I’m leading this working group, along with Republican Rep. Stephanie Bice from Oklahoma, to figure out ways to give more Americans paid family leave. Most recently, our bipartisan group met with insurance companies who are responsible for providing paid leave benefits at the state level across the country. In this meeting, we discussed how to best navigate a patchwork of state laws and ways to increase access to leave benefits for employers and employees. We know that private industry has a role in increasing access to leave, which is why our next meeting will be focused on small businesses and how they can be involved in finding a federal solution.  

My work to lead on issues that matter to our community and country – and to earn the support of colleagues for these bills on both sides of the aisle – continues, and I am pleased to update you on recently introduced bipartisan bills. These bills: 

• Address the tragic mental health epidemic facing our servicemembers by creating a task force within the Department of Defense dedicated to mental health 

• Improve coordination between the U.S. and Taiwan on cybersecurity to counter aggression from China 

• Eliminated a rule that prevents police, teachers, and nurses who have been public servants for over a decade from accessing loan forgiveness programs 

• Expedite the application process for small businesses seeking grants to implement new initiatives which in turn sparks profitability  

• Incentivize federal investments in defense small businesses that can help protect the U.S. from its adversaries 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our 1,000 Paper Cranes Project – including the Surrey Senior Center, the West Chester Green Team, Phoenixville residents Kate and Anthony who created 400 cranes, and Justin (pictured below) who contributed 1,000 cranes all by himself! In partnership with the Okinawa Prefecture and the Okinawan community across the U.S., we sent 10,000 cranes (10x our goal!) to Hiroshima, Japan for the G7 Summit taking place on May 19. 

The idea of sending paper cranes came to me after going on a Congressional Delegation to Japan earlier this year. I visited the Children's Peace Monument that features a statue of a large origami crane and thousands of paper cranes. These cranes and the monument are in honor of the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who died of cancer caused by radiation from the atomic bombings in Hiroshima. The cranes have come to symbolize the desire for peace and a world free from the threat of nuclear war. 

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, my office will be hosting a Mental Health Awareness Fair and Forum at the Brandywine YMCA on Saturday, May 20th. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes a forum from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The forum is an opportunity for community members to ask questions from experts and hear about what resources are available to them. It’s free and open to the public. The forum will be moderated by Jessica Rigo, Executive Director of the Brandywine YMCA, and includes Sara Wein, MSS, MLSP, LSW, Executive Director of NAMI of Chester County; Candy Craig, Mental Health Deputy Administrator for Chester County Department of Mental Health/Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities; and Kyle Finucane, Director of Behavioral Health at Chester County Hospital’s Department of Behavioral Health. The fair will feature representatives from: 

• A Child’s Light  

• Camp Dreamcatcher 

• Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services 

• Chester County Department of Mental Health/Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities 

• Chester County Hospital – Behavioral Health Department 

• Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) 

• Chester County Suicide Prevention Task Force 

• Chester County Veteran Affairs  

• Chimes Holcomb 

• Coatesville Veterans Affairs Suicide Prevention 

• Coatesville Youth Initiative 

• GRANDFamily Connections of Chester County 

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Chester County 

• Project Healing Hive 

• Pyramid Healthcare/Onward Behavioral Health (OBH) 

• Recovery Centers of America 

• The Crime Victims' Center of Chester County, Inc. & Chester County Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Coalition 

RSVP to the event here.  

Did you know there are still places in the U.S. - particularly rural areas and those recovering from a disaster - where a call to 911 may not go through? Hopefully not anymore. I was glad to vote with nearly every one of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to pass the Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act in the House. It requires the Federal Communications Commission to work on getting cell phone coverage to these underserved areas, so people can call emergency services when they need it.

Russell, a West Chester resident, reached out to our office for help with the IRS. Here’s what he said after working with our office: 

“My 96-year-old father had some issues with his 2019 Federal Tax Return and received a notice from the IRS. Based on that notice, and erroneous IRS calculations, he made an additional payment that far exceeded what was actually due. Subsequent to this, we realized that he paid more than he should have. In November 2021, we filed an amended return to obtain a refund of the excess. Despite many letters, the IRS failed to provide an effective response. Rep. Houlahan’s office helped us cut through IRS red tape and obtain timely resolution of the matter and a refund. Thanks!” 

As always, please contact my office if you need assistance. 

Be well and be kind to one another.

Chrissy Houlahan 

U.S. Member of Congress

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