on this page: Artistic Discovery | Push to Fund Family Support | Funding Homeland Security | NIH Chief Supports Stem Cells | LNG Update | Privacy Statement

Dear Friends,

This time of year in Washington, D.C., is especially busy.  As we begin to debate our federal budget for the coming fiscal year, Congress is faced with many tough choices and a delicate balancing act between funding our constituents' priorities and ensuring fiscal responsibility.  I have been working to support a budget that addresses our ballooning deficit, while funding the programs here at home that matter the most to you and your family.  These programs range from the Community Development Block Grant to environmental protection programs to assistance to help the victims of violent crime.

Thank you to all those who have visited, written and called in recent months urging that Congress's funding priorities meet Rhode Island's needs.  Hearing from you makes my job easier and I encourage you to continue to be in touch!

Peter Wells, publisher of the Providence American, recently interviewed Congressman Langevin about the issues facing the Democratic Congress.

Sonia Sanchez, Cranston High School East graduate, won the 2006 Congressional Arts Competition.

Artistic Discovery

For the past 25 years, members and delegates of the House of Representatives have held An Artistic Discovery Contest in their districts.  The winning piece of art from each district is displayed as part of a national exhibition in the Cannon Tunnel, a pedestrian walkway leading to the U.S. Capitol.  Every year, I look forward to hosting some of Rhode Island's most promising talents at my High School Congressional Arts Competition Show since this is an excellent opportunity to highlight our young artists. For details about how to enter the competition, high school students should contact their art teachers. This year's show will run on the afternoon of April 29 at New Urban Arts in Providence.  I encourage you to stop by to see the work of these talented students and share your support!

Push to Fund Family Support

I recently submitted a letter, signed by 20 of my colleagues, to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education requesting $40 million in funding for the Lifespan Respite Care Act in FY 2008 appropriations.  As you may know, this legislation passed in December 2006 and will provide temporary relief from continuous family caregiving and decrease the likelihood of formal long-term care, resulting in significant savings for the health care system and taxpayers.  Access to respite services has been shown to help improve caregiver health and well-being, promote family stability, avoid or delay more costly out-of-home placements, and reduce the likelihood of abuse and neglect.

Members of the National Respite Coalition Lifespan Respite Task Force recently thanked Langevin for championing the Lifespan Respite Care Act.

Funding Homeland Security

As chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology, I am concerned that the President's budget proposal does not invest appropriately in important homeland security initiatives.  His proposal underfunds rail security and biodefense programs and cuts programs important to state and local law enforcement, including the State Homeland Security Grant Program, which awarded $45.2 million to Rhode Island from 2003 to 2006, and the Law Enforcement Terrorist Prevention Program, from which Rhode Island received $11.5 million in funding from 2004 to 2006.

Despite their proven effectiveness in reducing crime in our communities, the Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) and Justice Assistance Grants (JAGs) would also face cuts under the President's budget.  The COPS program helps Rhode Island's law enforcement agencies hire police officers, enhance crime fighting technology, and support crime prevention initiatives, while JAG supports state and local drug task forces, community crime prevention programs and prosecution initiatives.  In 2006 alone, Rhode Island received $1.6 million in JAG funding and $790,000 in COPS funding that helped keep Rhode Island families safe.  An important component of homeland security includes providing our state and local law enforcement with the resources they need to be effective, and I will fight to block these proposed cuts.

NIH Chief Supports Stem Cells

I am more encouraged than ever regarding passage of the DeGette-Castle-Langevin Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act after hearing the recent testimony of Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health.  He stated before a Senate subcommittee that "the nation would be better served if the federally funded scientists had access to new colonies of embryonic stem cells for research."

I wholeheartedly agree, and I have reached out to Dr. Zerhouni to thank him for his comments. It takes courage to buck the Bush Administration. I expressed my hope to work with him in the future on this matter, especially as it comes before the Senate in the coming weeks.

Hans Kierstead, the co-director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine, shows stem cells to Langevin during his recent California trip.

LNG Update

On March 21 the Homeland Security Committee hosted a hearing on Securing LNG Tankers to Protect the Homeland.  This is an issue I have watched closely, along with you, for years.  I am still concerned that we do not fully understand how to provide adequate safety and security for these tankers as they traverse our waterways.  I am also dismayed that, after so much time, we do not have a comprehensive regional energy strategy to help us determine if an LNG facility in nearby Massachusetts is necessary.

In closing, thank you for your continued interest and support.  Please do not hesitate to contact me about your priorities and concerns.

Sincerely,

Privacy Statement

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