Congressman Cummings Secures $11.6 Million in Federal Appropriations for key Science, Justice and Energy Programs in the 7th Congressional District

Congressman Cummings secured approximately $11.6 million in federal appropriations for the 7th Congressional district through legislation passed on November 9. The funds were part of the Fiscal Year 2006 Science, State, Justice Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations (H.R. 2862) and the Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water Development (H.R. 2419) bills. After consideration by the Senate, the reports are expected to be signed into law by President Bush.

"I am pleased that despite severe cuts in discretionary spending, I was able to fight for and secure key federal funding to help our region," Congressman Cummings said. "These funds will provide tremendous benefit to our area's law enforcement and crime prevention efforts, and will advance scientific research at our universities."

In obtaining the funds, Congressman Cummings worked closely with House Appropriations leaders as well as Maryland's U.S. Senators Paul S. Sarbanes and Barbara A. Mikulski, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The 12 appropriations projects, listed by descending order of funds appropriated are as follows:

1. $4 million for Morgan State University's Chesapeake Information Based Aeronautics Consortium (CIBAC). The CIBAC project is a consortium project between Morgan, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Bowie State University. The funds will support NASA's Aviation Safety and Security program (AvSSP).

2. $2 million for the University of Baltimore to expand its forensic science laboratory. The lab will help to reduce the shortage of police forensic scientists as well as assist the Baltimore City Police Department in reducing its forensics case backlog. The lab will also offer training academies for local and regional law enforcement and crime lab personnel.

$2 million to the Johns Hopkins University for its Institute for NanoBio Technology. The Institute is devoted to researching biomedicine, which deals with the ability of humans to tolerate environmental stresses and variations, as in space travel.

4. $1 million for the Baltimore City Health Department to create a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) Program, which will be designed to reduce recidivism in juvenile offenders.

5. $800,000 to support the Center for Environmental Toxicology and Biosensors Research (CETBR) at Morgan State University. CETBR seeks to address the human health problems caused by exposure to environmental pollutants.

6. $750,000 for Kennedy Krieger Institute's Juvenile Interventions programs.

7. $500,000 to Baltimore City for the Employment Connections for Ex-offenders Program.

8. $200,000 to Coppin State University for the Middle Passage Project to support NASA's Geospatial Sciences Laboratory.

9. $100,000 for the Baltimore City Police Department to upgrade and extend its mobile workstations and other law enforcement activities.

10. $100,000 for the City of Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks' efforts to encourage youth participation in the department's "Teens' Night In" program.

11. $100,000 for Coppin State University's Urban Criminal Research and Training Institute within the Raymond V. Haysbert Research Institute. The research and training will increase the knowledge base and sensitivity to the demands of urban America for those who administer and enforce our system of criminal justice.

12. $100,000 for enhanced community policing initiatives related to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) BioPark's expansion.

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Congressman Cummings Applauds MLB for Progress on Steroid Policy - Continues Push for Zero Tolerance

Congressman Cummings, who is a Member of the Government Reform Committee that has been investigating steroid abuse in professional sports, applauded Major League Baseball (MLB) owners and players on Nov. 15 for agreeing to stricter guidelines on steroid use.

Under the agreement, players who test positive for steroid use will receive a 50-game suspension for the first offense, a 100-game suspension for the second offense and a lifetime ban for a third. The entire season generally consists of 162 games. Baseball's current steroid penalties provide a 10-day suspension for a first offense, 30-day for a second offense and 60-day suspension for a third offense. The earliest a player could be banned for life is through a fifth offense.

"The new agreement between the players and owners of MLB for a tougher steroid use policy is a significant improvement to the weak policy currently in place and is a step in the right direction," Congressman Cummings said. "The new policy will keep players off of the field for at least a third of the season. However, the penalties still fall short of the Olympic standard that my colleagues and I have called for in our bipartisan legislation, Clean Sports Act of 2005 (H.R. 2565)."

H.R. 2565 would require the MLB, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League to adopt standards that are consistent with, and at least as stringent as, the Olympic standard established by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which penalizes athletes who use steroids by expelling them for two years for their first violation and imposing a lifetime ban for their second violation.

Congressman Cummings urged other professional sports leagues to join Major League Baseball in strengthening their drug use policies to make it absolutely clear that steroid abuse is unacceptable.

"The most devastating impact of steroid abuse has been upon the children who emulate their sports role models. For that reason, I will continue to push for a zero tolerance policy whereby players who abuse performance enhancement drugs will receive a just punishment. We must send a strong message to these athletes that cheating will not be tolerated. Families have a right to know that when they pay their hard-earned money to bring their children to a game, they are entering a drug-free zone," Congressman Cummings said.

