Dear Friend,

It is both a privilege and an honor to represent you in the United States Congress. While serving you, I will continue my outreach efforts to inform you of my legislative actions. I welcome your advice. Government “by the people” is the cornerstone of my legislative philosophy.

To better serve you closer to home, I invite you to visit or contact any of my three district offices, conveniently located in Baltimore City, Catonsville, and Ellicott City.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Elijah E. Cummings
Member of Congress

Contents:

Announcements
Representing the 7th Congressional District
Grants to the 7th Congressional District

Announcements

Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Open Enrollment, Dec. 31, 2006: Recommended date to change or enroll in the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program. The program offers insurance plans to help Medicare recipients pay for prescription drugs. Although open enrollment is from now through December 31, beneficiaries are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to ensure that coverage begins on Jan. 1, 2006. For more information, please call 1-800-MEDICARE (24 hours a day, seven days a week) or visit the Medicare website.

Representing Maryland's 7th Congressional District in Washington

Cummings Applauds Passage of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Reauthorization, and Dawson Family Community Protection Act

Following passage in the House and Senate on December 7 and 8, respectively, President Bush is expected to sign the Reauthorization of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP or Drug Czar’s office), H.R. 6344 into law. Congressman Cummings, who serves as the Ranking Member of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, said that the bill is a vital component of the federal government’s commitment to combat the scourge of illegal drug activity in our country.

Among other critical provisions, H.R. 6344 incorporates the Dawson Family Community Protection Act (HR. 812), which authorizes the allocation of $7 million of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program funds to support efforts to improve safety and facilitate citizen cooperation with police in communities ravaged by drug violence. Congressman Cummings authored the bill in February 2005 to memorialize the courageous efforts of Angela Dawson, a Baltimore City resident who, along with her husband and five children, lost her life when a drug dealer firebombed the family’s home in retaliation for reporting drug activity in her neighborhood.

“Warriors like Mrs. Dawson have fought for our freedom with their lives. Just as we honor our soldiers in Iraq by providing them with the most sophisticated defense technology on the market, we must honor our domestic warriors with the best tools available to protect them,” Congressman Cummings said.

The bill further reauthorizes and strengthens the HIDTA program, which brings together law enforcement agencies at all levels of government to share critical resources and information.

“Americans are safer as a result. We all have a stake in the fight against narco-terrorism -- and that is why we must continue to provide our HIDTAs with the crime-fighting funds and the independence that they need.”

In addition to the Dawson provision and HIDTA reauthorization, this important legislation contains provisions to strengthen the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, and the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center.

Another new provision in the bill would increase from 30 to 100, the number of patients to whom an individual doctor can prescribe buprenorphine, an extremely effective drug for the treatment of opiate addiction.

“This important and welcome change will have a tremendous impact in cities like my own city of Baltimore where opiate addiction is far too common and access to treatment is far too limited. The bill would immediately triple the capacity of physicians to prescribe buprenorphine for patients with opiate addiction,” Congressman Cummings said.

He continued, “The devastating impact of drugs on communities throughout the nation is difficult to overstate. In some communities, drugs are a quiet, invisible, disruptive force. In others, as in the case of America’s inner cities and rural communities afflicted by methamphetamine (meth), it is impossible to ignore. But no community is completely untouched or immune from this problem.”

“This bill will preserve and strengthen our nation’s most essential tools for fighting the good fight against drug abuse and related crime and social problems. I applaud my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both Houses for their cooperative efforts. I urge President Bush to sign this bill into law as soon as possible.”

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Cummings Responds to Iraq Study Group Recommendations

On Dec. 6, Congressman Cummings responded to the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group on the U.S. strategy for the war in Iraq. Among the 79 recommendations, the bipartisan Group urged the withdrawal of U.S. combat units from Iraq by 2008; transforming the U.S. military’s role to primarily advising and training Iraqi troops; providing benchmarks for the Iraqi government to take charge of its own security; and a number of diplomatic measures including open talks with Iran and Syria regarding violence in Iraq.

