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Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

Public Housing Capital Fund will help 24 local housing authorities improve public housing and expand affordable housing opportunities for more RIers

WASHINGTON DC – In an effort to make quality, affordable housing a reality for more Rhode Islanders, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today announced that twenty-four Rhode Island cities and towns will receive a total of $26,997,164 in federal funding through the Public Housing Capital Fund.  Senator Reed led efforts at the federal level to make this money available through the fiscal year 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (also known as the Omnibus spending bill), which was signed into law by President Biden on March 15, 2022.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), this fiscal year 2022 Public Housing Capital Fund money will help local communities preserve, develop, finance, and modernize public housing.

“Everyone deserves a roof over their head and a safe and secure place to call home.  This new federal funding will improve housing conditions for vulnerable families and prevent more people from being forced out onto the streets.  It will help preserve public housing units, a critical source of affordable housing.  These federal funds will ensure that local housing agencies can improve their buildings, preserve affordable housing, and help us build stronger communities,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of both the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, which authorizes the program, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD), which appropriates money for it.  “This funding will be put to work making needed repairs, maintaining public assets, and ensuring quality, affordable housing is available.  It means local housing authorities can address their most pressing needs and hire additional maintenance staff and contractors to do repairs and renovation projects.”

The Public Housing Capital Fund Program provides local housing authorities with funding for the modernization of public housing and ongoing maintenance needs.  Local agencies can use the funding for a broad array of improvements that may include redesigning, reconstructing, and reconfiguring public housing sites and buildings; addressing safety code compliance needs; replacing obsolete utility systems and dwelling equipment; and investing in resident programs that help improve economic empowerment.

Through his leadership on the THUD subcommittee, Senator Reed helped include $3.2 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund in the omnibus appropriations law.  This is a $435 million increase over last year and the highest ever annual funding for the program.  Overall, the omnibus provides a total of $8.45 billion for public housing nationwide, including both capital investments and operating costs.

According to HUD, Rhode Island has approximately 9,000 public housing units across the state.

Public Housing Agencies in the following cities and towns will receive funding:

• Bristol: $457,335
• Burrillville: $234,004
• Central Falls: $905,874
• Coventry: $445,541
• Cranston: $1,526,553
• Cumberland: $352,793
• East Greenwich: $87,870
• East Providence: $1,151,082
• Jamestown: $69,349
• Johnston: $359,404
• Lincoln: $685,823
• Providence: $8,316,317
• Pawtucket: $2,410,410
• Narragansett: $29,645
• Newport: $2,451,978
• North Providence: $294,980
• Smithfield: $143,603
• South Kingstown: $274,384
• Tiverton: $111,844.00
• Warren: $324,400
• Warwick: $1,261,355.00
• Westerly: $319,392
• West Warwick: $614,986
• Woonsocket: $4,168,242

TOTAL: $26,997,164

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

Funding for 11 projects ranging from concept and engineering designs for watershed, green infrastructure improvements to creating open spaces

PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 4, 2022 – The Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP), hosted at Roger Williams University, announces $649,000 in planning grant awards to support green-infrastructure and capacity-building projects for municipalities, local organizations, and universities across Rhode Island and Massachusetts

NBEP is providing a total of 11 grant awards through the Green Infrastructure Planning Grant program funded under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Southeast New England Program (SNEP). These green infrastructure projects align natural and engineering processes to improve water quality, reduce flooding, and increase efficiency of the water supply, while offering a range of co-benefits, including climate resilience, wildlife habitat, public health, and other socioeconomic and community enhancements.

“Natural solutions to runoff pollution and flooding that work with the landscape and the community are the future,” said NBEP Executive Director Mike Gerel. “We are pleased to fill a gap in financial support for the vital pre-project planning work necessary to bring more high-quality green infrastructure to our region.”

R.I. Senator Jack Reed, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spearheaded the creation of the Southeast New England Program, which provides funding to NBEP to support programs such as the Green Infrastructure Planning Grants.

“Meaningful change takes vision, planning, resources, and execution. I commend Roger Williams University and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program for coordinating this important effort. These green infrastructure planning grants are an important step toward building a cleaner, more secure, resilient and prosperous future,” said Senator Reed.

“EPA is proud of the great work being done in Narragansett Bay as part of the National Estuary Program, in partnership with our Southeast New England Program and other EPA resources. These projects will help local efforts to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity in Narragansett Bay,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “Estuaries are essential in protecting water quality, providing critical habitat and reducing flood impacts to communities. These benefits are very important here in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.”

