Back in August, when tea partiers went viral on cable news, Joseph Crowley, D –N.Y. 7, set up an interactive healthcare forum to help inform Americans about what was actually happening with reform. But six months later, and Democrats losing their super majority with the election of Scott Brown, Crowley is looking to just get something passed, according to the Bronx News Network.
“We might have to break up the bill a bit, to do it piecemeal,” he said. “I think we will get something through—it may not be everything we want at first, but it will be substantial.”
Crowley has cited the need for health care reform in his own district, particularly for Bronx small business owners, who he says can’t afford to buy health insurance for their employees.
Across the river, Jackson Heights, Queens is home to almost two-thirds of the 28,000 Bangladeshi residents in New York City, according to the 2000 census. Crowley is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Bangladesh, which brings 31 Members of Congress together in support of the people of Bangladesh, according to his website.
Crowley asked Bangladesh authorities on Jan. 27 to investigate the punishment of a 16-year-old rape survivor. The Daily Star, Bangladesh’s largest circulating English-language newspaper, reported that the teenage girl was raped and then punished with 101 lashes.
“I urge the Bangladeshi authorities to begin an impartial investigation into this matter and move to bring any perpetrators to justice immediately.” Crowley said in a press release.
The press release added:
“Additionally, the London-based Guardian newspaper reported that “elders in the village issued a fatwa insisting that the girl be kept in isolation until her family agreed to corporal punishment.” While Bangladeshi law is largely secular and does not tolerate rape, local elders often issue sentences and settle disputes, as it appears in this case. Bangladesh is a moderate, predominantly Muslim country which has taken several strong steps to ensure women’s rights, including the provision of seats for women in the national parliament.”
Since taking office in 1999, Crowley has easily won reelection with an increasingly higher percentage of votes by keeping up on issues that matter to his constituents. He’s hoping these initiatives will keep it that way.