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Congressman Cummings Appointed Lead Democrat on Amtrak Working Group

Congressman Cummings has been appointed as the lead Democrat on a working group that will develop strategies to improve the management of Amtrak. The group was created by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, on which Congressman Cummings serves.

Congressman Cummings said, "The bi-partisan working group will assist in exercising Congress' responsibility to oversee Amtrak and to ensure that the federal taxpayer funding provided to Amtrak is managed and applied properly. I am honored to have been selected to serve as the lead Democrat on this working group.”

The working group will examine a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled "Amtrak Management: Systemic Problems Require Actions to Improve Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Accountability." The report has found that Amtrak's basic business systems - including its financial management and strategic planning systems - need to be strengthened to ensure it can meet its future operating challenges.

Congressman Cummings noted that the GAO report raises important questions about the systems Amtrak uses to control its costs, purchase goods and services, and monitor and assess its day-to-day performance. Based upon these findings, the group will examine the appropriateness of the regulatory structures that currently exist to oversee Amtrak. The working group will then present its assessment to the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by February 17, 2006.

"I firmly believe that the public supports Amtrak - as evidenced by the fact that 25 million passengers rode Amtrak trains last year to more than 500 stations in 46 states, including more than 100 cities that are not served by commercial air service,“ Congressman Cummings said. “Amtrak has successfully addressed many of its challenges during the last few years and has recently introduced a number of new administrative systems that we can seek to build on to address the GAO's findings.”

Congressman Cummings noted that Amtrak has never been adequately funded and it continues to be plagued by uncertainty regarding its very future.

“Many proposals - including one developed by the Bush Administration - are currently being discussed that would break up the system,” Congressman Cummings said. "Essential to any new reform effort will be renewing our national commitment to Amtrak and to the value of intercity passenger rail service. Only when we provide a steady and adequate funding stream will we have the opportunity to turn our attention to improving Amtrak's operations and rehabilitating its essential infrastructure, including the Northeast Corridor."

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Congressman Cummings Asks the Government Accountability Office to Study Railroad Tunnels and Bridges

As a Member of the Railroad Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Cummings has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to prepare a comprehensive report for Congress on railroad tunnels and bridges.

"Tunnel and bridge infrastructure is critical to our nation's railroad network, particularly in the Baltimore region. The accident that occurred in the Howard Street Tunnel in 2001 certainly raised awareness of the importance of tunnel infrastructure," said Congressman Cummings.

In addition to the Howard Street Tunnel, Baltimore City is also home to the Union Tunnel and the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, which are critical north-south links.

"I am concerned that railroad tunnel and bridge infrastructure continues to be neglected at all levels of the federal government. For example, the Federal Railroad Administration currently has no requirements for the inspection and inventory of railroad tunnels and information as basic as a count of the total number of tunnels on our rail network is not available," Congressman Cummings said.

In the report, Congressman Cummings has asked the GAO to study the following:

"I am very pleased that both the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska), and the Ranking Member of that Committee, Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-Minnesota) have joined me in supporting this study request," Congressman Cummings said. "I am confident that GAO will conduct an expert assessment of these issues and will produce a report that will help us to enhance the security and safety of our national railroad network and help us prepare for the effort that will eventually be required to replace major bridge and tunnel infrastructure on the network."

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Legislation to Honor Four Outstanding Maryland Public Servants Passes Unanimously in Government Reform Committee

Congressman Cummings, who serves on the Committee, introduced the bills (H.R. 4107, H.R. 4108, and H.R. 4109) to pay tribute to these individuals who share a legacy of distinguished public service and a unique devotion to the realization of America’s noble ideals of equality and justice.

"I believe that people should be recognized for their contributions to society," Congressman Cummings said. "Naming the post offices in honor of Delegate Lee, Senator Welcome and Dr. Welcome, and Congressman Mitchell is truly a salute to their remarkable accomplishments and commitment to public service."

In 1952, State Delegate Lee became the third woman to receive her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. In 1967, she began a fifteen-year term as the first African American female lawyer to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates. Because of her tireless efforts, she has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Presidential Citation from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education as well as membership into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame. The post office at 1826 Pennsylvania Avenue will be named after Delegate Lee.

Dr. Henry Welcome was a devoted physician and community leader. He obtained his B.S. in 1932 from Straight College and his M.D. from Meharry Medical College in 1936. He went on to become a medical instructor at Provident Hospital and a member of the Maryland State Board of Higher Education. The Maryland Higher Education Commission honored him with the Henry C. Welcome Fellowship Grant Program.