Message to Constituents
U.S. Congressman Elijah E. Cummings

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)

August 8, 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

^{I. Announcements}

^{Wednesday, August 10, 2005: Congressman Cummings will host a seminar for minority business owners to discuss opportunities associated with the East Baltimore Development /Biotechnology Park Initiative. The meeting will take from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Sojourner-Douglass College, located at 200 North Central Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202. For more information, call (410) 685-9199.}

On July 29, Congress passed the final version of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), H.R. 3, which includes nearly $80 million in funding for transportation projects in the 7th District. As a Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Cummings served as a key negotiator in drafting the final House-Senate compromise of this bill. He was the only Maryland House Member to serve as a negotiator for this bill, but was joined by his Senate colleague Senator Paul S. Sarbanes.

SAFETEA-LU authorizes more than $286 billion in federal funding for highways and transit systems in the United States through fiscal year 2009. This bill replaces the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which expired in 2003, but has been extended 12 times as Congress finalized SAFETEA-LU.

Specific transportation projects in the 7th District funded by the SAFETEA-LU bill are described below.

• Baltimore Light Rail Double-Tracking: SAFETEA-LU authorizes $28.8 million in fiscal year 2005 and $12.7 million in fiscal year 2006 for the completion of the Baltimore Light Rail Double-tracking project. The funding for fiscal year 2007 must still be appropriated.

• Red and Green Transit Line: The bill authorizes the continued development of the Red Line/Green Line in Baltimore, making the project eligible to apply for federal funding to support eventual construction of the system.

• Howard County Transit Maintenance Facility: SAFETEA-LU provides approximately $5 million to support the construction of a multi-jurisdictional transit operations and maintenance facility in Howard County.

• Baltimore Greyhound Terminal: SAFETEA-LU provides $4.2 million in funding to support the construction of the new Greyhound terminal in Baltimore, currently planned to be located at the corner of Russell and Bayard Streets.

• Morgan State University: SAFETEA-LU provides $1 million in each of fiscal years 2006 to 2009 to support research at the University Transportation Center at Morgan State University.

The SAFETEA-LU bill also provides the following funding allotments for high priority highway projects in Baltimore:

• $6.8 million for the redevelopment of roads in the area of the new East Baltimore Biotechnology Park;

• $5.4 million for the expansion of Route 29 in Howard County near the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory;

• $4 million for roadway improvements along East North Avenue;

• $3.4 million for the widening of the I-695 Baltimore Beltway;

• $3 million for the upgrading of the Burntwoods Road interchange on MD 32.

• $2.6 million for the construction of a pedestrian bridge and parking garage at Coppin State University;

• $2.3 million for the reconstruction of roadways on five bridges crossing CSX railroad tracks;

• $2 million for the University of Maryland to improve the Poppleton area of Martin L. King Jr. Boulevard;

• $1.6 million for the implementation of projects contained in the Druid Hill Park Neighborhood Access Program;

• $1.5 million for projects in Auchentoroly Terrace that will support the development of the Baltimore City Agricultural and Natural Resource Research Center and improve transit access to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore;

• $1.2 million for the reconstruction of the Hanover Street Drawbridge;

• $1.2 million for the reconstruction of the Pennington Avenue Drawbridge;

• $1.1 million for improvement of information technologies that support transportation in Baltimore City;

• $960,000 to strengthen the security of the Baltimore City conduit system; and,

• $720,000 for improvements to roadways and historic trails connecting the Gwynns Falls Trail in West Baltimore.

Finally, Congressman Cummings succeeded in inserting provisions into SAFETEA-LU that will provide $1,250,000 per year from fiscal year 2006 through 2009 to fund studies on nine issues in hazardous materials. These studies were originally included in the Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Act of 2005, H.R. 909, which Congressman Cummings introduced earlier this session.

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On July 28, Congressman Cummings joined 214 of his colleagues in voting against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), a trade pact between the United States and six Central American and Caribbean nations: Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The measure narrowly passed the House by two votes.

“I voted against CAFTA primarily because it will harm working people in both the United States and the countries that signed the treaty,” Congressman Cummings said.

According to the Congressional Research Service, CAFTA could cause annual losses of more than $1 billion to the U.S. textile industry, which has already suffered a 60 percent loss in employment between 1980 and 2003.

"The textile industry is already reeling from the blows inflicted by competition in countries where wages and working standards are significantly lower than in the United States. It is simply unacceptable that the Republican-led Congress allowed the consideration of legislation that would cause the textile industry to be hit again,” Congressman Cummings said.

