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Dear John,
Today, I marched to the Supreme Court to join with pro-choice advocates and make clear that we will continue to fight to ensure a woman’s right to make decisions about her health care.
In its radical decision, the Court reversed 50 years of established precedent that recognized and protected a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her health care. Today’s ruling is part of an ongoing, fundamentalist effort by the Republican Party and far right to control women and institute a national abortion ban.
Fortunately, Rhode Islanders are protected through the Reproductive Privacy Act but, everyone and anyone who cares about basic freedoms in this country should be alarmed by this decision. The far right and the Republican Party have packed the Supreme Court with radical Justices to enact a policy agenda that is deeply unpopular with the American people. They couldn’t pass these policies through the legislative process, and so now have turned to using – and abusing – the Court to circumvent our democracy.
The House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act last year, but Senate Republicans refuse to allow a vote that guarantees women the most basic right, the right to make decisions about her health care. The American people will have the opportunity to change that in November.
You’re Invited: Senior Resource Fair
I'm thrilled that my Annual Senior Resource Fair is back after a COVID hiatus and will be taking place Monday, July 11 from 5-7pm at North Providence High School.
This event is free and open to the public and is an opportunity to learn about important resources available to seniors, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities. You and your loved ones will be able to meet with more than 30 federal, state, and local organizations like the Social Security Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging, Taxpayer Advocate Service, and Rhode Island Housing.
To allow for proper social distancing, all attendees must RSVP in advance.
Spots are reserved on a first come, first served basis. You can sign up online here, by calling my Pawtucket office at 401-729-5600, or emailing [email protected].
Updates from Rhode Island
World Refugee Day
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of joining the Refugee Dream Center for World Refugee Day. Since its founding, the Refugee Dream Center has helped thousands of people, from all over the world, start anew here in Rhode Island. The Center’s invaluable services provide our state’s refugee community with the skills and resources they need to achieve the American Dream.
Rhode Island PrideFest
This past Saturday, Rhode Island PrideFest and the Illuminated Night Parade were officially back after a two-year COVID pause. I’m proud every day to be part of Rhode Island’s LGBTQ+ community and loved seeing our state come together to celebrate last weekend.
Updates from Washington, D.C.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
Today’s House passage of The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is the first time in nearly 28 years that Congress has sent a comprehensive gun violence prevention bill to the President’s desk. And while this legislation is an important first step in our fight against this nation’s gun violence epidemic, we cannot rest. We must use this momentum to pass other measures, including the House’s bipartisan Protecting Our Kids Act. And how many more kids need to die before we finally ban assault weapons? Or limit high-capacity magazines? Close the Charleston loophole? We cannot rest until we ensure that our kids are safe in school, congregations safe in houses of worship, and neighbors safe in our communities.
Safe Gun Storage
This week, I introduced a House resolution to recognize June 21 as National Asking Saves Kids (ASK) Day. The National ASK Day initiative, led by Brady, encourages parents to ask each other about firearms that they may have in their houses.
Guns are now the leading cause of death in American children. Each day, 8 children are unintentionally killed or injured by family fire. This is completely unacceptable – especially since many of these tragedies could be prevented if the gun used was unloaded and locked away safely. Asking a simple question – is there a loaded, unsecured gun in your house? – will save lives.
Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act
For too long, Americans struggling with mental illness and substance abuse have suffered in silence – intimidated by stigma and unable to access treatment.
The 2019 Rhode Island Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 15 percent of Rhode Island high school students reported attempting suicide one or more times in the previous 12 months. That’s 4 students in a class of 25.
There is a mental health crisis in Rhode Island and throughout our country and we must address it now.
On Wednesday, I voted with my colleagues to pass the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act to help save lives. This bill expands access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment through:
- establishing the Behavioral Health Crisis Coordination Office,
- reauthorizing critical public health programs to prevent suicide and expand access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and
- eliminating unnecessary limits on providers’ ability to prescribe treatments for opioid use disorder.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
Earlier this week, I add the privilege of hosting Matthew and Elliana, two Rhode Islanders who are part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. Through this program, they spent a year in Germany, immersed in German culture while living with host families and attending high school.
You can learn more about the program here.
Uniting for Ukraine: Welcoming Refugees
On April 21, as part of fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the United for Ukraine program.
This program will enable Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily in a two-year period of parole. To qualify for the program, Ukrainians must have a supporter in the United States. These supporters are responsible for providing their Ukrainian sponsor with financial support throughout their time in the United States.
You can learn more about the program, and becoming a sponsor, here.
Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests for Medicare Beneficiaries
More than 59 million Americans with Medicare Part B, including those enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, are eligible to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, authorized, or cleared over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost. You can learn more about the program here and find participating pharmacies here.
New Guidance from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is advising all US organizations, of all sizes, to be prepared to respond to any disruptive cyber security and is reporting that "[e]volving intelligence indicates that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks."
CISA has launched the Shields Up program to help organizations prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impacts of any attack.
Any abnormal cyber activity or incidents should be reported to [email protected] or 888-282-0827.
You can learn more about Shields Up and the support CISA can provide here.
Important Passport & Travel Reminder
As more Rhode Islanders and people around the world get vaccinated and boosted, we are seeing an increase in both domestic and international travel. With travel resuming, many folks are looking to renew passports and this uptick in requests has led to a backlog at the State Department. Turnaround time for expedited processing is now at 5-7 weeks and regular processing is taking 8-11 weeks from submission to receipt.
Before booking international travel, please remember to check the expiration date on your passport and plan accordingly. Passports last for 5 or 10 years depending on what age you were when you were issued your first passport. Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip. Some airlines will not allow you to board if this requirement is not met.
You can learn more from the State Department here.
As always, I am here to serve you. If there is anything I can do, please call my office at 729-5600 or send me an email at [email protected].
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