Lifesaving Legislation

House Democrats Confront Gun Violence

Across the country, mass killings, gun crimes, suicides, accidental shootings and other forms of gun violence tragically claim the lives of 45,000 Americans every year – more than 100 every day. It is sickening that firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens: killing more of our kids than car accidents or cancer.

House Democrats have taken action again and again to combat gun violence. Since we took the Majority in 2018, House Democrats have twice passed legislation advancing universal background checks for all gun purchases, action that is supported by nearly nine in ten Americans.

On Wednesday, House Democrats passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, a bold legislative package of common-sense measures that will make an enormous difference in our fight against gun violence, including:

• Raising the age to buy semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21. Currently, someone could buy a semi-automatic rifle, the weapon of choice in many mass shootings, at just 18 years old – yet you must be 21 to buy a handgun;
• Cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off of our streets;
• Subjecting ghost gun purchases to background check requirements;
• Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from stolen weapons or accidental shootings;
• Closing the bump stock loophole to ban these deadly tools from civilian use; and
• Outlawing high-capacity magazines, which are designed for killing en masse.

Building on this life-saving package, House Democrats also passed the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act introduced by Congresswoman Lucy McBath and Congressman Salud Carbajal. This legislation will empower federal courts to temporarily disarm individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others and incentivize states to enact their own extreme risk laws.

House Democrats remain committed to getting common-sense gun safety legislation across the finish line. To all those in the Congress who would stand in the way of saving lives: your political survival is nothing compared to the survival of our children. Saving our children can and must be a unifying mission for our nation. The House will continue fighting to bring this gun epidemic to an end, and we will not rest until the job is done.

Protecting Democracy After January 6th
January 6th was an attack on our Democracy and the Constitution, and the American people deserve answers about what led to the violence of that day. Last night, the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol shared their initial findings and highlighted a despicable scheme to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

Our Democracy remains endangered by those who continue to attack the rule of law and amplify lies about the 2020 election. It is important that the Committee tells the American people the full story and sets out recommendations to help ensure nothing like January 6th ever happens again.

Building a Future for the Western Hemisphere
Last night, it was my honor to bring warm greetings from the U.S. Congress to the foreign ministers of the Western Hemisphere and welcome them to the Golden State for the Ninth Summit of the Americas.

Nearly three decades after the United States hosted the first Summit of the Americas, President Biden, Vice President Harris and Secretary Blinken are convening leaders of the Americas at a pivotal moment. Right now, our nations are grappling with serious and urgent challenges: long-standing economic inequality, the climate emergency, the migration crisis and the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, while at the same time we continue to confront Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine. In Los Angeles, our Congressional delegation is engaging with key leaders of our neighbors in the region as we embrace an ambitious, wide-reaching agenda aimed at sustainable, resilient and equitable development, prosperity and democracy – now and for decades to come.

American Rescue Plan & the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Keeping Ahead of COVID in San Francisco

Special Adjustment to Standard Mileage Rates
In light of recent gasoline price increases, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced an increase in the standard mileage rate that businesses can use to calculate tax deductions for travel. As many employees use automobiles for business purposes, they rely on optional standard mileage rate deductions for economic stability. Effective July 1st through December 31st, the standard mileage rate for business travel will increase by 4 cents per mile, a step towards providing relief for those impacted by gasoline price increases. Read more details on how you may benefit from this special adjustment for the final six months of 2022.