The Town of Bristol, R.I., is one of the grantees and will receive $70,818 to address stormwater management and long-term water quality goals in a neighborhood off of Metacom Avenue.

“The Town of Bristol is very excited to receive the grant for planning our green infrastructure projects in the Sowams/Annawamscutt Neighborhood,” said Diane Williamson, Bristol’s director of community development. “This project will help us identify and plan to incorporate additional green infrastructure projects into Town-owned open space areas which will also provide many co-benefits such as improved recreational areas and habitat.”

In Fall River, Mass., Groundwork Southcoast will receive $25,000 to initiate an environmental justice-grounded project to develop green spaces for the community.

“Funding from NBEP is monumental for a community like Fall River. This will allow Groundwork Southcoast to implement nature-based solutions that will connect historically disenfranchised residents from Fall River’s wonderful natural resources,” said Eric Andrade, the Community Systems and Climate Manager of Groundwork Southcoast. “As someone who grew up in a Fall River ‘environmental justice’ neighborhood, unable to play outside and experience the environment around me, I can attest firsthand how bridging these gaps for residents of today can make a massive impact in how people engage with our natural and urban green and blue spaces.”

The grants were awarded through a competitive process overseen by NBEP’s Grants Subcommittee. These projects were chosen because they will address stormwater pollution concerns and advance the capacity of the region to identify and implement future green infrastructure projects. The complete list of awards for this grant includes:

• $99,000 to the Town of South Kingstown, RI to complete engineering designs, permits, and outreach for four private sites that build on existing engineering design for the Green Hill Pond watershed.
• $92,099 to Groundwork Rhode Island, Blackstone Parks Conservancy and Seekonk River Alliance to advance renderings of green infrastructure projects at the south end of Providence, R.I.’s Blackstone Boulevard to the design and public engagement stage.
• $75,000 to the Southern RI Conservation District to develop a master plan with three concept designs and outreach for green infrastructure consistent with MRP/Comprehensive Plan in Westerly, RI.
• $73,000 to the Audubon Society of RI to conduct low-cost effectiveness monitoring of green infrastructure projects in Roger Williams Park and across Providence.
• $70,818 to the Town of Bristol, RI to develop concept designs for up to three green infrastructure projects in the Sowams and Annawamscutt neighborhoods.
• $60,410 to the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council to engage engineers and residents to create effective, community-supported designs for green infrastructure on Salmon Avenue in the Olneyville section of Providence, RI.
• $50,015 to the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NBNERR) to complete conceptual designs, plans, costs, and permitting for at least four green infrastructure practices on reserve property on Prudence Island.
• $45,000 to the City of East Providence, RI to develop conceptual plans for stormwater management in Runnins River watershed, including design and permitting for one green infrastructure practice.
• $33,700 to the Town of Barrington, RI to complete a stormwater drainage system geodatabase mapping project to identify opportunities to retrofit existing or install new green infrastructure.
• $25,000 to Clark University and the Blackstone Watershed Collaborative to work with municipal decision-makers in Woonsocket, RI and Worcester, Mass. to create conditions for installation of nature-based solutions.
• $25,000 to Groundwork Southcoast to launch a Resilience District model in Fall River, Mass. that will create and maintain green open spaces that benefit the community.

The Narragansett Bay Estuary Program releases grant programs on a yearly basis. Please visit the Grant Opportunities website for current and past awards. For more information about the Green Infrastructure Planning Grants, visit https://www.nbep.org/projects-we-fund. 

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

 

WASHINGTON, DC — After the news media published excerpts of a draft opinion indicating that a majority of the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement:

“It is clear the Republican Court has the votes to fully overturn Roe v. Wade.  Such a ruling would be a radical, short-sighted, partisan move from a partisan court.  Like the majority of Rhode Islanders, I support a woman’s right to make her own private reproductive choices. There will be floor votes in response, but the simple fact is the only votes that matter on this issue will be cast by the American people in November.”

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

Reed, Capito lead effort to advance childhood cancer research, improve efforts to identify and track incidence of childhood cancer, and enhance the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors

WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to help thousands of children who undergo cancer treatment each year, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act of 2022 (S.4120).  Reed and Capito were joined in introducing the bill by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).  This bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, the most comprehensive childhood cancer bill ever passed by Congress, which approved the measure unanimously in 2018. 

