NK Standard Times: RI receives funding to battle opioid epidemic

NK Standard Times: RI receives funding to battle opioid epidemic

By Alex Trubia

WASHINGTON, D.C .– On Tuesday, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, and Governor Gina Raimondo announced $12.6 million in federal funding for Rhode Island’s battle against the opioid epidemic.  

Rhode Island’s share from a grant program at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) rose from $2.1 million last year to $12.6 million as a result of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, also known as the Omnibus Appropriations law.

All four members of the delegation voted for the Omnibus, which included a $3.3 billion boost this year for opioid funding, with $142 million set aside specifically for states with the highest mortality rates from overdoses.

“This boost in federal funds will help those on the frontlines prevent drug abuse and treat addiction,”  said Reed. “This is a smart investment in the health and well-being of people and our communities.”

Whitehouse, who is also the author of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, legislation guiding the federal response to the opioid epidemic that was signed into law in 2016, said Rhode Islanders have been “fighting courageously against opioid addiction” and have “made real gains.”

“To protect those gains, and to honor the people walking the long, noble road of recovery, we need to fund efforts that work,” Whitehouse added. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in the delegation to support this funding and the work of everyone on the front lines of this crisis in Rhode Island.”

According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, there were 323 accidental drug overdose deaths in Rhode Island last year, down from 336 in 2016–a year in which, as per U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rhode Island had the ninth highest drug overdose death rate of any state in the nation.

Langevin said he was also proud to fight alongside the rest of the state’s delegation for “this substantial funding increase and help deliver necessary resources to combat the opioid overdose epidemic in Rhode Island.”

“This public health crisis requires a comprehensive approach, and I remain dedicated to supporting these critical efforts at the federal level,” he added.

The funding is part of a $930 million round of grants nationwide that was first authorized by Congress in 2016 in the 21st Century Cures Act, which allocated $1 billion in funding for states to prevent and treat addiction.

Cicilline said it’s this type of federal funding that will “help save lives here in Rhode Island by providing resources to programs fighting this epidemic.”

“Rhode Island has been hit particularly hard by the opioid crisis and so many Rhode Island families have been devastated as a result,” he said. “The magnitude of this public health crisis requires a comprehensive national strategy and significant federal resources to finally end this epidemic.”

And Raimondo said the opioid overdose epidemic is “the biggest public health crisis facing Rhode Island today,” which is why the delegation has “launched an aggressive effort to combat it with every tool at our disposal.”

“This funding will be absolutely critical as we continue to fight to save lives,” the governor said.  “Rhode Island is fortunate to have outspoken advocates in our congressional delegation, and I thank each of them for their steadfast commitment to fighting this crisis.”

The grant will go to Rhode Island’s Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) to help prevention efforts, expand treatment capacity for medication assisted treatment as well as residential treatment for individuals and families, launch mobile treatment and induction services to reach under-served areas, increase availability of recovery support services and recovery housing, create a statewide pre-arrest diversion program and purchase lifesaving Naloxone.

Block Island Times: Langevin tours the island

Block Island Times: Langevin tours the island

By Cassius Shuman

It was smooth sailing under sunny skies for Congressman James Langevin, who took the Block Island Ferry over to the island to visit with his constituents on Sept. 20.  Langevin toured the island, as is customary each year, visiting the Block Island School, the Block Island Power Company, North Light Fibers, the Medical Center, and The National Hotel, where he participated in a meet and greet luncheon hosted by the Democratic Town Committee.

Topics that Langevin discussed during his visit were the current state of affairs in Washington under the Trump administration, the importance of voting in November, gun control, the affordable care act and healthcare, environmental protection and climate change, the importance of creating jobs, higher wages, student loans, and education. Langevin, who has served for 18 years in Congress, said he was “optimistic about the upcoming November election.”

While speaking with The Block Island Times at the school, Langevin said his message to the public heading into the mid-term election is to, “Get out and vote. I’m hoping there is a good voter turnout, and it sends a message to Washington that the direction we’re going in is the wrong direction.”

Langevin, a Democrat, said the Republicans in Congress are ineffective in standing up to the administration, and are a detriment to social, economic and environmental programs. “Look at the tax reform bill that was passed by this administration; it’s written to benefit corporations and the wealthiest one percent,” he said.

During a discussion with the Student Council, teacher Jayne Conway asked Langevin if a “blue wave” happens during the upcoming election, will “impeachment be on the table?” A blue wave would mean that the Democratic Party was elected to a majority in both houses of Congress in November.