Reports from the U.S. Department of Labor detail multiple instances in which labor standards in these countries do not conform to the standards of the International Labor Organization by failing to guarantee basic rights, such as the right to organize or to bargain collectively. In recent decades, lax international labor standards in industries such as textiles have encouraged U.S.-based companies to relocate their facilities abroad, contributing to increased unemployment in the United States.

In addition to textiles, Congressman Cummings noted that CAFTA will also affect other industries.

“U.S. farmers could also be hit hard by CAFTA,” he said. “The National Farmers Union has stated that it believes CAFTA could hurt important domestic farm industries, including the growers of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and sugar, by exposing them to increased competition from cheaper producers in Central America.”

Finally, Congressman Cummings expressed disappointment at the belligerent tactics used by the Bush Administration to pass this bill.

"The Bush Administration launched an unprecedented lobbying effort to pass this bill. The day before its passage, the President himself came to Capitol Hill to twist the arms of Republicans who were rightly reluctant to support this treaty.”

He added, “President Bush should invest that same kind of effort into developing initiatives that would truly create job opportunities for America's workers, and that would ensure that wages in this nation begin to rise after years of stagnation."

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Congressman Cummings applauded Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation (GEDCO), Enterprise Homes, and area corporate and community leaders for their progress with Stadium Place, a $47 million redevelopment effort to transform the former site of Memorial Stadium into a vibrant, new community.

Community leaders recently dedicated Ednor Apartments at Stadium Place, which provides high-quality, affordable, independent living options for seniors (age 62+), and broke ground on Venable II Apartments, which will provide 74 affordable apartments for seniors with very low incomes.

The 29.5-acre Stadium Place is a state-of-the-art community for low- and moderate-income seniors. When complete, the community will include assisted living and skilled nursing facilities; market-rate, independent-living condominiums for seniors; commercial space; and multigenerational facilities, including a YMCA with playing fields and a community playground. The location of the community also offers residents convenient access to social, recreational, educational, commercial and health facilities and services.

“Stadium Place provides a safe, affordable, and livable community for Baltimore’s seniors,” Congressman Cummings said. “We are not only rebuilding a neighborhood, but we are rebuilding lives and renewing a spirit of community for our senior citizens."

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Congressman Cummings Celebrates 40th Anniversary of the Signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act

On Saturday, August 6, Congressman Cummings celebrated the 40th anniversary of the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Earlier in the week, he joined Congressman Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) and other local elected officials at a downtown Baltimore rally commemorating the anniversary.

On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. The law furthered the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by permanently guaranteeing that no person shall be denied the right to vote on account of race or color.

“We celebrate this legislation because its mandate speaks to the most essential exercise of American citizenship -- the right to vote,” Congressman Cummings said. “If it were not for the Voting Rights Act, millions of Americans, particularly African Americans and other people of color, would not have access to the building block of democracy.”

As a result of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, states with a history of racial discrimination were forbidden from using illegal and biased tactics to determine an individual's eligibility to vote. The 1965 Voting Rights Act also required these states to obtain federal approval before enacting any election laws and assigned federal officials to monitor the registration process in certain localities.

“The implementation of this legislation ended an iniquitous era in our country that we should never revisit,” Congressman Cummings said.

In the 40 years since the passage of this bill, the number of African American registered voters has increased dramatically. Nationwide, the number of African American elected officials has grown from just a handful in the early 1960s to more than 9,000 today.

“In addition, Americans of all ethnic backgrounds have found strength in the promise of the Voting Rights Act,” Congressman Cummings said.

Despite these accomplishments, Congressman Cummings noted that much work needs to be done before the mandate of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is fully realized.

“As we saw in the 2000 presidential election and as reported by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, there is a new brand of voter discrimination and intimidation,” Congressman Cummings said. “As a result of inconsistent state voter registration laws, inefficient voter equipment and in many instances, subjective oversight at the polls, millions of Americans were denied their right to vote in 2000.”

As recently as July 2004, it was revealed that Florida state officials were preparing to use an erroneous voter registration list for the November 2004 elections. Although this voter list was abandoned, it reveals the gross inefficiencies that continue to burden our elections process.

“Today, we must not only celebrate the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, we must breathe new life into this bill,” Congressman Cummings said. “As several provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 expire in 2007, namely the preclearance and bilingual provisions, I urge the President and this Congress to make certain this reauthorization does not become a back burner issue. We must also use every resource in Congress, especially those resources encapsulated in the Help America Vote Act, to ensure that every vote that is cast is counted.”