“The Iraq Study Group’s report lends credibility to what I and many of my colleagues in Congress have been saying all along. The Bush Administration has no clear plan for victory in Iraq, and the United States—and our allies in the Middle East—are worse off because of it,” Congressman Cummings said. “Last month, the American people sent a clear message to the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress when they voted overwhelmingly for Democrats who opposed the war in Iraq. I hope that with this new mandate, and the guidelines outlined by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, the President will take the hint that the time has come to change the course in Iraq.”

From the beginning of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, Congressman Cummings has expressed grave concerns about the Bush Administration’s clear lack of a decisive plan. He voted against the original resolution to invade Iraq in part because of the disorder he anticipated it would cause in the region. He has, however, consistently supported the troops and has voted for legislation that has provided them with the resources they need to complete their mission.

“The time is long overdue for us to acknowledge that Iraq is ‘sliding toward chaos,’ and in a state of ‘humanitarian catastrophe,’ as the Iraq Study Group has written. This unstable situation could also easily lead to the unintentional creation of a base from which Al Qaeda can operate,” Congressman Cummings added.

In response to President Bush’s comments that his Administration would take every proposal seriously, and act in a timely fashion, Congressman Cummings said, “I urge President Bush to live up to this commitment. As the Iraq Study Group worked in a bipartisan manner to make its assessments, the President and Congress must do the same. I look forward to working with President Bush, House Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader-Elect Harry Reid as we work to address these recommendations.”

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House Passes Ryan White HIV/AIDS Bill Reauthorization

In a Dec. 9th voice vote, the House sent the final version of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment and Modernization Act of 2006 (H.R. 6143) to the President. Congressman Cummings, who had been actively pushing for the immediate passage of this bill, applauded congressional leaders for making this a priority in the 109th Congress.

The Act makes taxpayer dollars available for essential health care services and medications to people living with HIV/AIDS who could not otherwise afford care.

“This bill is significant for my constituents and residents all across Maryland who rely on services made possible by the Ryan White CARE,” Congressman Cummings said. “We know that the federal programs in place, if adequately supported and enforced, can dramatically increase the quality of life for people with HIV/AIDS.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Area ranks fifth in the nation in AIDS incidence, behind New York, Miami, San Francisco, and Fort Lauderdale. When compared with national averages, HIV/AIDS affects significantly more African Americans, specifically women in Baltimore. Nationally, African-American women comprise over two-thirds of new HIV cases.

Congressman Cummings further applauded U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski for fighting to include language in the Senate version of the bill that would provide the state with sufficient time to meet federal requirements for HIV/AIDS reporting. Without this added provision, Maryland could have lost up to $26 million, about 55 percent, of annual funding for HIV/AIDS testing, counseling, treatment and other services.

“With the emergence of various new drug therapies and treatments, more people are living with HIV/AIDS now than dying from it. This would not be possible without the help of federal initiatives such as the Ryan White CARE Act,” Congressman Cummings said. “I have been on the front lines of the battle against HIV/AIDS since this ruthless epidemic began in the 1980s and I continue to address it until HIV/AIDS is eradicated.”

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Legislation Naming Post Office for former Rep. Parren Mitchell Becomes Law

Legislation sponsored by Congressman Cummings designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6101 Liberty Road in Baltimore, Maryland, as the "United States Representative Parren J. Mitchell Post Office" (H.R. 4109), has become law.

In 1971, Parren Mitchell became Maryland’s first African American Congressman. He was elected to represent the 7th Congressional District, which Congressman Cummings now represents. During Rep. Mitchell’s tenure in Congress, he was a leading advocate for disadvantaged and minority business enterprises and worked to ensure their viability. Over his 16-year career in the House, he served as the Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and was a senior Democrat on the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee. Representative Mitchell was also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“Placing former Congressman Mitchell’s name on the Post Office will commemorate his many contributions to our community, our state, and indeed our nation,” Congressman Cummings said. “Through his work in academia and in government, Congressman Mitchell dedicated himself to advancing opportunities for all Americans, including creating the programs that have helped generations of African Americans overcome the legacy of discrimination.”