“There is a possibility of a blue wave,” but it is “too early to think about impeachment” of the President, he said. “We need Robert Mueller to finish his (Special Counsel) investigation, and then we’ll go from there.” Mueller, who is Special Counsel for the Department of Justice, is leading a law enforcement and counterintelligence investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.  

Student Mac Brown asked the congressman what his hardest decision has been during his tenure in Congress. Langevin said voting on the Iraq War, which he opposed, was a really “tough” decision. “I had to weigh all of the information, and whether or not there were weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

After meeting with the Student Council, Langevin spent time chatting with fellow wheelchair user Mason Miro, who has been recognized by the Muscular Dystrophy Association as a special Ambassador. The two chatted about their wheelchair designs, school, and Block Island. Mason, who is a fourth grade student, told Langevin that his favorite class was gym.

“I’m glad you’re raising awareness (about Muscular Dystrophy),” said Langevin of Miro. “I’m really proud of you.”

“We all are,” said school Principal Kristine Monje.

Town Council members who attended Langevin’s lunch at The National echoed his sentiments about voting and lauded his appearance on the island. First Warden Ken Lacoste was not in attendance. At one point, Langevin was pulled away from the luncheon to speak on his cellphone with Cristopher Krebs, who is Under Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. 

Sen. Susan Sosnowski, who represents Block Island, and toured the island with Langevin, said, “I think it’s really important that the congressman continues to support Block Island. He is always reachable on issues concerning the island.” Sosnowski added: “I don’t think a lot of people know what Jim deals with every day. He deserves a lot of credit — he’s an inspiration.”

Councilor Chris Willi said, “Voting is crucial. Get your two cents in,” before noting that Langevin “does a good job of getting out into the community.”

“It shows that he cares. It’s a good representation of listening to people, and experiencing different things,” remarked Councilor Sven Risom.

Councilor Martha Ball said it was “good to have someone representing us who comes and visits the island. It’s always a good connection to have.”

Inside Cybersecurity: Pelosi appoints Langevin to Cyberspace Solarium Commission, as House passes four cyber-related bills

Inside Cybersecurity: Pelosi appoints Langevin to Cyberspace Solarium Commission, as House passes four cyber-related bills

By Maggie Miller

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appointed Rep. James Langevin (D-RI) to the newly created Cyberspace Solarium Commission on Tuesday, while the House passed four cyber-related bills including one to create a vulnerability disclosure program at the Department of Homeland Security.

Pelosi named Langevin and former Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) to the commission, created under the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. The House minority leader is required to appoint two members of the Commission, one of whom must not be a current member of the House.

“Cyberspace is the future, and will grow even more important to driving American leadership and innovation in the years to come,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Guided by Rep. Langevin and former Rep. Murphy, this Commission will be a vital tool in keeping America safe, strong and free.”

Langevin, the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, said in a statement he was “honored” to be appointed, and called for the commission to develop a “strategic framework” for international cyber “stability.”

“It is imperative that we use the opportunity afforded by the Solarium Commission to develop a strategic framework that encompasses these challenges and ensures the United States continues to benefit from global cyber stability,” Langevin said. “It is my expectation that such a strategy will encompass all elements of national power – economic, diplomatic and military – and help contextualize cyber in the broader national and economic security discussion.”

The Speaker of the House is designated to appoint three members, with the Senate majority leader to designate three, and the Senate minority leader to pick two members. Other members of the commission automatically include the FBI director, the deputy secretaries of the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and the principal deputy director of National Intelligence.

The commission is charged with developing a “strategic approach” to defend the U.S. in cyberspace against “cyber attacks of significant consequences.”

Bills move in House

On Tuesday, the House approved four cybersecurity bills, including H.R. 6735, the Public-Private Cybersecurity Cooperation Act. The bill sponsored by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) directs the DHS secretary to establish a “vulnerability disclosure policy” for DHS internet sites within 90 days of the legislation being signed into law.

The House Homeland Security Committee approved the bill earlier this month, and Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) spoke on the floor in favor of passage, saying it would give a “legal avenue” to allow researchers from the private sector to identify cyber flaws in DHS’ systems.

“Between 2011 and 2013, Iranian hackers attacked dozens of American banks and even tried to shut down a dam in New York,” McCaul said. “In 2014, Chinese hackers stole over 22.5 million security clearances, including my own, from the Office of Personnel Management. In 2016, Russia meddled in our Presidential election, and because we use computer networks in our personal and professional lives, almost everyone is a target. With each passing day, cyber threats continue to grow. But the government cannot face these threats alone. We need help from the private sector.”

