Dear John,

To mark the start of Gun Violence Survivors Week, on Wednesday, I joined with gun violence survivors and 199 of my House colleagues to reintroduce the Assault Weapons Ban. This bill passed the House of Representatives last July with a bipartisan vote of 217-213. It would ban the sale, import, manufacture, or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons.

photo credit: Phi Nguyen

These weapons of war have no place in our communities. They turn our streets, schools, grocery stores, movie theaters, hospitals, night clubs, festivals, and dance halls into bloody killing fields, and they are used to murder our children, friends, and neighbors – and the police officers trying to protect them.

Gun violence is not an incurable disease or natural disaster – it is preventable, and a ban on assault weapons can and does save lives. There is no good reason why we have not reinstated this policy that will reduce the gun massacres being committed in our communities.

Updates from Rhode Island

RIPTA Receives $5 Million Federal Safe Streets for All Grant

In an effort to improve traffic safety and prevent roadway accidents, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) is receiving a $5 million federal Action Plan Grant under the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. This program was created by the bipartisan infrastructure law and is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The SS4A grant program provides dedicated federal funding to support regional and local road safety projects and strategies that will make busy roadways safer and help prevent deaths and serious injuries.

Rhode Island’s public transportation system is a key resource for so many across the state, and we need to ensure that our streets are safe for riders and everyone on the road. This funding will help cities and towns across the state improve roadway safety and reduce fatalities and injuries. I thank RIPTA for working with our local leaders to make Rhode Island’s roads safer for us all.

Providence Awarded $27.2 Million Safe Streets for All Grant

The City of Providence is set to receive a $27.2 million SS4A grant to advance engineering and systemic construction of the city’s Urban Trail Network. 

This is a smart, forward-thinking investment that will benefit all of Providence and help better connect its neighborhoods. It will improve the city’s transportation network and make our streets safer for everyone – whether you bike, walk, drive, or ride.

Updates from Washington, D.C.

FDA Changes Blood Donation Policy

The FDA announced last Friday that it is “proposing a change from time-based deferrals to assessing blood donor eligibility using gender-inclusive, individual risk-based questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV.”

I commend the FDA for taking an important step towards ensuring our nation’s blood donation policies are based on science, not stigma. Last February, I was proud to lead more than 140 Members in urging the FDA to implement an individual risk assessment for blood donation similar to the one announced last week. I look forward to working with the FDA to ensure blood donation policies are fully inclusive of LGBTQ+ Americans.

Meeting with the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island

On Thursday, I had the privilege of welcoming the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island to Washington, DC.

We discussed the dire situation developing in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) since Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin Corridor, the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, on December 12, 2022, under the guise of an environmental protest. This blockade has led to severe shortages of essential goods and services for 120 thousand ethnic Armenians living there, including medical supplies and drinking water.

Beyond preventing the delivery of essential items, this blockade also prevents Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) from moving freely to and from the region, leaving thousands of people stranded and unable to reach their homes, including children who were on a school trip to Yerevan. 

I will continue to support those living in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and to advocate for the immediate reopening of the Lachin Corridor and an end to this humanitarian crisis.

Forming the New Bipartisan Antitrust Caucus

This week, Congressman Ken Buck and I announced the formation of the Congressional Antitrust Caucus. As our bipartisan work over the last two Congresses has shown, Big Tech’s anticompetitive, monopolistic behavior is stifling innovation, hurting consumers, and killing small businesses. We know how to fix this and are committed to seeing this work through.

The bipartisan Congressional Antitrust Caucus will: 

• focus on having hearings with American innovators who have been harmed by Big Tech’s predatory and anti-competitive practices,
• continue pushing legislation that is in line with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division efforts including the bipartisan and bicameral Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Act, and 
• serve as a brain trust of those who oppose monopolies in the free market because no market is free when monopolies act to unscrupulously eliminate competition.

Medicare Enrollment

There are two main ways to get your Medicare coverage – Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

If you did not sign up for Original Medicare when you were first eligible, and you don’t qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, the next time you can enroll is during the Medicare General Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31 each year. You can only sign up for Part A and/or Part B during this period. You may have to pay a late enrollment period for Part A and/or Part B.

Click here for additional information about Medicare General Enrollment Period.

If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, January 1 to March 31 is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period during which you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage Plan or switch to Original Medicare (and join a separate Medicare drug plan).

Click here for to additional information about Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.

In Rhode Island, you can access the federally funded State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) by contacting the Point at (401) 462-4444 or visiting their website at oha.ri.gov/Medicare. There you can receive free, unbiased Medicare counseling year-round and during Medicare Open Enrollment.

Free COVID Tests Via the Postal Service

The Biden Administration announced yesterday that households can once again order free at-home COVID-19 tests though the Postal Service this winter. You can order your tests at CovidTests.gov or by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

Help with Winter Heating and Utility Costs

As winter approaches, it’s predicted that we are going to see a higher-than-usual increase in home heating costs. To help keep these and other utility costs down, I want to share with you some resources and programs that are available through our federal, local, and state government.

• The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps eligible low-income households pay their heating bills through federal grants to the household. There are two components to this program: Heating Assistance and Crisis Assistance.
• The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) helps income-eligible households reduce heating bills by providing whole house energy efficiency services to households that qualify for LIHEAP. Some services available include installing insulation and providing health and safety measures including: installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, reducing drafts, and providing proper ventilation.
• The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), funded by the American Rescue Plan Act  and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, is available for eligible low-income households through September 30, 2023, or until funds are exhausted. LIHWAP helps eligible low-income households afford and maintain access to drinking water and wastewater services through federal grants. One-time payments are made directly to the household’s utility company.
• The Heating System Repair and Replacement Program (HSRRP) provides a one-time service to eligible homeowners to increase the efficiency of their heating system, or replace it if necessary. Households that qualify for LIHEAP may be eligible.

As always, if you need help navigating or accesses these resources, or have questions about other resources that may be available to you, my staff and I are here to help. You can call us at (401) 729-5600 or email me at [email protected]. 

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, according to the State Department, for expedited processing is now at 3-5 weeks and regular processing is taking 6-9 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].

Warm regards, 

David N. Cicilline
Member of Congress