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Policy Successes of Representative Danny K. Davis

Health:

  • I expanded treatment and services for individuals suffering from Sickle Cell Disease and advanced suicide prevention among college students with the passage of key acts.

  • I helped develop the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), including key provisions such as the Community First Choice Option and funding for Federally Qualified Community Health Centers.

  • I increased trauma services and improved health provider training for children and families exposed to trauma, including establishing grants for trauma support in schools.

Economic Well-Being:

  • I played a leadership role in establishing stimulus, unemployment, and employee retention payments, assisting individuals and businesses during the pandemic.

  • I temporarily increased the Earned Income Tax Credit for various groups, secured a substantial increase in the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and directed investment to economically distressed communities through key legislation.

  • I championed laws that encourage charitable giving, improve retirement savings, lower educational debt, provide free tax assistance and financial literacy, and protect student loan borrowers.

Small Business and Underrepresented Workers:

  • I helped small businesses compete for defense contracts and advanced diversity in the federal workforce through legislative efforts.

Throughout my 26 years in Congress, I have been dedicated to securing policy wins that strengthen children, families, and communities across Illinois. From education to healthcare, criminal justice reform to economic well-being, and beyond, I am proud of the progress we have made together.

Education:

  • I ensured that under-resourced colleges serving high percentages of low-income, Black students received over $374 million in federal aid through the creation and funding of Predominantly Black Institutions.

  • I led efforts to advocate for the equitable treatment of African American students, including preschoolers, and for the disaggregation of education data to reveal disparities in educational experiences.

  • I fought to increase educational stability for homeless and foster youth, reduce bullying and harassment, and protect educational opportunities for students with disabilities.

  • I worked alongside President Obama to establish the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, focusing on the success of Black students.

Strengthening Children and Families:

  • I championed the establishment of the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, dedicating $5.2 billion to improve mother and child health, family safety, and child development, with Illinois receiving approximately $119 million.

  • I helped permanently expand guaranteed child care funding to states to $3.55 billion, supporting working parents and providing the first-ever funding to territories and tribes, along with the first increase in funding in 15 years.

  • I secured $485 million in emergency supports during the pandemic for older foster youth, kinship caregivers, and foster care prevention services, along with $1 billion for emergency assistance for low-income families needing cash assistance.

  • I transformed federal child welfare funding to strengthen families by addressing root causes of struggles and decreasing the over-representation of Black children in the child welfare system.

  • I worked to prioritize kinship caregivers as placement for children entering care and ensure they receive the support they deserve.

  • I expanded grants to stabilize families dealing with substance abuse, helping them avoid foster care.

Criminal Justice Reform:

  • I helped enact the Second Chance Act, providing over $1.2 billion to improve reentry and reduce recidivism.

  • - I led efforts to restore Pell grant eligibility for incarcerated students and remove limitations on federal student aid for students with felony drug convictions.

  • - I worked to establish a pilot program for Pre-Trial Services for Women and Children to reduce children entering care due to incarceration.

 

In addition to these policy wins, I lead the House efforts to secure funding annually for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Second Chance Act, education and services for homeless youth and children, and more.

I continue to fight to make children, families, and communities stronger, with many more policy achievements on the horizon. Thank you for your support.

Congressman Danny K. Davis, 7th District of Illinois
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