C O N G R E S S W O M A N T E R R I A . S E W E L L

ANNUAL REPORT 2014

CONSTITUENT SUCCESS STORIES

CONNECTING WITH YOU

“ IT’S AN HONOR TO REPRESENT YOU IN CONGRESS!”

A Tuscaloosa veteran contacted our office in January 2011 regarding a case he filed for medical problems related to PTSD he developed while serving our country. He had been denied benefits numerous times since 2005. Our office worked diligently on his behalf with the Department of Veterans Affairs. In March 2013, he was finally approved for his disability and received retroactive benefits of over $200,000.

A constituent in Dallas County contacted our Selma office for assistance with a Social Security Disability claim he filed several years prior. With the help of our Selma staff, his claim was reviewed by the Social Security Office of Disability, Adjudication and Review and successfully resolved in the constituent’s favor. He received over $20,000 in retroactive SSA benefits.

Our office motto is “Constituents First.” We pride ourselves on putting your needs and concerns as our top priority. In 2013, we secured over $635 million in federal grants for the district and successfully closed casework for constituents who received over $1.6 million in favorable benefits owed to them by the federal government. Our office visited all 14 counties in the district and hosted over 32 town hall meetings, forums, workshops and events that were attended by thousands of constituents during 2013. We will continue to serve you and we stand ready to assist you and your family with all of your federal needs in the coming year.

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

M.C.Prsrt Std

TS14001

This mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense.

www.Sewell.House.Gov /RepSewell @RepTerriSewell

OFFICE LOCATIONSWashington D.C. Office1133 Longworth HOBWashington, DC 20515Phone: 202.225.2665Fax: 202.226.9567

Birmingham OfficeTwo 20th St. North, Suite 1130Birmingham, AL 35203Phone: 205.254.1960Fax: 205.254.1974

Montgomery Office101 South Lawrence St.Montgomery, AL 36104Phone: 334.262.1919

Selma Office908 Alabama Avenue,Federal Building, Suite 112Selma, AL 36701Phone: 334.877.4414Fax: 334.877.4489

Tuscaloosa Office2501 7th St., Suite 300Tuscaloosa, AL 35401Phone: 205.752.5380

CONSTITUENT SERVICES REPORT

n 11,989 letters and email replies sent to constituents in 2013

n Over $635 million in federal grants awarded to the 7th Congressional district in 2013

n Over $1.6 million in favorable benefits awarded to constituents successfully assisted by our office in 2013

n 32 “Congress in your Community” town halls, forums and events hosted throughout the 14 counties of the district attended by thousands of constituents in 2013

n 14,512 people participated in our Affordable Care Act Tele-town Hall and over 300 constituents attended the 5 Healthcare Enrollment Workshops hosted in Birmingham, Demopolis, Selma, Montgomery and Thomasville in 2013

n Over 2,000 jobseekers and 50 employers attended the Annual Job Fair held in Selma in 2013

n 5 Project R.E.A.D.Y Workshops attended by more than 525 constituents provided job readiness training and assistance in partnership with Lawson State, University of West Alabama, Wallace State Selma, Trenholm and Shelton State

n 19,516 subscribers to legislative updates, weekly “Guide to Grants”, monthly newsletters and office correspondence

n 1 Congressional Gold Medal ceremony at the U.S. Capitol attended by more than 200 constituents to bestow the medal on the “Four Little Girls” killed in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

n 27 Members of Congress visited the district in 2013 — including Vice President Biden’s visit to Selma for the Bridge Crossing and 15 members participated in a Congressional Forum honoring the “Four Little Girls” at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham

Congresswoman Sewell attends Congressional Gold Medal Bill Signing Ceremony in the Oval Office

F R O M T H E D E S K O F

Dear Friend,

As a new year begins, I wanted to update you on the progress we made in 2013 and the priorities we are focusing on in 2014. I am proud of the work our office continues to do on behalf of the 7th Congressional District.

In 2013, we secured over $635 million dollars in federal grants for the district and successfully assisted constituents in receiving over $1.6 million dollars in favorable benefits owed to them by the federal government. We are honored to serve you in Congress and we will continue to work hard for you and your family in the coming year.

Sincerely,

CONGRESSWOMAN TERRI A. SEWELL

KEEPING YOU INFORMED

CONGRESSWOMAN TERRI SEWELL

COMMEMORATING OUR PAST: CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BILL PASSESAs a direct beneficiary of their sacrifices, I was honored that my first successful bill in Congress honored the “Four Little Girls” killed in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church with the highest civilian honor — the Congressional Gold Medal. I was proud that my colleagues from the Alabama congressional delegation joined me as original co-sponsors of the bi-partisan bill. Two weeks after the bill passed unanimously in both houses of Congress, President Obama signed the bill in the oval office. In September 2013, the American people, through their Congressional representatives, bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal upon Addie Mae, Denise, Carole, and Cynthia during a formal ceremony in our Nation’s Capitol. For the 50th Anniversary, our office hosted a delegation of 15 Members of Congress for a congressional forum at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. During this event, the families of the “Four Little Girls” were presented the Congressional Gold Medal. We must never forget the sacrifices made so that America could live up to its ideals of equality and justice for all.

