Payne, Jr. Priorities Included in Congressional Black Caucus Policy Agenda Delivered to President

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, ahead of their meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, the Congressional Black Caucus presented the president with a 130-page policy documented titled, “We Have a Lot to Lose: Solutions to Advance Black Families in the 21st Century.” Included in the document are a number of Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.’s (NJ-10) priorities on gun safety reform, testing for lead contamination, colorectal cancer detection, and childhood education.

“The Congressional Black Caucus has been very clear to President Trump that African-American communities have a lot to lose under his administration,” said Congressman Payne, Jr. “And what we’ve done is put in front of him real solutions to help our communities, from reducing gun violence to expanding support services for our children. If the president is serious about wanting to improve the lives of all Americans, he should review these recommendations carefully and work with the CBC to implement them.”

Specifically, the CBC policy document includes the following bills introduced by Congressman Payne, Jr.:

·         Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2015 (H.R. 4278)

o   Bill Summary: This bill authorizes the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make grants to states, local governments, or gun dealers to conduct gun buyback programs. The BJA may distribute smart prepaid cards for use by a state, local government, or gun dealer to compensate individuals who dispose of firearms.

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·         Transparent Environment in School Testing for Lead Act” or the “TEST for Lead Act” (H.R.4879)

o   Bill Summary: While some school districts voluntarily test their drinking water for lead contamination, there is, surprisingly, no Federal requirement that schools test for lead regularly or to test for lead at all. The TEST for Lead Act addresses this water testing gap by requiring any state that receives funding from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), which provides federal funding for safe water programs, to assist public and charter schools in establishing programs to test for lead in drinking water. It also requires schools to promptly disclose the results if elevated lead levels are found.

·         Donald Payne, Sr. Colorectal Cancer Detection ( H.R.6275)

o   Bill Summary: The bill would place all FDA-approved blood-based screening tests on equal footing with available screening methods and authorize CMS reimbursement.

·         Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2015 (H.R. 2882)

o   Bill Summary: This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive, matching Promise Neighborhood Partnership grants to nonprofit organizations that partner with a local educational agency to implement a comprehensive continuum of supports and services that engage community partners in improving the academic achievement, health and social development, and college and career readiness of children who live in distressed neighborhoods with underperforming schools.