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)

June 26, 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, June 27, 2005: Congressman Cummings is hosting a seminar entitled Faith-based Offices: Obtaining Federal Funds for Providers of Social Service Programs. The seminar will be held on this Monday, June 27, 2005 at 10:30 a.m. in the Recital Hall of the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center located at Morgan State University, 2201 Argonne Drive, Baltimore, Maryland.

This seminar will connect religious leaders to U.S. Cabinet-level departments with faith-based offices. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about various types of federal funding that is available through charitable choice programs. The specific goal of this event is to ensure that participants will be well informed on how to obtain faith-based funding for their social service programs.

July 21, 2005: This is the new deadline to submit public comments about the proposed changes to the Maryland Transit Administration’s (MTA) bus schedule and routes. The MTA is currently proposing significant changes to bus service in Baltimore City and commuter routes serving the region. The original deadline for the public comment period was June 17, 2005, for the Baltimore City bus service and June 24, 2005, for the commuter bus service. However, in response to constituent requests, Congressman Cummings sent two letters to Maryland Transportation Secretary Robert Flanagan urging a 30-day extension of the deadline for the comment period. The request was subsequently granted.

Comment cards may be requested from the MTA’s website, www.mtamaryland.com <http://www.mtamaryland.com>, or by calling (410) 539-5000. TTY service is available for the hearing and/or speech impaired at (410) 539-3497. Written comments may be submitted to MTA’s Customer Service Office, located at 6 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202.

Free Eye care for Seniors in Maryland: Congressman Cummings announces that EyeCare America, a public service foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, offers free eye care to eligible seniors. To be eligible, a person must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, age 65 or older, and have not seen an ophthalmologist in the past three years. Those interested may call 1-888-222-EYES(3937) to determine if they qualify.

On June 16, the House Government Reform Committee passed the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) of 2005 Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R. 2565) that would extend the ONDCP and three programs administered by ONDCP: the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program (HIDTA), the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center, and the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign through fiscal year 2010.

As the Ranking Member of the Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, Congressman Cummings introduced several key provisions that were included in this bill:

• The Dawson Family Community Protection Act (H.R. 2829) would provide at least $5 million in HIDTA funds annually to the communities that are most severely affected by violent drug trafficking activity. The bill is named in honor of the late Angela and Carnell Dawson and their five children who were all tragically killed in 2002 when a firebomb was placed in their home by a drug dealer.

• A provision that requires a scientific study of the use of mycoherbicide as a means of illicit drug crop elimination: The amendment specifically requires the study to include an evaluation of the likely human health and environmental impact of mycoherbicide.

In addition, the bipartisan legislation entitled “The Clean Sports Act (H.R. 2565),” was adopted into the bill. This provision would establish a uniform "gold" standard for drug testing in the major American professional sports leagues. Congressman Cummings co-sponsored this bill along with Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), Committee Ranking Member Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), and Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.).

Speaking to the overall importance of the ONDCP reauthorization bill, Congressman Cummings said "At least 26,000 American lives were lost to illegal drugs last year. Families are being destroyed and entire communities are being torn apart. That is why the Congress should give the ONDCP reauthorization its top bipartisan priority. American lives are at stake."

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Congressman Cummings joined a bipartisan panel of Congressional leaders and law enforcement executives to show support for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (HIDTA), which currently faces major budget cuts proposed by the Bush Administration.

In February 2005, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director John Walters recommended reducing the HIDTA Program's FY06 budget by 56 percent and moving the program to the U.S. Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program.

According to HIDTA officials, these cuts would cause severe harm to the program's effectiveness. For example, the cuts would mean an end to a $3.5 million drug treatment program for non-violent offenders offered at twelve sites, including Baltimore and Baltimore County.

National studies show that HIDTA's treatment programs have reduced recidivism in their clientele by 46 percent, which far exceeds the national average for hard-core offenders.

In Baltimore, HIDTA funds have supported a major anti-drug effort that targeted drug trafficking in three of the most intensely beleaguered neighborhoods in the city.

Congressman Cummings worked to target $1.5 million in HIDTA funds for the joint federal - local task force following the Dawson family murders in East Baltimore. In October of 2002, Carnel and Angela Dawson and their five children were killed when their home was fire-bombed in retaliation for Mrs. Dawson's refusal to ignore the drug dealing in her neighborhood.

During the year that followed, the HIDTA funds that Congressman Cummings helped to secure generated significant results:

· 16 drug trafficking organizations were identified, 10 drug trafficking organizations were dismantled or disrupted, and 2200 individuals were arrested - including 1584 street level dealers

· Violent crimes, in general, were reduced from 1634 to 1309 - a reduction of 19.9 percent.

· Homicides were reduced from 46 to 27 - a reduction of 41.3 percent.

· Shootings were reduced from 125 to 83 - a reduction of 33.6 percent.

· Robberies were reduced from 508 to 391 - a reduction of 23 percent.

· Aggravated Assaults were reduced from 1064 to 876 - a reduction of 17.7 percent.

"America's HIDTAs are an essential, integrating force in this nation's fight against illegal drug traffickers," Congressman Cummings said. "They are doing the difficult job that we have asked them to do. If we interfere with our HIDTAs' critical work, we will do so at our peril."

