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.

Please feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Medicare Part D Enrollment: Congressman Cummings urges all seniors and Medicare recipients to enroll in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program before May 15, 2006.  The dates and locations to enroll into the program may be accessed by logging on to  http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/care/images/enrollmentdays.pdf.

It is important to note that those who miss the May 15th sign­up deadline will not be able to enroll again until November 15^th.  In addition, those enrolling after May 15^th will have to permanently pay at least 7 percent more in monthly premiums. 

Scholarships for College: Are you a college-bound student or a parent of a college-bound student who is trying to determine how to pay for college?  If so, the Office of Congressman Cummings has an extensive list of various college scholarships.  To get your free booklet, please contact Philisha Lane at (410) 685-9199 or e-mail her at Philisha.Lane@mail.house.gov.

Congressional Black Caucus Spouses’ Scholarship:  Congressman Cummings is currently accepting applications for scholarship programs coordinated by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF). Interested students may download the application and program guidelines on the CBCF website,  http//:www.cbcfinc.org, or contact Ms. Philisha Lane at (410) 685­9199 to obtain an application package. The application deadline is May 1, 2006.

Spring Break Public Safety Publications:  The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has made available a collection of publications that benefit both citizens and law enforcement officials in communities that attract large numbers of college students during the annual spring break season.  The publications cover public safety and law enforcement issues, including acquaintance rape, assaults in and around bars, crimes against tourists, disorderly youth in public places, drunk driving, illicit activities in public places, rave parties, and underage drinking.   These practical guides provide insight into the factors that contribute to specific types of crime or disorder problems, offer suggestions on how communities can evaluate these problems from a local perspective and highlight successful approaches that other communities throughout the country have used to address similar problems.  The COPS Office has made these spring break safety publications available to constituents online at http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=1691. All materials are free of charge.

Congressman Cummings Responds to President Bush's Opposition to Extend Medicare Part D Deadline

Congressman Cummings expressed disappointment that President Bush opposes the extension of the May 15, 2006 deadline to give seniors more time to sign up for the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

Under the current policy, those who miss the May 15th sign­up deadline will not be able to enroll again into the program until November 15, 2006.  In addition, those enrolling after the May 15 deadline will permanently have to pay at least 7 percent more in monthly premiums.

"It is appalling that President Bush would be against extending the deadline for enrollment into the highly complicated and confusing Medicare Part D prescription drug program,” Congressman Cummings said.  “Once again, this President refuses to listen to the concerns of the 42 million Americans who are Medicare beneficiaries and who need help navigating through the flawed program.”

Recent polls show that 61 percent of seniors still do not understand Medicare Part D and only 20 percent currently plan to enroll.

"I have visited numerous senior centers in my District since the program's inception and the majority of seniors that I talk to have concluded that the program is too confusing, too costly, and has too many plans from which to choose. As a result, they are reluctant to and, in some cases, refuse to sign up,” Congressman Cummings said.  “Assuring that our most vulnerable Americans have convenient access to a high­quality, affordable prescription drug plan should be our number one priority.  However, this President and the Republican majority seem more concerned about benefitting special interests.”

According to several healthcare experts, the Medicare Part D program was not set up to provide a meaningful benefit to seniors.  Rather, it was set up first to benefit the pharmaceutical industry and then to benefit the insurance industry.

"Disguised under the notion of 'choice,' drug companies created a large menu of plans so seniors would not have the collective power to bring prices down.  As a result, seniors today face a bewildering number of plans and decisions,” Congressman Cummings said.

In Maryland, there are more than 50 qualified plans from which seniors must choose.  Premiums, deductibles, co­payments, covered drugs, and pharmacy access vary widely from plan to plan.

"It is abundantly clear that our seniors need more time to learn about their options before making this crucial health and financial decision.  It is completely unacceptable if they are forced to pay a penalty for the rest of their lives for failing to make a decision by May 15."

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Cummings’ Legislation Naming Post Office for State Delegate Lena K. Lee Becomes Law

President Bush signed Public Law Number 109­200 on March 20 to designate the U.S. Post Office located at 1826 Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland, as the "Maryland State Delegate Lena K. Lee Post Office Building.”

Delegate Lee served as a distinguished legislator in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967 to 1982.  Her outstanding career also included many years of public service as a teacher, union leader, and lawyer.

Congressman Cummings introduced the legislation to honor the many accomplishments of Delegate Lee.

“As an individual whose intellect, generous spirit, and rare devotion aided her in making momentous contributions to the State of Maryland, the Honorable Lena K. Lee is worthy of this exceptional distinction,” Congressman Cummings said.

