Representing the 7th U.S. Congressional District of Maryland
http://www.mail.house.gov/cummings
2235 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4741 (tel.) (202) 225-3178 (fax)

March 28, 2005

Dear Constituent:

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 legislative action. 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 one of my district offices, listed on the following pages. In Howard County, my staff and I make regular outreach visits at various community centers. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Elijah E. Cummings
Member of Congress

Monday, April 11, 2005: Morgan State University Social Security Town Hall, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Murphy Fine Arts Center's Turpin Lamb Theatre. Students and the community will have an opportunity to learn more about President Bush's proposed changes to Social Security.

POSTPONED ---- Tuesday, April 12, 2005: The House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources has rescheduled the field hearing on witness intimidation to Tuesday, April 12, 2005. (The hearing was originally set for Tuesday, March 1, but was postponed due to inclement weather). Congressman Cummings serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee. The hearing will examine the role the federal government can play in stopping incidents of witness intimidation. It will also present testimony on what government officials and community representatives are doing to curb witness intimidation tactics. The hearing will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the University of Maryland School of Law, 500 West Baltimore Street, 1st Floor, Ceremonial Moot Courtroom (CMC), Baltimore, Maryland.

Monday, April 19, 2005: Congressman Cummings' 2005 Job Fair, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Fifth Regiment Armory which is located at 29th Division Street, Baltimore, Maryland. Job Seekers will have the opportunity to meet with hundreds of area employers and also get tips on job searching skills.

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^{During a March 17th House Government Reform Committee hearing, Congressman Cummings urged Major League Baseball (MLB) to implement a zero tolerance policy on players who use steroids to improve their performances. The Committee subpoenaed current and former baseball players, officials and union leaders to testify about the abuse of steroids in the game. In addition, the hearing included compelling testimony from parents who lost their children to suicide that they attribute to steroid abuse.}

^{“The influence on children is quite clear, considering that within ten years, steroid use among young people has skyrocketed from 1 out of every 45 to 1 out of 16,” Congressman Cummings said. “ That amounts to 500,000 adolescents in this country who are turning to drugs to achieve an ‘ideal’ image or level of performance.”}

^{During the hearing, Congressman Cummings, joined by both his Republican and Democratic colleagues, expressed concern and disappointment that MLB did not have a clear and consistent policy for penalizing players who abuse steroids.}

^{Currently, the federal Controlled Substance Act classifies anabolic steroids as Schedule III controlled substances. The law states that anyone in possession of these steroids without a valid prescription for a legitimate medical use may be sentenced for up to a year in prison and face a minimum $1000 fine.}

^{However, baseball has generally imposed its own policies for steroid use. For example, during the hearing, Congressman Cummings and Members of the Committee learned that under the existing baseball steroid testing policy, if a player cannot provide an adequate testing sample, he may leave the testing facility for up to an hour and have the initial sample discarded.}

^{“This extended break could provide an opportunity for a player to cheat or develop an excuse in order to postpone testing altogether,” Congressman Cummings said. “These types of policies are unacceptable. We must send a powerful message to the nation that baseball players are not above the law. Our society cannot operate under one set of rules for the rich and famous and another set for everyone else.”}

^{Within days following the hearing, MLB clarified an ambiguous clause in its steroid drug policy which gave players the option of either receiving a fine or a suspension as a penalty for steroid abuse. Now, the revised policy has eliminated the option of a fine and instead imposes a 10-day suspension for the first offense, a 30-day suspension for the second offense, a 60-day suspension for the third offense and a one-year suspension after the fourth offense.}

^{“This action, although long overdue, is a positive result of the congressional hearing by the Government Reform Committee on steroid use in baseball. This important hearing shed light on the pervasive problem of the abuse of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. It also enforced the need for MLB to develop a comprehensive, strict, independent and transparent drug policy.”}

^{In the next few months, Congressman Cummings will work with his colleagues on the Government Reform Committee to continue monitoring steroid use in baseball.}

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^{On March 17, Congressman Cummings voted against the House Republican Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2006 (H.Con.Res. 95). The budget proposal, which is a blueprint for federal spending for fiscal year 2006, is based upon a similar proposal sent to Congress by President Bush.}

