If you are having trouble viewing this E-newsletter, click here. Recent News Hosted a Maryland Forum with Senator Mikulski and Democratic Leader Pelosi on Women’s Economic Agenda I was proud to be joined by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) as we toured a child care center and hosted a forum to discuss what “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families” means for women and families in Maryland. 140 women from across Maryland attended the forum where we also heard first-hand accounts from Maryland women discussing their experiences fighting for affordable child care, equal pay, and a critical work-life family balance. “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds…” is an actionable legislative agenda that recognizes the critical role women play in America’s workforce. Almost half of all workers are women and 40 percent of working women are the primary breadwinners in their families. The pay, child care, and work-family balance policies are necessary to address the economic insecurities of American women and their families, while also providing a boost to the nation’s economy. The child care center tour and forum highlighted that quality, affordable child care is critical to preparing children for later learning while allowing mothers to pursue their own careers. “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” recognizes that child care and other work-family balance policies help women and families by growing our economy for everyone. I thank Leader Pelosi and Senator Mikulski for joining me and for never tiring in the fight for women. Senator Mikulski, Dean of the Senate women, said: "For women and families it's about macro issues and macaroni and cheese issues. From access to quality and affordable health care to safe and reliable child care and equal pay for equal work. I'm proud to stand with the women of Prince George's County and will continue to fight for Maryland women and families leading healthy lives with a brighter future for their children." House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said: "The remarkable women at today's forum provide the clearest perspective on the challenges facing women in Maryland and across our country, but they are blessed to have tireless champions in Congresswoman Donna Edwards and Senator Barbara Mikulski. By enacting a policy agenda the ensures equal pay, promotes work and family balance, and provides affordable child care, we will unleash the power of America’s women and help guarantee that future generations will enjoy our country’s promise of equal rights, equal treatment, and equal opportunity. When women succeed, America succeeds." FR-5700-N-17 Assisted Living Conversion Program (ALCP) Department of Housing and Urban Development Description: The ALCP provides funding for the physical costs of converting some or all of the units of an eligible multifamily development into an ALF or SEH, including unit configuration and related common and service space, and any necessary remodeling, consistent with HUD or the state's statute/regulations (whichever is more stringent), including compliance with all applicable accessibility laws. Typical funding will cover basic physical conversion of existing project units, as well as related common and service space. For ALF conversions, there must be sufficient community space to accommodate a central kitchen or dining facility; if meals are prepared at an off-site location, the preparation area of the facility must be of sufficient size to allow for the installation of a full kitchen. For both ALF and SEH conversions, there must be community space available to all residents of the project. All applicants seeking ALCP funding must provide supportive services for the residents either directly or through a third party. The application must include a firm commitment, letter of support, or a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the supportive services offered within the ALF or SEH. The project may charge assisted living or service-enriched residents for meals and/or service fees. Residents may contract with third party agencies directly for nursing, therapy, or other services not offered by the ALF or SEH. Refer to Section III.C.3.e, for more information about Meals and Supportive Services. Residents must be offered, but cannot be required to accept, any supportive services. For more grants, please click here. Cooler Heads Prevailed to Reach Continuing Resolution/Debt Ceiling Compromise I am grateful that cooler heads prevailed in the Senate to reach a compromise that reopened the federal government, preserved the creditworthiness of the United States, and provided back pay for furloughed workers. This type of irresponsible governing by the House majority that forces us from one manufactured crisis to the next must end. I thank President Obama, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for standing strong against the fiscal brinksmanship and economic irresponsibility of the House Republican majority. The facts are simple: after sixteen days, House Republicans furloughed 124,000 Marylanders and cost our national economy $24 billion in a misguided attempt to score political points for the extreme base of their party. We cannot address the real challenges facing this nation if factions of the Republican Party insist on taking the federal government and the full faith and credit of the United States hostage unless their demands are met. I am glad we made progress and look forward to working with my Congressional colleagues to create jobs, grow our economy, and address our budget in a measured and responsible way. 2014 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to be 1.5 Percent Beginning in January, federal retirees, Social Security recipients, military retirees and beneficiaries of several other government programs will see an increase of 1.5 percent in their benefits. This COLA could not come at a better time for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District. Prince George’s and Anne Arundel, the two counties I represent, are home to 95,000 federal workers and retirees and 48,000 Social Security beneficiaries. We know that seniors and the disabled are struggling across our country to make ends meet, seeing their wallets stretched thinly over the last several years by the rising cost of food, housing, and prescription drugs. Simultaneously, they have watched their savings evaporate. This COLA will help, but Congress needs to do more to guarantee that hard-working