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Congressman Cummings Expresses Disappointment in Baseball Star's Steroid Use

In continuing to take an active role in opposing the tolerance of steroid use in professional sports, Congressman Cummings expressed disappointment with regard to the news that broke on August 1 that Orioles baseball player Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for steroid use.

Mr. Palmeiro appeared before the House Government Reform Committee on March 17, 2005, to testify about the use of steroids in professional baseball. Congressman Cummings serves as the Ranking Member of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources.

"Today is a sad day for professional sports," Congressman Cummings said on the day Palmeiro's suspension was announced. "I am disappointed to learn that Orioles baseball player Rafael Palmeiro, who vehemently opposed the use of steroids in baseball at our congressional hearings, has been suspended for the same reason today. Just a few days ago, we applauded Mr. Palmeiro for reaching another great milestone in his career by surpassing 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.”

He continued, “Now, we are saddened to know that performance enhancing drugs may have been used to reach that milestone. I am further disappointed that Mr. Palmeiro has not only violated baseball's steroid-use policy, but also has failed to take full responsibility for his errors by not acknowledging how steroids were found in his body.”

Congressman Cummings expressed support of a letter sent by the Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to Major League Baseball (MLB) requesting further details on Mr. Palmeiro’s drug test that found he had used steroids.

Congressman Cummings applauded Major League Baseball (MLB) for taking immediate action on Mr. Palmeiro's first offense. However, he emphasized that this penalty is not enough.

"Based upon testimony presented before our Government Reform Committee this year, steroid-use policies implemented by professional sports leagues are too lenient. Under the current MLB policy, Mr. Palmeiro will miss only nine out of 162 games. This is only 5 percent of the season, which amounts to a slap on the wrist," Congressman Cummings said.

He continued by noting that when sports leagues ignore this type of cheating, they send a message to the public that steroid abuse is acceptable.

"Unfortunately, this perception has contributed to an increase of the drug's abuse by teens from 1 in 45 ten years ago to 1 in 16 (and in some surveys, 1 in 8) today. Further, the players' unscrupulous actions send a message to young children-many of whom try to emulate their sports heroes-that steroids are safe."

Congressman Cummings said that he would continue to urge Congressional Leaders to expedite consideration by the full Congress of The Clean Sports Act of 2005 (H.R. 2565/S.1114) which he has co-sponsored with his House colleagues Congressmen Davis, Waxman and Mark Souder (R-Indiana). Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Specifically, the Clean Sports Act of 2005 would require these professional leagues to:

1. Expel athletes for two years for their first steroid-abuse violation and impose a lifetime ban for a second violation;

2. Adopt a comprehensive list of prohibited performance-enhancing drugs;

3. Test each player on an unannounced basis at least three times during the regular season and twice during the off-season; and

4. Finally, in an effort to ensure balance, the legislation guarantees that players who test positive receive their due process rights, including the right to notice, a fair, timely, and expedited hearing, the right to be represented by counsel, and the right to appeal.

"Passage of this legislation would send a strong message to the public and especially to young people that no one wins when athletes cheat," Congressman Cummings said.

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Congressman Cummings has helped secure the following grants that will benefit the residents of the 7th Congressional district.

$17 Million Housing Grants: The State of Maryland has received $17,885,369 in housing grants distributed by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) to help low-income and minority households buy homes. The grants will also help fund emergency shelters for homeless people as well as provide safe and decent housing for low-income families.

$1.6 Million for Crime Prevention: The City of Baltimore has received $1,618,696 through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program that will help fund crime control initiatives.

$335,000 Institute of Museum and Library Services grants: Three Baltimore museums will receive these federal funds to help with each museum’s activities and programs. The Jewish Museum of Maryland will receive $141,500 to install a core exhibition. The Maryland Science Center, which will receive $150,000, plans to develop an exhibit entitled “Cellular Universe,” that demonstrates how human cells work. The USS Constellation Museum will receive $44,893 to create a Civil War exhibit.

$248,000 for Building Renovations: HUD has awarded Baltimore’s Associated Catholic Charities these funds to build a new facility and renovate an existing facility for Our Daily Bread Employment Center and My Sister’s Place Women’s Center.

$213,098 for Medical Research: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the University of Maryland - Baltimore these funds to conduct research on kidney and digestive diseases.

Baltimore Office
1010 Park Avenue, Suite 105
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 685-9199 and (410) 685-9399 fax
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Catonsville Office
754 Frederick Road
Catonsville, Maryland 21228
(410) 719-8777 and (410) 455-0110 fax
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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