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Congressman Cummings Secures $4 Million for Baltimore Region through Defense Appropriations Bill

Congressman Cummings, along with 397 of his colleagues, voted to pass the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY06 (H.R. 2863) on June 20. Through this bill, Congressman Cummings secured $4 million in federal funding for defense-related projects for the 7th Congressional District.

The specific projects and amounts are as follows:

$3 Million for the Army Management Fusion Center - Morgan State University: This will fund the University’s computer scientists and engineers as they advance sensor technology utilized by Army soldiers on the battlefield. Through this program, the Army Knowledge Management Fusion Center and Morgan’s Knowledge Integration and Management Center of Excellence (KIMCOE) will jointly build stronger interdisciplinary programs in knowledge management. Knowledge management allows the military to integrate information gathered through sensors in combat and other military situations.

$1 Million for the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO)/Maryland Research & Applied Sciences Consortium (MRASC) - Research Demonstration Project: This will fund research in biotechnology and related-life sciences for the U.S. Army and federal research and development agencies. The project involves the collaboration of Maryland’s five Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions: Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University, Sojourner Douglass College, and the University of Maryland - Eastern Shore, in partnership with the Maryland TEDCO and MRASC. This project is modeled after the Silicon Valley/Rt. 128/Research Triangle centers, where research universities, federal laboratories, venture capital, and entrepreneur businesses have created state-of-the-art technology clusters.

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When the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2005, (H.R. 2864) on June 22, Congressman Cummings, who serves on the Committee, secured the inclusion of an important study of the Patapsco River in the bill. H.R. 2864 would provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources and would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct various projects to improve rivers and harbors throughout the United States.

The provision introduced by Congressman Cummings requires the Army Corps to conduct a study to assess the impact of debris in the Patapsco River basin, and how this debris affects wetlands, water quality, and public health. Additionally, the study will identify measures by which the inflow of trash could be removed so that it does not accumulate in the river before it reaches the Inner Harbor. This study will be one component of a larger initiative planned to restore the water quality and habitat of the Patapsco River Basin. The City of Baltimore and the Parks and People Foundation in Baltimore have expressed their support of this project.

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In a rare bipartisan victory, Congressman Cummings, along with 283 of his colleagues, voted to restore $100 million originally slated to be cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s (CPB) budget. The CPB is a U.S.-taxpayer-funded agency that provides critical dollars to public broadcasters across the nation. The vote occurred during this year’s consideration of The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Act for FY 2006 (H.R. 3010).

The proposed cuts would have eliminated up to 50 percent of the funding for public radio and television stations affecting Baltimore region stations including WBJC (91.5 FM), WEAA (88.5 FM), WYPR (88.1 FM) and Maryland Public Television (MPT), that reach millions of listeners and viewers every day.

“I applaud my colleagues for supporting the restoration of these funds,” Congressman Cummings said. “Had these funds been cut, many diverse and educational programs that public broadcasters provide to audiences in Maryland and across the country would have been eliminated. For many years, programming such as Cool Vibes with Sandi Mallory, Daybreak with Anthony McCarthy, One Mic with Doni Glover and the Marc Steiner Show have provided listeners with important information about what is happening in our community, nation, and world.”

Congressman Cummings also highlighted the importance of MPT to its many viewers.

“MPT presents in-depth programming to viewers of all backgrounds. Many programs on MPT display a diverse cast with differing views, which is often lacking on network television. In addition to creative productions and informative news programming, MPT offers the best children's programming available on television. Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow are just two examples of the quality educational programming that give children a firm foundation in reading and math,” Congressman Cummings said. “Another invaluable service is MPT’s College of the Air series that allows people to take higher education classes via telecourses. These courses give those who may not otherwise be able to attend a traditional college an opportunity to earn credit toward a college degree.”

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Congressman Cummings recently reintroduced the Servitude and Emancipation Archival Research Clearing House, or SEARCH Act (H.R. 2891) to commemorate Juneteenth, which is an annual celebration in June that honors the ending of slavery in the United States. The SEARCH Act will establish a national database of records of servitude and emancipation to assist African Americans in search of their family history. Due to obstacles previously posed by slavery and segregation, these records were often not recorded in common registers and census records.

The SEARCH Act authorizes $5 million for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to establish and maintain this national database.

The SEARCH Act also authorizes $5 million for states, colleges and universities to preserve, catalogue and index records.

"Researching one’s genealogy through old records and documents is an arduous task even when the information is readily available," Congressman Cummings said. "For African Americans, the difficulty in making a connection to our past increases because the records have not been properly maintained. The SEARCH Act will make valuable records and documents accessible to African Americans, and help us research our family history more easily and more completely.”

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) introduced companion legislation to the SEARCH Act in the Senate.

$750,000 Healthy Start Grant: This grant will be provided to the Baltimore City Healthy Start program to provide pre-natal care for pregnant women and reduce infant mortality. This is a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

$639,746 Library Grant: The Johns Hopkins University William H. Welch Medical Library will receive this grant to recruit and educate future librarians. The grant was awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

$233,333 Health Care Grant: This grant will be awarded to Baltimore’s Healthcare for the Homeless, to provide health care services to low-income and uninsured people.

$198,987 Homeless Veteran grant: The Associated Catholic Charities will receive these funds to support a program that helps homeless veterans receive job counseling, employment assistance, and other social services.

$174,790 grant for the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program: The University of Maryland at Baltimore will receive this grant to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds pay for college.

IV. Office Hours and Locations

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