Born on April 29, 1922, in Baltimore, Mitchell is a graduate of Morgan State College (now Morgan State University), located in Northeast Baltimore. He went on to gain a Master’s degree from the University of Maryland. Congressman Mitchell served his nation in a number of ways, even before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in the U.S. military during World War II, where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. He became the Executive Director of the Maryland Human Relations Commission and was the Director of the Baltimore Community Action Agency. Later, at his alma mater Morgan State University, he became a sociology professor and director of their Urban Studies Institute. In 1971, Mitchell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“As the Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, Congressman Mitchell helped open business opportunities to those who saw nothing but shut doors,” Congressman Cummings said. “Further, through his work in the Congressional Black Caucus, he helped create the organization that has enabled African American Members of Congress to speak with a united voice for justice and for equality throughout our nation.”

Congressman Cummings added, “On a personal level, he also reached out to young people throughout Baltimore and encouraged them to never hesitate to strive for their dreams. His example has been an inspiration to many, and his tenacity and courage were guiding forces in my own life,” Congressman Cummings said. “A lifetime of accomplishment makes him worthy of this honor, and I look forward to the official naming ceremony.”

A naming ceremony is being planned for January 26, 2007, 6:30 p.m., at the Enoch Pratt Free Library at 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD.

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Cummings Urges Colleagues to Give Top Priority to Recommendations of Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Poverty, Race & Policy Report

Following the release of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation report entitled, Poverty, Race & Policy, on Dec. 8, Congressman Cummings urged his colleagues to join him in considering the recommendations of the report.

The report, which references Congressman Cummings as a key leader in addressing poverty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, describes the scope and effects of poverty among African Americans; and, the history of the government’s role in reducing poverty and offers policy solutions for reducing poverty among African Americans. The Annie E. Casey Foundation sponsored the report.

“This key report quantifies the stories of our constituents that we have been telling for a long time. These stories include the fact that many low-income African American families have seen their economic situation deteriorate in the last six years. This means that their incomes have declined, while the cost of living and escaping poverty have increased,” Congressman Cummings said.

The report also notes how the tax cuts implemented by President Bush and the GOP-led House and Senate have hurt African Americans who live in poverty. Additionally, the report acknowledges that budget cuts to poverty reduction programs at the state and local levels have exasperated the plight of the poor.

“Globally, our nation is known as one of the most prosperous nations. That is why it is shameful that many of our leaders continue to put a blanket over poverty right here at home,” Congressman Cummings said.

Congressman Cummings said that as he considers and reviews legislation in the 110th Congress, he will make the following policy recommendations his top priorities:

• Fiscal policies that aim not only at full employment, but living wages for all workers;
• Access to quality health insurance for every American;
• Comprehensive child chare assistance for working parents; and,
• Expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

“As a new leadership team begins to take over in Congress, I will work with my colleagues to bring about a change in policy that will give low income Americans opportunities to overcome poverty and share in the American dream of prosperity.”

Further information about the report is available online.

Federal Grants and Contracts to the 7th Congressional District

Congressman Cummings helped secure the following grants to benefit the residents of the 7th Congressional District.

$2,585,471 for healthcare career training: The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded this grant to the Community College of Baltimore County to provide education and training for those preparing for healthcare careers in medical laboratories, dental offices and nursing/patient care.

$1,583,864 for Maternal and Child Health Services: These funds have been distributed to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

$1,400,000 for Youthbuild: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide one grant each to Civic Works, Inc. ($700,000) and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City ($700,000) to fund the Youthbuild program that enables young adults between 16 and 24 to complete their high school education and gain on-the-job training in construction skills.

$500,000 Medicaid grant The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will receive this grant to support competitive employment of people with disabilities.