Americans can retire without worrying about their financial security. We owe it to America’s federal and military retirees and our seniors to ensure their dignity in retirement and disability. Package of Bills to Improve Veteran’s Benefits Passes the House One of the greatest responsibilities we have as Members of Congress is to ensure that our service members and veterans receive top-quality support at home and around the world. The House passed a package of six veterans-related bills recently that help care for and honor our service members, our veterans, and their families by providing critical resources and assistance to the nation’s veterans. I was proud to back these bipartisan measures that will improve benefits for our veterans, including over 450,000 in Maryland. I hope we can build on this success and continue improving health, mental health, educational, and job-training benefits for all those who serve our country with honor. Below are brief descriptions of the bills. H.R. 1405 would reduce the processing time for veterans appealing their disability rating decision by requiring an appeal form be supplied whenever the VA sends out a notice rejecting a veteran’s benefit. Bill also reduces the VA’s annual bonus pool to $345 million through fiscal 2018, down from $400 million currently. H.R. 1742, the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act, would exclude a disabled veteran’s service-related disability benefits and expenses related to in-home care from being considered when calculating income eligibility for Section 8 rental assistance and public housing programs — which would make more such veterans eligible for federal housing aid. H.R. 2481, the Veterans Economic Opportunity Act, would create a new office within the VA to administer existing vocational, education and other assistance programs for veterans. It also clarifies foreclosure and refinancing protections for veterans, extends certain homeless veterans reintegration programs until 2018, expands education benefits for certain survivors of deceased service members and protects the rights of active-duty members of the military in child custody cases when the service member is deployed. H.R. 3304 would authorize and ask the President to award the Medal of Honor to certain veterans. H.R. 2189 would create a commission to examine and make recommendations on ways to fix the disability claim backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs. H.R. 2011, the Veterans Advisory Committee on Education Improvement Act, would extend the Veterans’ Advisory Committee on improving education and job training programs for veterans for two years and put post-9/11 veterans on the Committee. 5th Annual College and Career Fair It was wonderful to see over 1400 students and their parents attend my 5th Annual College and Career Fair this year that was held at the new Oxon Hill High School. Over 80 schools and 70 other organizations took part to help students plan their next steps after high school. I want to thank Dr. Jean-Paul Cadet, Principal of Oxon Hill High School, and his staff for their hospitality and helping us organize a great event. Enjoyed Meeting Students from Arundel High School During Their Visit to the Capitol It was a pleasure to meet and chat with about thirty students from Arundel High School who stopped by my office during a recent tour of Capitol Hill. We discussed a variety of things during their visit, including some of my responsibilities as a Member of Congress, what subjects the students were interested in, and what they wanted to do after high school. During the visit, I learned that the students were taking part in the Flat Stanley Project. They were thrilled when I promised (and later delivered) to take a picture of Flat Stanley with President Barack Obama, who I was seeing later that day. After I put the photo on Twitter, it was fun to see how excited the students were and how many times the photo was retweeted. If you would like to arrange a trip to visit the Capitol, please call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-8699. Visited with Students at the Challenger Learning Center in Lanham This month I had the opportunity to visit the Challenger Learning Center at Howard B. Owens Science Center in Lanham, Maryland. I joined several SAP employees and middle school students as they took part in a Mission to Mars – one of Challenger Center’s four simulated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education missions. Students completed tasks that dealt with landing on the red planet, collecting and analyzing rock samples, and monitoring the crew’s health. After all the tasks were completed, I joined with the SAP employees in doing a question and answer session with the students, answering questions about the importance of STEM education, and career options that are available to them. The STEM fields are critical to our children’s success in the 21st Century, and I appreciate every opportunity to encourage students to embrace STEM education. Below is information regarding some upcoming events in November. If you have any questions, please call Selena Singleton at (301) 516-7601 or visit www.donnaedwards.house.gov for more future events. What: Coffee Conversation in Prince George’s County When: Saturday, November 9, 2013 10:30 – 11:30 am Where: Oxon Hill Library 6200 Oxon Hill Rd. Oxon Hill, MD Map It! Veterans Day Events Congresswoman Edwards plans to attend the following events as time and travel will allow. What: Capitol Heights Veterans Day Ceremony When: Monday, November 11 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Where: Town Hall Community Room 1 Capitol Heights Blvd. Capitol Heights, MD Map It!   What: Landover Hills Veterans Memorial Dedication Ceremony When: Monday, November 11 11:00 – 12:00 pm Where: Henry Rinck Park Annapolis Rd., between 71st and 72nd Ave. Landover Hills, MD Map It! Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. You can also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. Sincerely, Donna View in Browser Please do not respond to this email. Click here to contact me.   Washington, D.C. Office 2445 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-8699 main 202-225-8714 fax Prince George's County Office 5001 Silver Hill Road, Suite 106 Suitland, Maryland 20746 301-516-7601 main 301-516-7608 fax Anne Arundel County Office 877 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard Ritchie Court Office Building, Unit 101 Severna Park, MD 21146 410-421-8061 main 410-421-8065 fax Unsubscribe