in the district
• Helped 375 tour groups visit our Nation's Capital.

On Nov. 11, Rep. Lee dedicated the newly-renamed Henderson Veterans Memorial Post Office. The post office renaming is a result of Rep. Lee's bill, H.R. 1198, which renames the 404 South Boulder Highway post office to the Henderson Veterans Memorial Post Office. The President signed the bill into law on Aug. 21, 2019.

On Nov. 23, Rep. Lee hosted her fifth in-district town hall and spoke with her constituents about important issues like health care, education, and the impeachment inquiry. While there was disagreement at times, Rep. Lee was able to have a constructive discussion with members of the community across the political spectrum.

Legislative Accomplishments

Since Oct. 1, five of Rep. Lee's bills have passed the House, all with bipartisan support. In addition, three amendments introduced and supported by Rep. Lee passed the House as part of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), along with three amendments in the fiscal year 2020 Appropriations package that passed the House earlier this week.

The Dignity in Aging Act reauthorizes the landmark 1965 Older Americans Act, which increases funding for vital programs that help aging Americans live independently and with dignity. This bill responds to the challenges facing a growing generation of aging Americans by providing a 35 percent total increase in program funding for OAA over five years.

The Direct CARE Opportunity Act, which passed as part of the Older Americans Act, invests in training and employment advancement opportunities for American's direct care workers and caregiver industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1 million direct care workers will be needed by 2024. The Direct CARE Opportunity Act helps address this demand by strengthening support for workers who provide daily living assistance to millions of older Americans, people with disabilities, and others with chronic care needs.

The Student Veteran Protection Act, which helps student veterans by removing the financial burdens of GI Bill overpayments, passed as part of the Protect the GI Bill Act. Right now, when the 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 bill shifts the financial burden from the student veteran to the school, where it belongs. Not only does this help remove an unfair obstacle in our veterans' journeys to academic success, it will save taxpayers $120 million over a decade (CBO).

The Enhancing Retirement Security for Medicare Benefits Act, which would guarantee that retirement savings are not counted when determining if someone qualifies for Medicare Part D's Low Income Subsidy (LES) program, passed as part of the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act. Rep. Lee strongly supported and help pass this bill through the House to help lower prescription drug costs for millions of Americans.

The Newborn Care Improvement Act, which extends newborn health coverage for new veteran mothers, passed as a provision of the Deborah Sampson Act. 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.

Rep. Lee continues to get things done for Nevada's 3rd District as an active, collaborative, and bipartisan legislator. In August, Rep. Lee was ranked as one of the most "active" freshmen Congresspeople in the 116th Congress, having introduced 12 bills and was one of six first-term Congressmembers to have legislation passed by the Senate. Since then, she has continued her work in the same solution-based, bipartisan spirit, continuing to get things done for southern Nevadans.

###