The Beatty Weekly Wrap Up | June 28th - July 4th
The last few days have certainly been full of fireworks figuratively and literally!
It began with me chairing the House Financial Services Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee's hearing "The Legacy of George Floyd: An Examination of Financial Services Industry Commitments to Economic and Racial Justice." The Subcommittee's hearing made national headlines for its focus on the extent to which banks, publicly traded companies, executives, and various stakeholders in the financial services industry have made good on their promises to Black communities and businesses, as well as steps these institutions have taken to achieve sustainable racial equity within their organizations.
As I said then, "While pledges and platitudes that affirm values are important, we stand at a crossroads that demands tangible and transparent action. Transparency and accountability must be at the heart of the financial industry's promises, and I call upon them to fully embrace the spirit of my transformative piece of legislation: theDiversity and Inclusion Data and Accountability Transparency Act. The hearing came on the heels of new analysis from Creative Investment Research that found that American companies pledged $50 billion, including $33 billion from financial firms, toward racial equity after George Floyd's murder, but to date only $250 million has been spent or committed to a specific initiative.
On Wednesday, I was selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore during the debate on my bipartisan bill to #RemoveHate from the U.S. Capitol. The measure later passed the House that same day.
The very next day, I spearheaded a Congressional Black Caucus press conference to push for action on infrastructure, voting rights, and a whole host of issues that put American workers, families, and small businesses first. The event couldn't have come at a more appropriate time given the House advancing the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, a comprehensive infrastructure package that includes $19 million in Central Ohio requests. Even more timely is the fact that the U.S. Department of Transportation last week announced $25 million in federal funding for the $1.3 billion Columbus Crossroads project that I fought hard to secure. This transformational project will help further revitalize the downtown Columbus area, spur greater investment in surrounding communities, and restore connections to the Southside. Talk about a win-win for my constituents and our vibrant economy
Ending on a high note, after the House adjourned for the rest of the week, I traveled back home to participate in the Bexley Independence Day Parade. That reminds me, I hope each of you had a happy, healthy, and safe Fourth of July holiday weekend. It was nice seeing so many smiling faces on Sunday, and I can't wait to see many of you out and about in the very near future too.
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