Delegate Lee received her B.S. from Morgan State College in 1939 and her M.A. from New York University in 1947.  Before entering the political arena, Delegate Lee served as a teacher and elementary school principal in the Baltimore City Public School System.  In 1952, she became just the third woman to receive her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. In 1967, she became the first African­American female lawyer in the House of Delegates.  During her tenure, she dedicated her energy and talents toward eradicating social inequalities and advocating for women's rights.

Congressman Cummings said, “The postal facility named in honor of Delegate Lee will serve to signify to the citizens of Maryland and to generations yet unborn that the leadership and noteworthy achievements of even one committed citizen can enrich and empower communities and the nation.”

Delegate Lee turns 100 this July.  Congressman Cummings plans to honor Delegate Lee with a ceremony in recognition of the naming of Maryland State Delegate Lena K. Lee Post Office Building.  Information about that event will be available at a later date. 

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Congressman Cummings Pushes MTA to Hold Public Hearings on Bus Changes

The Maryland General Assembly included language in the fiscal year 2007 state budget that requires the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to hold two public hearings before making additional changes in local bus routes proposed as part of the second phase of the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI).  The language requires that the hearings be held by September 30, 2006, and it prohibits the MTA from implementing the second phase of the GBBI before October 1, 2006.   The first phase of the GBBI was implemented in the fall of 2005.

In a March 13, 2006 letter to Maryland Secretary of Transportation Robert L. Flanagan, Congressman Cummings urged the MTA to agree to hold formal public hearings before implementing the second phase of the GBBI.  While the MTA has convened a series of 'public meetings' on these changes, Congressman Cummings noted that these do not rise to the level of formal hearings.  Congressman Cummings argued that formal hearings were needed because they give the public a specific window within which to study proposed changes and make comments that become part of the public record.

"The MTA bus service is integral to ensuring mobility in the City of Baltimore,” Congressman Cummings said. “As a public administration, the MTA must make customer service its number one priority. To ensure that it can respond to the public’s concerns, the MTA should hold formal public hearings to enable the community to weigh in on bus route changes proposed as part of Phase II of the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI).”

According to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 35 percent of households in Baltimore have no private vehicles available to them, and nearly 20 percent of all workers in the City ride public transit to get to work. Public transit services are also essential for school children and the elderly.

As a result of changes made by Congress in the most recent federal transportation bill, Maryland will receive approximately $845 million in total transit formula funding – an increase of 48 percent over the $570 million in transit aid received by the State under the previous transportation bill.

"It is critical that these funds be used to provide the most effective and efficient public transit services possible throughout the Baltimore Metropolitan region. I therefore urge the MTA to give the local community in Baltimore every opportunity to help design bus routes that will provide the greatest level of mobility to the greatest number of riders,” said Congressman Cummings.

Congressman Cummings also called on the MTA to release data detailing the impact that GBBI has had on the level of bus service provided by the MTA, on the MTA’s ridership, and on the MTA’s operating budget for bus services.  The language included in the state budget requires the MTA to submit a report to the General Assembly by October 1 providing the type of information requested by Congressman Cummings and detailing the efficiencies that the implementation of the GBBI has achieved.

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Congressman Cummings Spearheads Effort to Preserve Strong Parental Role in Head Start

Congressman Cummings wrote a letter earlier this month to Senators Michael Enzi (R­Wyoming), the Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, the Committee's top Democrat, asking the Committee to preserve the current authority of policy councils, which allow parents of Head Start students to actively make decisions within the program.

Currently, the Head Start Improvements for School Readiness Act (S.1107), which is under the jurisdiction of this Committee, attempts to diminish the role of parents in Head Start by confining policy councils to an advisory function.

Under current law, Head Start has a shared governance structure in which there is one board of directors and one policy council for each program.  Parents on the policy council and the members of the board of directors share several important responsibilities in which they must work together to achieve the short and long­range goals of the program. For instance, they must jointly approve a budget, develop personnel policies and procedures, and construct a comprehensive system for recruiting low­income children.

“The current structure ensures that the important voices of parents who have children in the program are given equal consideration with the voices of experts in education, finance, and accounting,” Congressman Cummings said.  “This structure also empowers low­income parents by giving them real responsibility and the opportunity to vote for what is in the best interest of their children.  The experience of serving on a policy council under the current system not only helps participants to grow as parents and as individuals, but fosters their close involvement in their children's education during their formative years.” 

As the Senate Committee is expected to consider the bill this session, Congressman Cummings urged Senators Enzi and Kennedy to address this concern before the bill is sent to the full Senate floor.

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House Passes Legislation Containing Cummings' Dawson Bill Provisions

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2005, H.R. 2829, in a 399 to 5 vote. 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 fight back against illegal drugs.

