Glenn Ivey

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was introduced last Congress, and, with the support of my Democratic colleagues, the bill passed the House. It, unfortunately, did not advance in the Senate. As you know, the bill increases accountability for law-enforcement misconduct by eliminating qualified immunity, restricts the use of certain policing practices like the chokehold, enhances transparency and data collection, and establishes best practices and training requirements.

I am a supporter of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and I am urging my colleagues to pass this important piece of legislation. Our antiquated criminal justice system has long allowed law enforcement to utilize excessive force and prejudicial policing practices while avoiding accountability. The recent murder of Tyre Nichols served as a tragic and stunning reminder. We need to end pretextual stops, allowing police officers to stop cars even though they lack even reasonable suspicion of the commission of a crime. It’s just racial profiling hiding behind legalese and a subtle way to circumvent the constitutional rights of low-income black and brown men. We should get rid of toxic so-called “elite squads” like the one that killed Tyre Nichols because the culture within these squads compels them to run roughshod on our streets and contribute to a breakdown in trust between police and the community they’re meant to serve.  It is not enough to hold out-of-line officers accountable; we need extensive reform with de-escalation training, selective bias training, and better tools for policing.

We can and must do better to avoid tragedies and improve public safety. Investing in our communities through unarmed first-responder agencies, mental health and crisis-support treatment options, community intervention programs, and re-entry programs as good first steps toward progress. I will never stop working to support and enact changes that will make our country safer for all Americans.

As you know, House Republicans voted in January to rescind additional money allocated to the IRS for reviewing the returns of tax cheats and the mega-rich who are illegally gaming the system to avoid paying taxes. I proudly voted against the so-called Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act because we shouldn’t prioritize billionaire CEOs over single moms. Thankfully, Senate Democrats and President Biden won’t allow these Republican-passed cuts to go into law. I will always fight for increased funding and staffing at the IRS to aggressively enforce our laws and regulations that fund the social safety net that working families and our seniors depend on to survive and thrive. An economy that rebuilds the American middle class regardless of race and ethnicity is a moral and economic imperative.

All American workers, particularly those of color, benefit from the right to organize. I am a proud co-sponsor of the PRO Act of 2023, which forbids companies from permanently replacing employees on strike, restricts the use of offensive lockouts, and repeals secondary-activity prohibitions. The PRO Act is a watershed moment in worker empowerment, civil rights, and economic-stimulus legislation with the capacity to deepen the revitalization of our post-COVID economy.

In just two years under his leadership, President Biden and House Democrats created 12 million jobs, including over 800,000 jobs in manufacturing, and reduced the unemployment rate to 3.4 percent, the lowest it’s been in 50 years. In this Congress, I look forward to working with the Biden Administration on important legislation like the Junk Fee Prevention Act and fostering an economy that works for everyone, not just those earners at the very top.

As your congressman, I will continue fighting to level the economic playing field for all Marylanders. I am a proud co-sponsor of H.R. 884, which amends the Internal Revenue Code to close tax loopholes used by the wealthiest Americans and corporations and ensure that the ultra-rich pay their fair share. Additionally, Unions are central to elevating the American worker, and I will always support the right to organize. In this Congress, you can count on me as a strong ally in fighting for collective bargaining rights and removing barriers to union organizing.

All children deserve to have access to a quality education. It is essential to ensure that the next generation is given the tools to be successful and drive our economy forward. We cannot allow our country to fall behind in a global economy, and we do that by investing in our educational system to make it high-quality and accessible for all Americans – from preschool to high school and beyond. The earlier children start learning, the better. Early education promotes childhood development, an important determinant of health over a person’s lifetime.

We urgently need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid some of the worst consequences of climate change. To limit these harmful effects, Congress must fully support the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue and enforce regulations that stop polluters and enforce greenhouse gas emission limits. I commend the Biden administration for empowering the EPA to rein in plastics pollution and toxic emissions into our air and water.