^{“Both the Republican and Bush budget proposals for 2006 are travesties,” Congressman Cummings said. “When the Bush Administration took office, the nation was experiencing record surpluses. Today, the $521 billion surplus has been turned into a $368 billion deficit.”}

^{Congressman Cummings pointed to the following aspects of the Republican budget that were disturbing:}

^{• Creates a $376 billion deficit in 2006, $44 million more than the President's projection;}

^{• Provides $18 billion in additional tax cuts to those earning more than $200,000 per year;}

^{• Does not fix the Alternative Minimum Tax, which will cost at least $642 billion;}

^{• Neglects to factor in the $774 billion needed to pay for the President's much-talked about, although yet-unveiled Social Security privatization plan;}

^{• Makes deep cuts in education, healthcare, homeland security, housing, and other critical domestic programs.}

^{Congressman Cummings noted that in contrast to the Administration and Republican budgets, the Spratt Alternative Budget (Democratic Alternative) and the Congressional Black Caucus Alternative Budget that the House considered during this debate focus national spending on priorities that benefit all Americans and promote economic recovery.}

^{“The alternative budgets fund key domestic initiatives which address the needs of working families. This includes: fully supporting the national defense, protecting our homeland, and preserving Medicaid, Social Security, pension programs, student loans and other essential programs,” Congressman Cummings said.}

^{Specifically, the Congressional Black Caucus budget proposal, which received a record 134 votes, corrects the irresponsible fiscal and economic policies contained in the House Budget Resolution by supporting existing programs that are essential to closing disparities, creating opportunities, and helping our citizens build their future. It also reduces the budget deficit by $167 billion during the next 5 years.}

^{“I urge the Bush Administration and the Congressional Republican Leadership to reconsider its ill-conceived economic policies and instead push for a plan such as the Congressional Black Caucus budget proposal that is the ultimate expression of our national priorities. These priorities would uplift and empower our children, families, elderly, veterans and soldiers.”}

^{___________________}

^{Congressman Cummings Emphasizes Need for Iraq Exit Strategy}

^{On the day that marked the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Congressman Cummings honored the troops serving in Iraq while emphasizing the need to implement an exit strategy.}

^{While Congressman Cummings did not support the pre-emptive war, he has consistently voted for legislation to provide the troops with all the equipment and resources that they need to complete their mission.}

^{“On the day that marks more than 730 days at war, I offer my prayers to the families of the more than 1,520 Americans who lost their lives and thousands more who have been wounded while serving our nation. I also send my prayers to the families of the Iraqi civilians who have been innocent casualties of this war,” Congressman Cummings said.}

^{Congressman Cummings noted that during the past two years, our nation has made great strides in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He applauded the efforts of the troops in capturing former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and several of his associates. He also congratulated the Iraqi people on their recent elections, a tremendous step in establishing democracy and freedom in their country.}

^{“Now is the time to create and implement a specific exit strategy. I agree with foreign policy experts who have said that we can only ensure success in Iraq by strategically reducing U.S. presence. The experts go on to say that a U.S. presence in Iraq is fueling the insurgency because we are perceived as imperialists,” Congressman Cummings said.}

^{He then urged his colleagues in Congress and the Bush Administration to work with the newly-formed Iraqi government to secure Iraq, while decreasing the amount of U.S. troops deployed to the nation.}

^{"In addition, the United States must also reconcile with our allies and continue to build peace in the Middle East," Congressman Cummings said. “We must do everything within our power to restore our nation’s moral standing as a respected and admired world leader,” Congressman Cummings said.}

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^{III. Commentary by Congressman Cummings}

<sup>As we debated President Bush's federal budget proposal for 2006 this week, I could not help but think of the real people behind these numbers and dollar signs.

March is Women's History month. Sadly, however, the proposed federal spending plan offers too little help to the women who are making the history of our time.

One of those history-making women is Baltimore's own Sid Ford, the founder and executive director of YANA (You Are Not Alone), a daytime, drop-in shelter for women and girls who have been on the streets.