McCaul also spoke in favor of another bill passed Tuesday, H.R. 6620, the Protecting Critical Infrastructure Against Drones and Emerging Threats Act, sponsored by Homeland Security cyber subcommittee ranking member Cedric Richmond (D-LA). This bill would require DHS to prepare a threat assessment related to unmanned aircraft systems, and was previously approved by the House Homeland Security Committee.

“The threats we face from drones are constantly evolving as the technology becomes more accessible across the globe,” McCaul said on H.R. 6620. “We need to do more to confront these dangers.”

The House passed two more bills: H.R. 5433, the Hack Your State Department Act, sponsored by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), to establish a “bug bounty” program at the State Department; and H.R. 6229, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), which supports cyber programs at NIST.

MeriTalk: Langevin, Murphy Added to Cyberspace Solarium Commission

MeriTalk: Langevin, Murphy Added to Cyberspace Solarium Commission

By MeriTalk

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has appointed Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and former Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., to the recently created Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a 14-member public-private panel charged with developing consensus and actionable strategy to protect and defend the U.S. in cyberspace. Legislation creating the commission was approved as part of the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Rep. Langevin is a co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. Murphy was a congressman from 2007 to 2011, and is a former under Secretary of the Army.

PVA: Paralyzed Veterans of America Lauds House and Senate Committee Leaders’ Agreement on Long-Term FAA Bill

PVA: Paralyzed Veterans of America Lauds House and Senate Committee Leaders’ Agreement on Long-Term FAA Bill

Source: Paralyzed Veterans of America

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) today lauded House and Senate transportation committee leaders for coming to an agreement on a long-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill.

“We are extremely pleased that the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 302) includes multiple provisions that specifically target the air travel experience of passengers with disabilities,” said PVA National President David Zurfluh.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 includes some crucial provisions such as an Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights; an Advisory Committee on the Air Travel Needs of Passengers with Disabilities; a study on in-cabin wheelchair restraint systems; increased civil penalties for damage to a passenger with a disability or his or her mobility aid; and a requirement for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to move forward in implementing the reporting requirement for large domestic airlines to report on the number of wheelchairs and scooters enplaned and subsequently damaged.

H.R. 302 also includes a revision of training requirements for Transportation Security Agency (TSA) officers in screening people with disabilities in consultation with disability and veterans organizations and increased reporting requirements.

“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the leaders of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation and House Transportation and Infrastructure and Committees who listened to the concerns of paralyzed veterans and all people with disabilities to ensure that this FAA Reauthorization Bill begins to address the difficulties people with disabilities encounter in air travel and in transiting airport security,” stated Zurfluh.

Zurfluh also thanked Chairman John Thune (R-SD), Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL), Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA), and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) for their efforts on this bill.

“We applaud Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) for introducing the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act (S. 1318/H.R. 5004), which helped inform many of the disability-related provisions related to improving access to air travel,” said Zurfluh. “We would also like to thank Ranking Member Nelson for including improvements to the airport security process for all people with disabilities.”

NY Times: Trump Loosens Secretive Restraints on Ordering Cyberattacks

NY Times: Trump Loosens Secretive Restraints on Ordering Cyberattacks

By David E. Sanger

WASHINGTON, D.C — President Trump has authorized new, classified orders for the Pentagon’s cyberwarriors to conduct offensive attacks against adversaries more freely and frequently, the White House said on Thursday, wiping away Obama-era restrictions that his advisers viewed as too slow and cumbersome.

“Our hands are not as tied as they were in the Obama administration,” John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, told reporters in announcing a new cyberstrategy.

Mr. Bolton rewrote a draft of the strategy after joining the administration in April. Many of his remarks on Thursday focused on a secret order — which Mr. Trump signed in August but which has never been publicly described — that appears to give far more latitude for the newly elevated United States Cyber Command to act with minimal consultation from a number of other government agencies.

The order essentially delegates more power to Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, who took over this year as the director of the National Security Agency and the commander of United States Cyber Command. During his Senate confirmation hearing in March, General Nakasone complained that America’s online adversaries attacked with little concern about retaliation.

“I would say right now they do not think that much will happen to them,” said General Nakasone, who previously oversaw the Army’s cybercommand. “They don’t fear us.”

But this month, General Nakasone said he was more comfortable with the new guidance issued by the White House, even though the administration has not made any of it public.

