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Dear John,
Next week, the House Judiciary Committee will hold the first markup on assault weapons ban legislation in two decades when it takes up my bill, H.R. 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021. The bill would ban the sale, import, manufacture or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons and currently has the support of 211 cosponsors.
AR-15 style firearms have become the weapon of choice for shooters looking to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible and have been used in the deadliest mass shootings in our history, from Sandy Hook to Parkland to Uvalde. Researchers estimate that if we still had a federal Assault Weapons Ban, we would see 70 percent fewer mass shooting deaths. How many more kids need to die in their schools before we finally crack down on these dangerous firearms which were designed for war? Protecting the lives and safety of Americans is not at odds with our Second Amendment rights. We cannot rest until we ensure that our kids and families are safe in schools, houses of worship, and everywhere in our communities.
You can watch the proceedings live, this coming Wednesday, June 20 at 10am here.
Updates from Rhode Island
Senior Resources Fair
It was great to see so many of you at my Annual Senior Resources Fair this past Monday. If you couldn’t join us or just need more information, you can email me at [email protected] or call my Pawtucket office at 401-729-5600.
Updates from Washington, D.C.
House Passage of My Active Shooter Alert Act
On Wednesday, by a bipartisan vote of 260–169, the House passed H.R.6538, the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022. I introduced this legislation with Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) to create an AMBER Alert-like system for active shooter incidents. The Active Shooter Alert Act was one of law enforcement’s top priorities during National Police Week.
The new alert system established under the Active Shooter Alert Act could be deployed during emergency situations like that recently seen in Highland Park, IL when the suspected shooter was at large for 8 hours – providing him the time to drive to Wisconsin and contemplate carrying out another mass shooting. It could also be used in a situation like we saw in April 2022, when a perpetrator was at large for 29 hours after shooting civilians in a Brooklyn, NY subway station. Or like we witnessed in Rhode Island this past February, when a gunman fired hundreds of rounds at Providence police officers from his home in a dense residential neighborhood – just a four-minute walk from a public school and a playground.
Mass shootings have become ubiquitous – so frequent that some of these horrific events barely make headlines – but we cannot become numb to these events. This is not the time to settle for the status quo – we need to act now to make our communities safer, and that means providing law enforcement with resources they need. During active shooter events, law enforcement officers are having to take to social media to communicate with the surrounding community so that no one accidentally walks into the line of fire. This is terribly inefficient and dangerous. Law enforcement needs and deserves better tools than Twitter to communicate with the community and the Active Shooter Alert Act answers that call. This will help ensure that every single Rhode Islander will be better able to keep themselves and their families safe from gun violence.
I’m extremely proud of the support this legislation has received from law enforcement here at home and around the country, including; National Sheriffs' Association, Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Police Foundation, National District Attorneys Association, Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation, North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, West Virginia Chiefs of Police Association, Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, DC).
Multiple Priorities Included in the House’s Defense Spending Bill
I’m proud to have secured the inclusion of many of my top priorities for this year’s defense spending bill. These polices will help improve and grow Rhode Island’s economy, provide better care and employment protections for our veterans and servicemembers, and ensure that we can continue to combat foreign disinformation and misinformation campaigns.
Southern New England Regional Commission Act
As we continue our economic recovery in a way that builds an economy that works for everyone, let’s not forget a fundamental lesson of the COVID-19 pandemic: problems do not end at state borders. When local, state, and federal governments work together across state lines, we are able to tackle problems that affect us all. The Southern New England Regional Commission will provide federal funds to build on our regional strengths and allow us to fully harness the region’s potential to support good-paying jobs and economic growth.
AMIGOS Act
A key driver of economic development should be further engaging with our international partners where there is room for growth. The AMIGOS Act supports the US-Portuguese relationship and in doing so, promotes jobs in both countries and growth in US businesses and our economy.
Fighting for Our Veterans, Servicemembers, and Their Families
The Vet Center Improvement Act and Justice for Servicemembers Act deliver on our promises to those who are currently and have previously served in our nation’s military. Vet Centers are a critical resource for our men and women in uniform and the Vet Center Improvement Act will help ensure that these centers and their staff have the resources to meet the needs of our country’s heroes. The Justice for Servicemembers Act would protect the rights of servicemembers and their families under the Servicemember Civil Relief Act and ensure that every member of the Armed Forces has the right to go to court and not to be forced into mandatory arbitration.
Combatting Global Disinformation Campaigns
The State Department’s Global Engagement Center was established to coordinate the US Government’s efforts to counter foreign propaganda that undermines our interests. My amendment guarantees that this important work can continue uninterrupted at a time when we are seeing rampant disinformation and propaganda from China, Russia, and other foreign actors.
What’s at Stake After the Dobbs Decision
On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing examining what rights, in addition to the right to the abortion, are at risk after the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case.
On June 24, the Supreme Court’s radical conservative majority made clear that not only were they gutting 50 years of a woman’s established Constitutional right to make her own reproductive decisions, but that abortion was just the first on the laundry list of rights that they are poised to eviscerate. I spoke with two experts about the path ahead. You can watch our discussion here.
Protecting the Right to Choose
We cannot be a nation that proclaims all people are equal if we do not guarantee women’s rights to control their own bodies and freedom to make their own healthcare decisions.
The right to seek safe abortion is under fierce attack by radical anti-choice groups, Republican legislators at all levels of government, and, most recently, a radical Supreme Court that threw 50 years of precedent out the window.
And so today, I helped pass two pieces of legislation defending women’s right to abortion. The first, the Women's Health Protection Act, will ensure Americans’ right to make their own health decisions. The second, the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act will reaffirm the right to freely travel throughout the country to access reproductive care so that anyone who needs to travel to a different state to obtain an abortion can do so freely and without fear or repercussions.
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 sponsors 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.
Shields Up: 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. CISA 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 your age when the passport was issued. 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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