www.searchingforreason.net : AFTERSCHOOL. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DAVID CICILLINE.

News from Representative David Cicilline

SERVING YOU | MEDIA CENTER | LEGISLATIVE WORK | OUR DISTRICT

October 26, 2018

Dear David,

This morning I was honored to receive the Trailblazer Award at the Lights on Afterschool Summit for my work advocating for afterschool programming.

Afterschool programming is incredibly important and plays such a vital role in lives of young people – improving attendance and academic aspirations, reducing risky behaviors, promoting physical health, and so much more. Few tools are as effective at promoting development and keeping kids safe as quality afterschool initiatives.

Since my time as Mayor of Providence, where I founded the Providence After School Alliance which provided thousands of students with hands-on learning opportunities, I’ve been a strong advocate for afterschool programming.

In Congress, I have continually advocated for robust funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which provides critical funding for afterschool programming. When the President proposed the elimination of federal funding for afterschool programs, I led the fight to restore these funds, and the result was a $20 million increase in federal funding. I also helped lead an effort supporting reauthorization of this program, and every year I’ve led the bipartisan appropriations request.

I promise to remain a strong advocate for critical afterschool programming that helps keep young people on a solid track to success.

MANUFACTURERS SUMMIT
The manufacturing industry has a long history in Rhode Island. The industrial revolution began in our state and continues to contribute to many strong manufacturing sectors today. That’s why this week I was happy to join Senator Reed, Senator Whitehouse, and Congressman Langevin at the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association’s (RIMA) first ever Manufacturers & Congressional Summit where we discussed some of the concerns facing the manufacturing industry in our state.

This industry provides good-paying jobs and is helping to rebuild our middle class. In Rhode Island, this industry currently employs more than 41,000 people, roughly 8.5 percent of the workforce in our state. But for years we have seen these good jobs shipped overseas.

The high-level nature of the manufacturing industry in the U.S. means that many of the jobs require additional training and skills development. It is estimated that over the next decade nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will be needed but 2 million are expected to go unfilled due to a skills gap. We need to make sure that when these positions become available the workforce is ready to fill them.

House Democrats have come up with a plan to help address this skills gap and are calling for expanding registered apprenticeships and work-based learning programs, as well as providing a new tax credit to employers to train and hire new workers, and creating a network of thousands of partners between businesses, career and technical programs, public school, and community colleges.

I have been proud to support legislation aimed at helping this sector of our economy grow. I will continue to advocate in Congress for policies and funding to advance the manufacturing industry in our state, and allow Rhode Island to reclaim its identity as a leader of manufacturing and innovation.

CODAC 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

On Thursday, I attended CODAC’s 40th Anniversary Celebration in Newport and was honored with their Champion Award. For over four decades, CODAC has provided outpatient opioid treatment to countless Rhode Islanders.

The opioid crisis has hit our state particularly hard, with the Center for Disease Control ranking Rhode Island with the ninth highest drug overdose death rate in the country.

I’ve been proud to help secure over $12 million for Rhode Island this year to help fight this epidemic. But in order to fully confront this crisis, we need a comprehensive approach engaging every level of government, stakeholders, nonprofits and the private sector working together. We need a strategy that includes resources for folks struggling with addiction to get the health care they need to address this disease; greater awareness of the over-prescription of opiate painkillers, as well as ways for folks to dispose of their prescription drugs after they’re done. We must also focus on the preservation of human life by equipping more first responders with naloxone and treating an overdose first and foremost as a medical emergency.

ELECTRIC BUS LAUNCH

This past Monday marked a step forward in terms of Rhode Island’s commitment to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels as we celebrated the state’s first electric buses. These zero-emission buses will help reduce tailpipe emissions in our state and improve air quality and public health.

The funding that made this project possible was from a settlement with Volkswagen who misled the public about their emissions by installing illegal software.

As a country, we need to continue moving away from our dependence on fossil fuels and put policies in place that encourage investments in our public transportation systems and green initiatives. These types of investments will help move Rhode Island and the country forward, while being responsible stewards of the environment.

House Democrats have put forth a bold plan, A Better Deal to Rebuild America, which would invest $1 trillion dollars and create more than $16 million jobs. This plan would build sustainable, resilient infrastructure that would help strengthen and connect communities while protecting clean air and water.

We need to be making investments that will help improve hardworking American lives every day while keeping them healthy and protecting our environment. Making sure that people have access to an efficient, reliable public transportation system is one vital part of this.
RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY

Today I joined community members and leaders for a ribbon cutting ceremony in Providence. The ceremony was in celebration of a 128-unit complex that will offer affordable apartments for seniors and families. This project was taken on by RI Housing and was supported by Low Income Housing Tax Credits, among other funding sources.

Affordable housing is a critical issue in our state and country. So many families are working harder than ever but unable to get ahead with stagnant wages and the rising costs of living. And too many hardworking families in our state are still struggling with issues related to housing security, even as we slowly recover from the housing crisis.

In Congress, I was proud to co-sponsor the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act which would increase the allocation of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit by 50% and would provide more opportunities to expand this important tax credit.

Continuing to expand programs like this will help all families achieve access to a clean, safe, affordable home, which provides a base for families to thrive and prosper.

CITIZENS BANK PELL BRIDGE RUN

Last Sunday, I participated in the Citizens Bank Pell Bridge Run which each year raises money for local nonprofits in our state. I was amazed by the strong turnout from our community in support of these organizations. Everyone who participated could have been somewhere else on an early Sunday morning, but they decided to show up to raise funds for their community and the great organizations in our state.

As always, if you or someone you know has any questions or concerns, please call my office at 729-5600 or send me an email at David.Cicilline@mail.house.gov .
You can also click here to follow my work on Twitter.

Warm Regards,