The STAR Act helps advance pediatric cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments, while also improving childhood cancer surveillance and providing resources for survivors and those impacted by childhood cancer.  Since being signed into law the STAR Act has helped deliver over $120 million to fund promising childhood cancer research and assist patients and families battling cancer.

“Reauthoring the STAR Act would mean more help for kids battling cancer.  It will target federal research to ensure the medical community is better equipped to diagnose and treat pediatric cancers and assist young patients and their families.  Renewing the STAR Act will get us closer to the goal of one day curing cancers in children, adolescents, and young adults,” said Senator Reed.  “The Childhood Cancer STAR Act will support cancer research and deliver needed assistance to children with cancer and their families.  It will develop new strategies to help survivors overcome late health effects, such as secondary cancers.”

“I was incredibly proud to be part of the passage of the STAR Act in 2018, which has made an important difference in the lives of children with cancer, we well as childhood cancer survivors and their families. Since that time, the legislation has resulted in unprecedented opportunities and funding for childhood cancer research, allowed us to better understand and track the incidence of disease, and improved the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors. This reauthorization will allow these opportunities to continue and bring us closer to a world without childhood cancer,” Senator Capito said.

“Far too many families in Maryland and across the country face the nightmare of a child with cancer – and while their stories are all different, all of these mothers, fathers, and children are looking for hope,” said Senator Van Hollen, who introduced the Childhood Cancer STAR Act during his time in the House of Representatives. “That’s why we fought to pass the initial Childhood Cancer STAR Act, and why we’re working invest in even more research and better treatments. Maryland is proud to be home to both NIH and NCI, and this investment will help them ultimately save lives.”

“Cancer is an unimaginable and heartbreaking experience for anyone—particularly for children who are diagnosed and the caregivers who support them in their treatment journey. The STAR Act Reauthorization takes a multifaceted approach to addressing childhood cancer by boosting research efforts, bolstering data collection, and improving the quality of life for all the brave children who’ve survived this awful disease,” said Senator Murkowski. “I’m proud to help introduce a comprehensive childhood cancer bill in an effort to help create a world for future generations where the phrase ‘you have cancer’ doesn’t exist.”

There are over one hundred different subtypes of childhood cancers.  Most new cancer diagnoses in children are for leukemia (28.1%) and brain/CNS cancers (26.5%), while malignant epithelial neoplasms and melanomas (23.3%) and brain/CNS cancers (21.9%) are top cancers for adolescents, according to Children’s Cancer Cause.

Childhood cancer research has progressed in recent years, but after accidents, cancer is still the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14, according to the American Cancer Society.   Health experts estimate that nearly 10,500 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2022.

U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX), Jackie Speier (D-CA), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), and Mike Kelly (R-PA), are introducing companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Summary: The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Reauthorization Act of 2022

Expand Opportunities for Childhood Cancer Research:  Due to the relatively small population of children with cancer and the geographic distance between these children, researching childhood cancer can be challenging.  As such, the Childhood Cancer STAR Act reauthorizes and expands existing efforts at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to collect biospecimens for childhood cancer patients enrolled in NCI-sponsored clinical trials to collect and maintain relevant clinical, biological, and demographic information on all children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer.

Improve Childhood Cancer Surveillance:  Building upon previous efforts, this bill authorizes grants to state cancer registries to identify and track incidences of child, adolescent, and young adult cancer.  This funding will be used to identify and train reporters of childhood cancer cases, secure infrastructure to ensure early reporting and capture of child cancer incidences, and support the collection of cases into a national childhood cancer registry.

Help Improve Quality of Life Opportunities for Childhood Cancer Survivors:  Unfortunately, even after beating cancer, as many as two-thirds of survivors suffer from late effects of their disease or treatment, including secondary cancers and organ damage. This legislation will enhance research on the late effects of childhood cancers, improve collaboration among providers so that doctors are better able to care for this population as they age, and establish a new pilot program to begin to explore innovative models of care for childhood cancer survivors.

Ensure Pediatric Expertise at the National Institutes of Health (NIH):  Requires the inclusion of at least one expert in pediatric oncology on the National Cancer Advisory Board and would improve childhood health reporting requirements to include pediatric cancer.

Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

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Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

Tuesday | May 10, 2022

WASHINGTON – In today’s Senate Banking Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) confronted Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about troubling comments she made during the hearing as well as the administration’s approach to combating inflation. Sen. Scott also provided closing remarks, in which he underscored how pro-growth policies enacted under Republican leadership fostered economic opportunity and created a more inclusive economy.

Click to watch

On Sec. Yellen’s troubling comments … “Secretary Yellen, thank you for being here this morning. Some of your comments in response to [Sen. Menendez] question I found troubling. And just from clarity’s sake, did you say that ending the life of a child is good for the labor force participation rate? … Let me just quote what you said, that ultimately ‘increasing access to abortion and reproductive health care allows for our labor force participation rate to continue to increase,’ that ‘denying women access to abortion increases their odds of living in poverty or a need for public assistance.’

“I’ll just simply say that as a guy raised by a Black woman in abject poverty, I’m thankful to be here as United States senator, first. Second thing I’d say is that we can, at the same time, have a real conversation about increasing child tax credits that are refundable. We can, at the same time, have a conversation about the opportunity to have a more robust system around the issue of child care, of early childhood education. We could have a conversation about financial literacy. There’s a lot of ways for us to address the issue about the child that is here. So that, just to me, was unusually piercing comments that you made.”

On the administration’s approach to combating inflation … “In [the] face of persistent inflation … slowing growth caused by a backlog pipeline driven by too much demand with too little supply, [and] a lagging labor force participation rate, people aren’t coming back to work, so we have millions of jobs that are open. The atrophying of the muscle for work seems to be endemic in this current Biden administration’s approach, coupled with government debt that is now well over $30 trillion and growing very fast.”

Sen. Scott also provided closing remarks at the hearing.

Click to watch

Remarks as delivered:

“I know that Senator Cortez Masto said why should I impose my circumstances on others? Well, I think because my circumstances [are] like so many others, millions and millions of kids being raised in poverty by single parent households who happen to be Black. Telling Black teenage moms that there’s only one alternative for them is a depressing and challenging message.

“So sitting through and listening to so many folks stereotype the necessity of making a life altering decision as if it’s the option to me is not right. … Even during tough financial times in households like the one I was raised [in], there is still hope. …

“I think about the reasons why we should be hopeful and send a message of optimism and opportunity to single moms around this country challenged with too much month at the end of the money.

“It’s the policies where Senator Cortez Masto talked about the tax reform. Well, the tax reform of 2017 cut a single moms taxes by 70 percent on the federal level, led to 4,000 more dollars in the average pocket of the average household in this nation. We created 7 million jobs [with] two thirds of those jobs going to African-Americans, Hispanics, and women. … And so what I’m suggesting is that, yes, people on the left and people on the right can work together to bring about positive policy changes that can transform the lives of those living in poverty. …

“When we’re going to have a conversation about improving the outcome of this nation’s poorest Americans, I think we should have that conversation. I am frankly willing to have the debate with anyone, anywhere, at any time on my lived experience versus anyone else’s, because I believe that America is the solution, not the problem. …

“I’m simply saying that the experience of so many of us, millions of us [who grew up] in poverty, I conclude is a reason to be hopeful about what’s possible, even for those incredibly powerful, positive women making really hard choices.”

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Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

Tuesday | May 10, 2022

WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) led 25 of their colleagues on a bipartisan resolution celebrating National Charter School Week and commending charter schools on their contribution to education. 

“Giving children an opportunity to reach their God-given potential is a priority for all parents, regardless of race, income, or zip code,” said Senator Scott. “That’s why millions of families — including thousands in South Carolina — choose charter schools for the high-quality education they provide. We must do everything within our power to protect and expand families’ options by continuing to support our nation’s charter schools.”

“Every student deserves access to high-quality education to help set them up for future success,” said Senator Bennet. “During National Charter Schools Week, we celebrate the educators and school leaders who work day in and day out to make that possible and shape the next generation of leaders.”

Joining Senators Scott and Bennet on the resolution are senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Read full text of the resolution here.

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Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

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Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

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Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today continued his efforts to ensure legal cannabis businesses can access the same banking services utilized by all other legal businesses. In a letter to Congressional Leadership, King joined a bipartisan group of twenty-three other Senators to call for the inclusion of their Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would allow state-legal cannabis business to access banking services, in the final version of competitiveness legislation currently being negotiated between the House and Senate.

The letter highlights how inclusion of the bill would create jobs in states like Maine and make our communities safer.

