|
Dear John,
As the school year approaches, I remain focused on making sure that everyone who wants to pursue a college degree can do so without taking on insurmountable student debt. That is why, in addition to working towards student loan forgiveness, I’ve introduced H.R. 8457, the Making College More Affordable Act, legislation that will help Rhode Islanders and young people across the country access a college education by addressing the root causes of the student debt crisis.
Far too many Rhode Islanders and young people across this country are being forced to either take on massive, and often insurmountable, debt or give up their pursuits of a college degree. This is unacceptable – higher education cannot just be a privilege of the wealthy, it must be accessible and affordable to every student looking to continue their education and set themselves up for the career path they choose. The Making College More Affordable Act will ensure that students have the resources they need and will reform and simplify our broken student loan system while moving us closer to making the pursuit of higher education available to all who want it.
The Making College More Affordable Act will address the root causes of this problem through a five-point approach:
- Creates an automatic payroll deduction, thereby simplifying the payment process by deducting monthly payments in the same way that Social Security contributions are deducted today.
- Lowers the required monthly payment for undergraduate student loans from the current range of 10-20% of a borrower’s after-tax income to a starting contribution of 4% of pre-tax income, with payments increasing for incomes more than $100,000 annually.
- Eliminates interest on student loans.
- Shifts from a range of 10-25 years on a loan to a clearly defined 30-year loan – the same as a home mortgage.
- Allows millions of Americans who are holding student loans today to refinance existing student loan debt by entering into this new system.
You can read more about the bill here.
Updates from Rhode Island
$216,888 in Federal Funding for Rhode Island College Students
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program was established to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds pursue doctoral studies beyond their undergraduate degrees. Rhode Island College has been awarded a $261,888 grant for deserving students under this prestigious program. I cannot wait to see what these students will achieve.
Holocaust Remembrance Event at Tiverton Public Library
This week I joined Tiverton Representative John "Jay" Edwards and Wendy Joering and the staff at the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center for an event discussing the horrors of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. I want to extend a special thank you to Alice Eichenbaum and Lillian Birch for sharing their family’s Holocaust experiences.
We all know about the Facebook post from last month, which also followed the Neo-Nazi gathering in February outside of a community library in Providence, and the posting of neo-Nazi recruitment posters in East Providence. Events like these, and education are key to combatting antisemitism and hate and I am also working with my colleagues in Congress to support measures combatting antisemitism here at home and abroad.
We can – and must – combat intolerance and hate with education and community. Children are not born with hate in their hearts, they learn it. We must be part of the effort to teach acceptance instead.
The Tiverton Celebrates Parade
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining the Tiverton Celebrates Parade. Thank you to all those who organized and volunteered at this great event celebrating Tiverton and our community.
Updates from Washington, D.C.
The PACT Act Heads to the President’s Desk
This week, the Senate finally passed the PACT Act to give Veterans who are suffering from health issues caused by toxic exposures the health care and support they need and deserve.
I was proud to vote for and cosponsor this bill in the House and am glad that we were able to overcome the partisanship in the Senate to deliver for our veterans. The PACT Act upholds and recognizes the promise we made to every servicemember that we would care for them should they become wounded or sick while risking everything to protect this country.
This legislation is long overdue, and the least we can do for the more than 3.5 million veterans who are currently suffering and without the health care they need and deserve.
You can learn more about the bill here.
Protecting Reproductive Rights
President Biden on Wednesday announced a new executive order on protecting reproductive rights at the first meeting of his task force on Reproductive Healthcare Access.
The President’s executive order includes:
- Support for patients traveling out of state for medical care,
- Ensuring health care providers comply with federal non-discrimination law, and
- Promoting research and data collection on maternal health outcomes.
This executive order builds on the Administration’s previous actions to protect access to reproductive health care. As the President has stated, while he and his Administration and doing all they can to protect reproductive rights, Congress must act as well. The House has passed multiple bills to protect the right to and access to abortion and contraception and I am working with my colleagues to make these law.
You can learn more about the President’s executive order here.
Declaring Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency
The Biden Administration declaring monkeypox as a public health emergency is a critical step in addressing the spread and impact of this outbreak. As we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing the health and safety of every American must be a top priority and we must act without delay.
The Biden Administration must expeditiously make a formal budget request to Congress outlining the resources they need to address this outbreak, stop the spread, and support those who have contracted the virus.
We Must Bring Brittney Griner Home
Brittney Griner’s nine year prison sentence by the Russian court is just another example of Putin’s manipulation of a “justice” system for his own gain. It is a reminder of Putin’s contempt for human rights, human dignity, and the law.
Griner is a proud member of the LGBTQI+ community and as Chair of the Equality Caucus, I can say with certainty that the community stands with her. The Biden Administration must continue working to bring Griner back home safely. She needs to be released immediately and her safety must remain a top priority.
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].
|