"As we debate this important legislation, illegal drug abuse, drug addiction, and drugrelated violence are exacting an enormous toll on our society by destroying lives, tearing apart families, and devastating entire communities. Nationwide, drug abuse will contribute to the loss of 50,000 lives, and more than 20,000 Americans will die as a direct consequence of illegal drug use, this year alone," Congressman Cummings said as he led the debate on the bill on behalf of House Democrats.

The bill reauthorizes the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which oversees the nation's anti­drug initiatives. Also known as the Drug Czar's office, ONDCP's basic mandate is to coordinate and support the efforts of drug control agencies located in eight different departments.

Congressman Cummings was exceptionally pleased with the bill's adoption of "The Dawson Family Community Protection Act of 2005," H.R. 812, which he re­introduced in 2005. The language adopted from the Dawson bill provides for additional federal funding to better protect neighborhood anti­drug activists against retaliation. More specifically, the bill authorizes at least $7 million annually to support High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program initiatives that protect communities suffering from severe levels of drugrelated violence that occur as a byproduct of intense interstate drug trafficking activity.

Congressman Cummings originally introduced the Dawson bill in 2003 after the Angela and Carnell Dawson family of Baltimore was tragically killed due to Mrs. Dawson's repeated complaints to the police about persistent drug distribution activity in her East Baltimore City neighborhood. The resulting fire claimed the lives of Mr. Dawson, Mrs. Dawson, and their five young children, aged 9 to 14.

"The Dawson family died as heroes," Congressman Cummings said. "The nation must honor their sacrifice and provide protection to neighborhood activists who take it upon themselves to make our communities safer."

The Dawson bill also recognizes that the cooperation of ordinary citizens like Angela Dawson is vital in disrupting illegal drug trafficking organizations.

Congressman Cummings also applauded several other provisions of H.R. 2829. For example, the legislation includes provisions to ensure that programs to expand access to drug treatment are adequately supported in the federal drug control budget and further requires ONDCP to develop comprehensive strategies to address the severe threats posed by South American heroin, Afghan heroin, and drug smuggling across the Southwest Border.

"In addition to the human toll, illegal drug abuse results in billions of dollars in costs to our nation in health care costs and lost economic productivity, placing an enormous burden on the American people, state and local governments, businesses, and other institutions. This set of circumstances is simply intolerable and it is our duty, as the people's representatives, to formulate laws and policies to reduce the scope and severity of this problem," Congressman Cummings said.

A similar version of the bipartisan reauthorization bill, also containing the Dawson provision, passed the House in the 108th Congress, but Congress adjourned before the legislation passed the Senate. The bill passed this month will now go to the Senate for consideration.

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Congressman Cummings Joins Senators Sarbanes, Mikulski and U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein to Announce Progress in Predatory Lending Prosecutions

On March 22, Congressman Cummings joined Maryland’s U.S. Senators Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski and U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein to announce substantial progress in the decrease of unscrupulous real estate practices targeted at low-income individuals.

At the Baltimore event, the participants announced that since the creation of the Baltimore Flipping Task Force in 1999, flipping practices had decreased by 77 percent.  Flipping involves an illegal scheme in which speculators buy low-cost housing, obtain false appraisals and quickly resell the properties at inflated prices. In addition to reducing flipping cases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that it had successfully prosecuted 100 perpetrators of the illegal practice.

In 1999, members of the Baltimore Coalition to End Predatory Lending brought attention to the widespread real estate fraud in Baltimore.  At the time, the foreclosure rate in Baltimore had quadrupled – and hundreds of families were losing their homes.

As a result, Senators Mikulski and Sarbanes led the effort to obtain $5 million in federal funding to help victims of flipping in Baltimore.   With this funding, Senator Mikulski worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish the Baltimore Flipping Task Force and make Baltimore a laboratory for fighting housing scams nationwide.

“Through the task force, victimized home buyers received help restructuring their mortgages, repairing their credit histories, and receiving thorough mortgage counseling,” Congressman Cummings said.  “Today, we are moving forward to expand home ownership opportunities for Baltimore’s working families.”

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Congressman Cummings has helped secure the following grants and contracts that will benefit the residents of the 7^th Congressional district:

$4,430,568 grant for crime control: This U.S. Justice Department grant has been awarded to the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention to enable it to respond to crime control activities.

$2,0628,895 award for HIV emergency treatment: The Baltimore City Health Department has received this grant to provide emergency relief services for those affected by HIV.

$1,310,267 contract for Northrop Grumman: The company has received this federal contract to develop low-cost biological detection sensor systems.

$455,000 housing grants: The Enterprise Foundation will receive this funding to help fund affordable housing programs as well as aid homeless individuals find permanent housing.

$171,164 for substance abuse treatment: This grant from the U.S. Justice Department will help the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention work with state and local governments to provide substance abuse treatment.