HOSTING JOB FAIR 2013We continue to promote employment opportunities in our district by hosting our annual Job Fair. In August 2013, we hosted our 2nd Annual Job Fair in the heart of the Black Belt at Wallace Community College in Selma. The job fair attracted more than 2,000 jobseekers and 50 employers. We have received numerous testimonials from constituents who were helped by the opportunity to connect with local employers. Our office remains committed to implementing common sense solutions to address the challenges posed by systemic unemployment. We look forward to hosting our 3rd Annual Job Fair in 2014.

HONORING OUR VETERANS We must continue to honor and serve our service men and women as they have served us. Our nation’s veterans have defended this country nobly at home and abroad. Our office remains committed to providing our veterans with exemplary service helping our veterans to secure millions in retroactive benefits owed to them by the federal government. We are dedicated to doing our part to tackle the backlog at the VA and will continue to make our veterans a top priority in the coming year.

We must never forget the tremendous courage of our veterans as so many made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this great nation. Our office was thrilled to host several events to present the Congressional Gold Medal to black marine veterans in the district that fought in World War II. Congress bestowed the gold medal honor in 2012 to the Montford Point Marines, America’s first group of African-Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps. It was an honor to meet these brave men from our district and to bestow them with a medal for their valiant service. These extraordinary individuals paved the way for so many others. We honor all veterans when we treat them with the dignity and respect they earned by serving and protecting this nation.

Project R.E.A.D.Y workshops in 2013 attracting over 525 constituents and offering practical guidance about how to succeed in the workforce. In the coming year, we look forward to expanding our Project R.E.A.D.Y initiative. In order to be competitive in the 21st century, we must invest in our greatest resource — our people. We will continue to do our part by creating opportunities for our constituents to connect with employers and to get training and the skills they need to succeed.

PROMOTING AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL Our office remains committed to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and providing access to affordable healthcare for all Americans. While no law is perfect, it is imperative that we provide healthcare for the 42 million Americans (including 600,000 Alabamians) that are uninsured. Our district is already benefitting from the new law. Almost 30,000 children in the 7th Congressional District now have health insurance and seniors in Alabama saved over $132 million dollars in prescription costs in 2013 alone.1 Our office is dedicated to helping constituents enroll in the new healthcare exchange. We hosted five healthcare enrollment workshops across the district in 2013 providing critical information to educate constituents about the ACA and the enrollment process. We will continue to be vigilant in working to ensure that all uninsured and underinsured Alabamians have access to quality affordable healthcare.

WORKING HARD FOR ALABAMA FAMILIES C O N G R E S S W O M A N T E R R I A . S E W E L L

Congresswoman Sewell joins congressional colleagues at the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony for the “Four Little Girls” in Statuary Hall in the Nation’s Capitol

INVESTING IN OUR WORKFORCE: PROJECT R.E.A.D.Y. Our top priority is job creation. We are committed to addressing the issues that cause systemic unemployment in our district. We will continue to host an annual job fair in the district and work with local employers and our two-year colleges to develop training and apprenticeship opportunities. We launched a new job readiness initiative in 2013 called Project R.E.A.D.Y — Realizing Everyone’s Ability to Develop Yourself. We believe we must provide our constituents with the information and tools they need to be successful in the job market. By partnering with career professionals and educational institutions in the district, we hosted five (5)

Congresswoman Sewell with students at Project R.E.A.D.Y workshop in Birmingham

Congresswoman Sewell presents Congressional Gold Medal to a Montford Point Marine

n PROMOTE JOB CREATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT • Work with state and local governments to retain and recruit industries

• Invest in infrastructure projects in the district that will promote economic development

• Support our farmers and Alabama’s agriculture industry

• Host Annual Job Fair 2014 in the 7th District to provide employment opportunities for constituents

• Expand Project R.E.A.D.Y workshops across the 7th District to assist constituents in preparing for the workforce

• Promote grant opportunities in the district through our weekly “Guide to Grants” report

• Help Veterans find jobs through support of VOW to Hire Heroes Act and local initiatives

• Work to advance my bill H.R. 1324 — Workforce Development Tax Credit Act to provide tax incentive to businesses that provide apprenticeship training programs

• Advocate for the advancement of my bill H.R. 1323 — Small Business Start-up Savings Accounts Act of 2013 to encourage the creation of more small businesses in the district

• Fight to save our Post Offices and keep postal jobs

n SUPPORT PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ECONOMIC AGENDA • Increase the Minimum Wage

• Promote Equal Pay for Equal Work

• Address Income Inequality

• Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform

n PRESERVE OUR HISTORY AND PROMOTE ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION IN THE BLACK BELT

• Sponsor legislation to extend Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

• Support the 50th Commemoration of the Selma to Montgomery march

• Sponsor H.R. 2254-The Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Act

n RESTORE THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT • Work to strengthen the bipartisan VRA amendment bill to include

coverage of Alabama for preclearance protection

• Fight to protect the fundamental right to vote for all vulnerable communities

2014 PRIORITIESCONGRESSWOMAN TERRI SEWELL

1. According to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Estimates are based on ASPE analysis of the 2011 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample, Democratic Staff Report by the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)