Preserving the environment, growing our economy, and transitioning our economy to clean energy all go hand-in-hand. Such a comprehensive strategy creates good-paying American jobs while ensuring that we will be responsible stewards of the natural environment for the benefit of future generations. Everyone must pay their fair share of taxes, and fossil-fuel companies are no exception. In fact, many fossil-fuel companies have a history of paying less taxes than other utility businesses which has, at times, enabled them to enjoy record profits. The environmental impact of traditional fossil fuels has also come into sharper focus in recent years. The oil and gas industries have a role to play in limiting climate change and environmental degradation, which is why President Biden has directed the federal government to use its scale and procurement power to achieve 100 percent carbon, pollution-free electricity, at least half of which will be locally supplied clean energy. As a member of the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Caucus, I view cultivating a sustainable environment as essential for human health and economic growth. These investments will keep costs down and preserve our planet to the benefit of future generations.

Making sure healthcare is affordable is one of my top priorities in Congress. We need to safeguard health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and deepen and expand access to quality health care for everyone. No one should ever have to worry about affording a lifesaving treatment or going bankrupt because they or someone they love falls seriously ill. Health care is a right – not a privilege – and I won’t stop fighting until it is universal.

We must protect and build on the gains we’ve made under the Affordable Care Act. We won’t go back to the days when insurance companies could impose monetary limits on your coverage, kick young adults off their parents’ plans, deny coverage to people for a pre-existing condition like cancer, or even charge women more for their health care.

Last year, House Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act and stood up to big pharmaceutical companies to keep seniors from paying any more than $35 per month for insulin. We must continue to fight to lower costs for all Americans.

Securing stable housing is another critical step in reducing poverty. I have supported increased access to affordable housing through programs that have repaired 72,600 homes, empowered more than 18,800 new homeowners, and assisted 105,253 families with affordable housing counseling to date. As a member of the Caucus on Homelessness, I remain committed to ensuring everyone has access to affordable housing.

There is no catch-all solution when addressing global poverty, but to supporting and investing in programs that will feed the hungry and provide shelter to the unhoused are the best ways to start.

As a supporter of a 21st-century immigration system, we need a system that reflects our values, repairs past harm, heals our communities, rebuilds our economy, and renews our global leadership. I believe immigration reform should treat immigrants humanely, especially children and families; enforce the law against employers who abuse H-2A and H-2B visas; extend rights to DREAMers to legalize their immigration status fully and permanently; establish a pathway to citizenship for immigrants to recognize their contribution to our society; and properly fund the security of our borders.

I am also a strong supporter of giving Customs and Border Patrol the resources they need to get the job done. President Biden and House Democrats passed over $1.4 billion in resources in last year’s Omnibus to shore up our border, including funding increases in the numbers of border patrol officers and other staff, newer equipment, greater intelligence analysis and targeting, newer aircrafts and improved surveillance technology. We must continue to build upon this work to ensure that our immigration system is well-funded to handle the millions who are looking to enter our country.

Transit service is essential for connecting people to jobs, education, and other important destinations, while also reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse-gas emissions. Being such an integral part of people’s lives, transit services may at times be unreliable and fail to address the needs of the communities they serve. A federal operations funding program would fill this gap by providing a stable source of funding for transit agencies to cover the costs of running their systems.

Moving forward, it is essential to include service standards to ensure that the funding is used to improve service and not just replace local funding. This would guarantee that the funding is directed toward expanding service, increasing frequency, and improving accessibility for the public.

I am grateful for the many sacrifices our servicemen and women have made for this country. Our veterans put their limbs and lives on the line to protect the liberties that we hold dear. It is our responsibility to ensure that when they return home, we as a nation take care of them and their families. It’s only right. Our commitment to them should include securing an affordable place to live, educational and employment opportunities, and quality health care. Our nation is safer and stronger when we care for our veterans who have dedicated their lives to protecting us.

As your Congressman, I want to continue to advocate for veterans to get the much-needed resources they deserve. That includes furthering the work of House Democrats that advocated for $314.1 billion in 2023 federal funding for much-needed veteran's programs and resources, such as access to mental health resources, a veterans’ crisis line, homelessness assistance, and medical prosthetic research.