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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Baltimore Leadership Alliance for Quality Education (BLAQE) conference: On, Saturday, October 14, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Congressman Cummings will host the conference to discuss the state of Baltimore City schools.  The event will be held at the Maryland Institute College of Art Brown Center, 1301 Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21217.  Congressman Cummings will co-host this conference with Bishop Walter Scott Thomas of New Psalmist Baptist Church.  Nationally celebrated school reformer Paul Vallas, who currently serves as Philadelphia School District CEO, will also participate.  At the event, members of the community will discuss ways to improve Baltimore City schools.  For further information, contact Congressman Cummings’ Baltimore office at (410) 685-9199.

Meeting on InterCounty Connector business opportunities:  On Tuesday, October 17, 2006, Congressman Cummings will host a meeting to discuss business opportunities that will be available through the construction of the proposed InterCounty Connector (ICC) highway.  The meeting will be from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Coppin State University's New Dining Hall. At the meeting, officials with the Maryland Department of Transportation and the State Highway Administration will speak about the specific contracting opportunities and about the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise through which disadvantaged businesses are registered to compete for federally funded highway projects.  The ICC is intended to be a limited access East­West link between I­270 and I­95 in Maryland.

Cummings Remembers Victims, Families, and Heroes of Sept. 11 Attacks on 5^th Anniversary

On the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Congressman Cummings joined his colleagues in a bipartisan ceremony at the U.S. Capitol to remember one of the worst tragedies in American history.

“My prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives five years ago today, in a series of horrific attacks unlike anything ever experienced on U.S. soil,” Congressman Cummings said.  “All of the victims were simply going about their daily lives ­ some were traveling for business, or returning home from vacation.  Some were working 9­to­5 jobs, trying to earn a living.  Others died courageously, by altering the course of a plane that was destined to strike yet another target.  All of those who were tragically lost that day will forever live in our hearts.”

Congressman Cummings then applauded the first responders who were on the front lines of the attacks. 

“We will always be grateful for the sacrifices made by the first responders who died after bravely running into burning buildings to help save as many people as they could. Their heroism will never be forgotten,” he said.  “I also pay tribute to the surviving first responders, who continued doing their jobs in the immediate aftermath of the attack, and persevered until all of those who could be saved were rescued.  Their heroic acts remind us of the tremendous sacrifices that firefighters, police officers, and other emergency workers make every day.”

Looking forward, Congressman Cummings urged his colleagues and President Bush to join him in refocusing the nation’s energies on implementing the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission and on capturing Osama bin Laden and the other masterminds of the attacks, many of whom remain at large.

"We must remain vigilant and continue to provide resources to improve homeland security in order to prevent a tragedy of this magnitude from ever happening again."

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Cummings Continues Push for Iraq Exit Strategy

Following a series of nationally televised speeches where President Bush emphasized the need to continue the U.S. mission in Iraq, Congressman Cummings, a Member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, expressed concern about the ongoing war.

“The cost of the war, now exceeding $300 billion, is staggering,” Congressman Cummings said.  “And a majority of Americans now understand that our military engagement there has not made Americans safer from terrorism here at home.  We need a change in direction.”

Congressman Cummings noted that America’s options are not limited to the false, “stay or go” choices that President Bush and his Republican allies continue to propose.  He explained that he and many of his Democratic colleagues are advocating a third, better course for our policy in Iraq, which was proposed by Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha.  This strategy involves redeploying our troops, re-allocating our funding toward our most pressing international and domestic needs, and re-engaging in the broader defense against terrorism.   

“Staying the course in Iraq is not a strategy and is adverse to our fight in the global war on terror,” Congressman Cummings said.

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At Committee Hearing, Congressman Cummings Addresses Pipeline Regulations

               
Congressman Cummings expressed concern that lenient federal regulations on oil pipelines resulted in an oil spill in Alaska.  Pipelines carry much of the nation’s oil supply that is not carried in tankers.

At a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Sept. 13, the Committee examined circumstances surrounding a March 2006 oil spill in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, that dumped several hundred thousand gallons of gasoline into the Alaskan tundra. The Committee also examined the adequacy of the current oversight regime for low­pressure liquid pipelines.  The Committee, of which Congressman Cummings is a member, oversees issues regarding the nation’s oil pipelines.

“Approximately 270,000 gallons of oil leaked into the Alaskan tundra through a quarter­inch hole in a BP pipeline in March of this year.  Subsequently, this summer, additional corrosion was found in a pipeline that required it to be partially shutdown.  This action took nearly half of the 400,000 gallons normally transported through this BP network out of our national supply chain,” Congressman Cummings said.

“I hope that BP will explain why they allowed their pipelines to be so neglected for so long BP is a firm that advertises itself as placing a high priority on operating in a manner that is safe for the environment.  Further, reports show that BP made $7.27 billion in profits during the second quarter of this year, which equated to a profit earning of roughly $55,000 per minute,” Congressman Cummings said.

Given these high profits, Congressman Cummings observed that the company should have invested more in properly maintaining their pipelines.

“The safety of pipelines across our nation is of critical importance and the incidents in Alaska reveal serious shortcomings in our safety oversight regime that demand immediate attention,” Congressman Cummings said.

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Cummings Awarded for Efforts to Increase Blood Donations in Maryland

On Sept. 13, Congressman Cummings received the "Dignitary of the Year" award from the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac (GC & P) Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross for his efforts to combat the ongoing blood shortage in Maryland by encouraging people to donate blood.  The award was announced during GC & P's annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

Congressman Cummings has worked closely with GC & P to recruit blood donors by stressing the need to maintain the blood reserves that are so critical to saving lives.

"I am honored to receive this award from the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross, an organization whose work is vital to our community," Congressman Cummings said.  "Hospitals and doctors throughout Maryland rely on the blood supply every day to provide lifesaving treatments for patients. That is why I am committed to doing all that I can to urge people to donate blood."

The GC & P Region strives to collect more than 1,000 units of blood each day for distribution to more than 65 hospitals, including 10 major trauma centers.  Donating blood is an easy process that takes about an hour of time. Blood donors are eligible to give every 56 days and each blood donation can help save up to three lives.

Appointments at American Red Cross Blood Donor Centers can be made by calling 1­800­GIVE­LIFE.

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Congressman Cummings helped secure the following grants to benefit the residents of the 7^th Congressional district. 

$8,645,984 bioterrorism grant: The Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene has received these funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help area hospitals prepare for potential bioterrorism threats.

$4,566,471 for early childhood educator professional development: This grant from the U.S. Department of Education has been awarded to Johns Hopkins University to enhance educators’ skills when teaching young children.

$2,676,190 grant for the Maryland Transit Administration: These funds will be used to implement the Job Access and Reverse Commute program.

$1,276,758 grant from the National Institute of Aging: These funds will help fund the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans’ Independence Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

$1,878,119 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grant: These funds have been provided to the State of Maryland by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for heating assistance grants for the fall and winter months ahead.

$492,249 environmental health grant: The National Center for Environmental Health has provided this grant to the National Center for Healthy Housing in Columbia, MD, to develop methods to protect children from environmental health hazards.

$344,752 for Morgan State University: This grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine will help the university conduct further research in public health issues.