You can count the numbers, and they are staggering. And the pain is immeasurable.

Currently, one in four women experience domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner in our country. That’s two times higher than the incidence of breast cancer. Of those affected women, three are murdered every single day in a domestic violence homicide. Because batterers tend to isolate their female partners from family, friends and services, a visit to the doctor’s office, health clinic or emergency department may be one of the few times a woman meets professionals in a confidential setting. Guidelines created under the Affordable Care Act provided an opportunity to integrate domestic violence into our health care system by requiring health plans to fully cover screening and counseling as a standard element of women’s preventative services.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This issue has touched the lives of so many that I know personally. And, as an elected official, I am well aware that the decisions we make in public policy influences every aspect of how we combat this disease. From increasing the amount of breast cancer research funding to ensuring better access to treatment, federal and state officials play a key role in eradicating breast cancer.

Manufacturing matters because it is a vital contributor to the economic health and wealth of our nation. It matters because it provides high-wage jobs, commercial innovation (the nation’s largest source), a key to trade deficit reduction, and a disproportionately large contribution to environmental sustainability. The manufacturing industries and firms that make the greatest contribution to these four objectives are also those that have the greatest potential to maintain or expand employment. These areas include:  Computers and electronics, chemicals (including pharmaceuticals), transportation equipment (including aerospace and motor vehicles and parts), and machinery are especially important.

It’s true. Sometimes imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Let me take a step back and explain.

Recently, Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) introduced a bipartisan bill that would provide companies with a tax break if they contributed money to employees for the repayment of college debt. The cap for the tax break is $5,250.

Our country's middle class continues to struggle due to an uncertain economic environment. Furthermore, there is widespread agreement across various hues of the political landscape that wage stagnation is our country's largest economic challenge. Therefore, strengthening America's middle class should be a top priority for our nation's elected officials at every level of government. While a slow and steady advance of the economy has been ongoing in recent years, it is becoming increasingly clear that hard work alone is not enough to move working families up the economic ladder.

Famed labor leader A. Phillip Randolph once opined that “the essence of trade unionism is social uplift.” That sentiment embodies what the mission of trade unionism was at its inception. A foundation built upon protecting workers from an abusive system and ensuring that those individuals received a livable wage and reasonable benefits. As a member of the Carpenters Union and raised in a union household, I readily admit that I am biased towards seeing the benefits of unions and recognizing their important role in our economic and political structures. However, the question that we should more broadly ask ourselves today, coming out of the shadow of another Labor Day holiday, is whether or not unions still matter in our country.

As we approach Labor Day, we are reminded that the current state of the American worker and the job market is in a turbulent period. Newspaper headlines and political leaders like to tout reduced unemployment figures, but hidden within those flashy headlines is the fact that too many people are still under employed, having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet or simply only able to find part-time employment if at all. Also, with the participation in the job force, as measured by the U.S. Department of Labor, at the lowest numbers in decades we are given a false sense that our nation’s employment situation isn’t that bad. Unfortunately, it is.

One of the earth’s most precious commodities is water. Every ecosystem on our planet depends on it for survival, but yet we are challenged globally with accessing clean and reliable drinking water. According to The Water Project, nearly 1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. Growing populations spur demand for more industries and farmland, thus draining water resources more rapidly than ever. Furthermore, those in the most barren of areas spend so much time searching and gathering suitable clean water, that they suffer poor healthcare, loss of education time and work opportunities. Couple these facts with the effects of climate change altering rainfall patterns, and it illustrates why more attention is needed on this critical issue both around the world and here at home. Remember, unlike reducing our carbon footprint, there is no alternative or substitute to promote for clean drinking water.

I have been thinking recently about the special bond our country has with its military veterans. As the grandson of a World War II Navy veteran, I am acutely aware of our nation's commitment to its veterans and their families, who have sacrificed to preserve our freedom. I cherish this bond and recognize the duty that those of us who have benefitted from the protection and security that these patriots have made possible owe for their service and sacrifice. This week’s contribution to the Summer Policy Series, takes a look at the initiatives I have worked on with regard to honoring the service of our state’s veterans.

Proud to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood.