Joe Neguse

There are too many health issues to count that we still cannot do much about. Hearing, however, is an area that has taken grand scientific leaps in recent years – granting the gift of sound to many hearing-impaired through cochlear implants and another device called a bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA). One of Joe’s constituents, 11-year-old Ally, who has a BAHA, wrote a letter to him a couple years ago lamenting that her implant was not covered by insurance and that she was sure so many others who needed it couldn’t afford it. Joe introduced Ally’s act back in 2019, but has reintroduced it now to the 117th Congress to make such hearing aid devices covered by insurance. The bill now has bicameral and bipartisan support with Sens. Shelley Capito (R-WV) and Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) support.

With Democrats now controlling all Congress and the White House, perhaps it was the perfect time for Joe to re-introduce his bill called “Ally’s Act” increasing access to specialized hearing care. Inspired by an 11-year-old from his district named Ally, this bipartisan, bicameral bill (which means it has support in both the House and Senate) would require private insurance companies to cover osseointegrated hearing devices (OIDs) including bone anchored hearing aids and cochlear implants, exactly like the one Ally’s insurance company denied her receiving due to high cost. Ally’s mother wrote to Joe, who took to the charge like a bolt of lightning, and now must shepherd its passage into law. Also noteworthy is that Joe, a former litigator, was named by Speaker Pelosi as one of nine impeachment managers who will argue the case in front of the Senate.

Joe is certainly a member of Congress who knows how to get things done, having sponsored or co-sponsored 20 bills that became law. Now, he’s calling on that no-nonsense attitude to condemn the objections to the election, stating, “no substance, no evidence, no facts, no explanation for why over 88 judges across this land have rejected the very same claims [of voter fraud].” He continued, “the bottom line is this…the people have spoken.” Joe was one of the first to sign on for VP Pence to invoke the 25th amendment and voted yesterday to impeach the president. He also spoke on the House floor defending the election results when Arizona was being debated.

Joe’s district was home to the largest wildfire in Colorado history this year – it burned for 3.5 months and affected 208,913 acres. He has now started the bipartisan Wildfire Caucus in the next Congress. “Wildfire mitigation and response must be a year-round priority,” he said. Joe and his Republican co-founder, Rep. John Curtis of Utah will use the group to advocate for the needs of local fire crews. Other goals include promoting science-based wildfire mitigation strategies and boosting federal resources to communities subject to fire damage. If you live in a state affected by wildfires, this is an effort to be applauded and watched that can hopefully change the disastrous course we’re on.

Whistleblower is a hot-button word these days and Joe has just passed legislation to further protect folks who step forward to report wrongdoing, often at their own peril. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act is a bipartisan bill that extends whistleblower protections to private sector employees who report criminal antitrust violations. Antitrust violations often result in higher prices, less innovation, and less choice, therefore without accountability from the employees, price and wage fixing would go unreported. The measure passed the Senate last year thanks to Joe working with Senator Chuck Grassley (R), and now with the successful House vote, it heads to the President’s desk for his signature.

Considered the 8th leadership position in Congress, Joe was elected as the Co-Chair of the Caucus’ messaging arm – the Democratic Policy and Communication Committee. At Political Playlist, we love to see our young politicians elected to these leadership positions in their party. This isn’t Joe’s first rodeo; he was previously the Co-Representative for the Freshman Class of the 116th Congress. His new position will give him the opportunity to craft messaging and policy formulation… something most Democrats can agree they could be a little better at.

In Joe’s first term in Congress he introduced 38 bills – the most of any freshman member. Now, after winning reelection, he will continue his push for progressive policies, specifically as they relate to climate change and healthcare. Joe also had a newborn baby when he took office and credits his wife, Andrea, for the continuing support during his first term and now what will be his second!

Joe traveled with Colorado governor, Jared Polis, to a fire incident command center to learn more about the wildfires that have been raging in his district. In an attempt to better understand how he can help from a policy level, Joe listened to the Incident Team Commander’s insistence that Coloradans need to adjust their thinking – there are no longer ‘fire seasons’, but ‘fire years’. With 20 of the largest wildfires in Colorado history having occurred in the past 20 years, Joe stresses the importance of addressing climate change. Where does the issue fall on your list of concerns?

Getting a bill signed into law is no small feat in our incredibly divided government, but Joe has done it now FIVE TIMES since being sworn in in 2019. His most recent feat was passing a bipartisan antitrust law extending an existing provision to encourage antitrust violators to work with the Department of Justice. Ultimately, this permanent fix gives investigators all the tools they need to investigate any criminal antitrust activity. Nuanced issues like this don’t make it onto cable news, but does that mean we shouldn’t know about it?