In 1996, Sid was called to the mission of creating this compassionate outreach service for women whose lives had been misdirected into drug abuse or prostitution.

Her calling was so strong that she didn't even wait until she could afford an office to begin her work. Operating from her car, Sid began to create a center where women could find shelter, receive medical and mental health help, be referred to recovery services and rebuild their lives.

Other people of conscience took note of the history that Sid Ford was making. YANA's work in our community earned the support of foundations like the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Butler Family Foundation, Love 4 One Another, Broadway CARES and the Open Society Institute.

Uplifted by this support, the center grew. Sid was able to hire a staff of 12. A $77,000 grant, from the federal Violence Against Women program allowed her to hire a full-time licenced psychologist who counseled more than 200 women each year.

Her mission of healing has allowed these women and countless others - many of whom were casualties of the sexual trauma and violence so prevalent in our society - to become healthy and productive citizens once again.

One woman has made history. During the last few years, however, the tough economy and severe cuts in federal funding have sharply reduced the ability of community-based programs like YANA to make a positive difference in our society.

YANA's Violence Against Women Grant was reduced from $75,000 to $35,000 - and then eliminated entirely. Today, as a result, YANA is no longer able to keep a full time psychologist on staff; its team of 12 has been cut to two; and it has been forced to put its mental health program on hold.

So when Congress debated and voted on the federal budget this week, I was compelled to think about how shortchanged priorities limit the history that our generation is making.

Shouldn't we be appalled that support for the federal Violence Against Women program would be cut by $363 million under this President's budget proposal?

Shouldn't we be outraged that Medicaid, the major federal program that provides medical assistance for low income families, may lose $45 billion in federal support during the next 10 years?

Shouldn't we be deeply concerned that the President's budget also seeks to take $1.3 billion from the vocational education programs that train people, especially women, for jobs in careers from which they have been traditionally excluded?

Should we not rise up and continue to fight against the severe cuts to the Child Care and Development Block Grants - cuts that would eliminate child care assistance for at least 300,000 children in the nation, depriving mothers of a safe place to leave their children as they improve their lives?

These are the questions that we must ask if we want to make a positive impact on the history of this society.

In this context, I should also remind you that President Bush has again asked the Congress to somehow find whatever resources are necessary to fund the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This week, we also voted on a $82 billion plan toward this effort.

I support our troops and have supported giving them all the resources that they need to complete their mission. I am also convinced, however, that we should continue finding better ways to fund our global terrorism efforts. We should be working harder to seek support from our allies, scale back on tax cuts to the wealthy and help Iraq (which has the second largest source of oil in the world) utilize its own resources.

Balancing these demands, I know this for certain: Taking funding away from history-making, community-based programs like YANA - turning our backs on people who are struggling to turn their lives around - should not be an option.

I know this picture is bleak, but there is hope.

The vote on the President's budget does not create legislation. It only approves a blueprint. The real funding occurs when we vote on federal appropriations.

So, this month, as we proclaim and applaud the women from our history who have created the America of our time, we also would be well advised to remember the women who are struggling to make history today.

Every American has a stake in this budget fight. Each and every one of us has an important moral choice to make.

Each of us can support the women who are creating the history of our time.</sup>

Baltimore Office
1010 Park Avenue, Suite 105
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 685-9199 and (410) 685-9399 fax

Catonsville Office
754 Frederick Road
Catonsville, Maryland 21228
(410) 719-8777 and (410) 455-0110 fax

Howard County Outreach Centers
First Monday of the Month:
Glenwood Library, 2350 Route 97
Cooksville, MD 21723
Hours: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM or by appointment

Second Monday of the Month:
Howard County Central Library
10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy.
Columbia, MD 21044
Hours: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM or by appointment

Second Wednesday of the Month:
Savage Library, 9525 Durness Lane
Laurel, MD 20723
Hours: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM or by appointment

Third Monday of the Month:
Florence Bain Senior Center
5470 Ruth Keeton Way
Columbia, MD 21044
Hours: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM or by appointment

Fourth Monday of the Month:
Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Road
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Hours: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM or by appointment
For more information, call (410) 685-9199