“The SAFE Banking Act, as included in the House-passed America COMPETES Act, would allow banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions to offer banking services to legally-operating cannabis businesses without fear of punishment by federal regulators,” said the Senators. “Currently, thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use, and eighteen states and the District of Columbia allow adult recreational use. As a result, the cannabis industry has become a powerful job creator and a significant generator of tax revenue. However, financial institutions are often reluctant to transact with cannabis-related businesses, even in states that have some form of legalized cannabis, due to legal and regulatory risks arising from inconsistent federal and state laws.”

“Enacting the SAFE Banking Act via the jobs and competitiveness legislation before us would support a rapidly growing industry that creates jobs, fosters innovation, supports small businesses, and raises revenue in states that have chosen to legalize cannabis, while reducing safety risks to industry employees and the public alike,” the Senators concluded.

Currently, many cannabis businesses operating under state laws that have legalized medicinal or recreational cannabis are denied access to the banking system because they can be prosecuted under federal banking law. Without the ability to access bank accounts, accept credit cards, or write checks, businesses must operate using large amounts of cash. This creates safety risks for businesses and surrounding communities, and creates unnecessary difficulties for local and state governments seeking to collect taxes.

To address the safety concerns resulting from these state legal businesses being shut out of banking services, the SAFE Banking Act would prevent federal banking regulators from:

• Prohibiting, penalizing or discouraging a bank from providing financial services to a legitimate state-sanctioned and regulated cannabis business, or an associated business (such as an lawyer or landlord providing services to a legal cannabis business);
• Terminating or limiting a bank’s federal deposit insurance solely because the bank is providing services to a state-sanctioned cannabis business or associated business;
• Recommending or incentivizing a bank to halt or downgrade providing any kind of banking services to these businesses; or
• Taking any action on a loan to an owner or operator of a cannabis-related business.

Senator King was an original cosponsor when the SAFE Banking Act was introduced in March of last year.

The full letter can be read here and below.

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Dear Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy, 

We write to request that the final conferenced American competitiveness, jobs, and innovation package retain the text of the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE Banking Act) of 2021 included in the House of Representatives’ American COMPETES Act of 2022. The House has now passed the SAFE Banking Act six times, including most recently as an amendment to its version of the bipartisan competition bill, and we ask you to ensure that the text of that amendment remains in the final conferenced version of the bill to be considered by both the House and the Senate. 

The SAFE Banking Act, as included in the House-passed America COMPETES Act, would allow banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions to offer banking services to legally-operating cannabis businesses without fear of punishment by federal regulators. Currently, thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use, and eighteen states and the District of Columbia allow adult recreational use. As a result, the cannabis industry has become a powerful job creator and a significant generator of tax revenue. However, financial institutions are often reluctant to transact with cannabis-related businesses, even in states that have some form of legalized cannabis, due to legal and regulatory risks arising from inconsistent federal and state laws. Allowing cannabis businesses operating legally and in compliance with state law to access financial services without federal reprisal would address public safety and compliance challenges, helping communities reduce cash-motivated crimes. Law enforcement organizations have publicly testified before Congress about these cash-related safety risks, including theft, robbery, and serious violence perpetrated against employees responsible for conducting what should be routine business operations.2 The same law enforcement organizations also have testified about the importance of moving these large amounts of cash in the cannabis industry into the banking system, where accounts are monitored in accordance with existing federal anti-money laundering laws and the Bank Secrecy Act. Enacting the SAFE Banking Act via the jobs and competitiveness legislation before us would support a rapidly growing industry that creates jobs, fosters innovation, supports small businesses, and raises revenue in states that have chosen to legalize cannabis, while reducing safety risks to industry employees and the public alike. ?  

The House of Representatives already added the SAFE Banking Act as an amendment to the America COMPETES Act by a bipartisan a vote of 262-168, and on February 4, 2022, passed the amended America COMPETES Act by a bipartisan vote of 222 to 210. The standalone legislation on which the amendment is based previously passed the House of Representatives 321-101, garnering the support of more than three-quarters of the chamber and a majority of the members of each party. The bill’s list of co-sponsors is also bipartisan in both the House and the Senate. Given the demonstrated broad support for this measure, we ask you to ensure that the text of the SAFE Banking Act remain in the forthcoming final conferenced version of the jobs and competitiveness bill when it comes to the House and Senate for final votes. This will help cannabis-related businesses, support innovation, create jobs, and strengthen public safety in our communities. We look forward to working with you on this important issue.