Senior officials have said it eliminates a lengthy process of consensus-building across the government — the Departments of Commerce, Treasury and Homeland Security among them — before the United States conducts an offensive action.

It is not clear whether Mr. Trump must still approve every major offensive online operation, as Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama did.

Mr. Bolton did not shed much light. “Our presidential directive effectively reversed those restraints, effectively enabling offensive cyberoperations through the relevant departments,” he said.

He said that since Mr. Trump took office, the administration has “authorized cyberoperations” against rivals, though he gave no details.

Much of the strategy that was made public on Thursday strongly echoes similar documents issued by Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush. They focus on improving digital defenses for the United States government, bettering training, working with private industry to share information about vulnerabilities and working with allies.

While the words in the strategy differ from the past, the impetus is the same. It did, however, identify specific countries as adversaries.

“Russia, Iran and North Korea conducted reckless cyberattacks that harmed American and international businesses and our allies and partners without paying costs likely to deter future cyberaggression,” the strategy read. “China engaged in cyberenabled economic espionage and trillions of dollars of intellectual property theft.”

But the classified directive appears to be significantly different, as Mr. Bolton said on Thursday.

His indictment of the previous administration omitted the fact that Mr. Obama continued or initiated three of the most aggressive cyberoperations in American history: one to disable Iran’s nuclear fuel production, another to attack North Korea’s missile programs and a third against online recruitment and communications by the Islamic State.

The first, code-named Olympic Games, was judged successful at destroying about 1,000 nuclear centrifuges for a year. The Korea operation had only mixed results at best, and Mr. Obama’s own defense secretary later wrote that the operation against the Islamic State proved largely ineffective.

But Mr. Obama hesitated to strike back at Russia in 2016 after revelations of its breach into the Democratic National Committee, and acted only after the presidential election.

And, as Mr. Bolton noted, the United States declined to name other attackers, including the Chinese, for stealing roughly 22 million files on Americans with security clearances from the Office of Personnel Management. He noted that those files, “my own included, maybe yours, found a new residence in Beijing.”

Mr. Bolton became the first American official to formally acknowledge what was widely known: that the Chinese government was behind that intrusion.

Additionally, the Trump administration accused North Korea of mounting the WannaCry attack that brought down the British health care system, and Russia of initiating the NotPetya attack that was aimed at Ukraine and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, including to shipping companies like Maersk.

But Mr. Bolton, whose concepts of deterrence were formed in the Cold War, is likely to discover what his predecessors learned: Almost every strategy that worked in deterring nuclear attacks does not fit the digital era, and even figuring out where an attack originated can be a challenge.

The government has grown more skilled at attributing the source of a cyberattack, but the process remains lengthy. By the time a conclusion is reached, it is often too late to mount a successful counterstrike.

Mr. Trump has particularly muddied the waters in assigning blame for attacks, repeatedly expressing doubts that Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and members of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. The Justice Department has indicted officers of Russia’s military intelligence unit, once known as the G.R.U., and the Internet Research Agency, in those attacks.

Part of the strategy calls for the United States to develop what it describes as an international cyberdeterrence initiative, which sounds similar to efforts to develop a theory of nuclear deterrence. The document provides few details, but says the Trump administration will build “a coalition and develop tailored strategies to ensure adversaries understand the consequences of their malicious cyberbehavior.”

Some of those efforts have already begun: The American accusations against North Korea and Russia last year were immediately echoed by Britain and other Western powers.

Representative Jim Langevin, Democrat of Rhode Island who has been active in developing new cyberstrategies, said that the White House approach was focused “in starkly offensive terms.”

“I agree that our adversaries need to know that we can — and will — challenge them in cyberspace,” Mr. Langevin said. “But as the country with the most innovative economy in the world, we must also acknowledge the abiding interest of the United States in encouraging stability in this domain.”

ProJo: Hundreds pay tribute as Bristol post office is renamed in memory of fallen soldier

ProJo: Hundreds pay tribute as Bristol post office is renamed in memory of fallen soldier

By Linda Borg

BRISTOL, R.I. — A Bristol native who died serving in Afghanistan was honored Sunday for his patriotism on one of the country’s most patriotic streets.

More than 200 people along with Gov. Gina Raimondo and the entire congressional delegation turned out to dedicate the Bristol Post Office on Hope Street in memory of 1st Sgt. P. Andrew McKenna Jr.

“It’s wonderful we should be here on this most patriotic street in America,” said U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. “Go forward 100 years. A child will come through the post office doors and ask, ‘Who was Sergeant McKenna?’ and his mother will say, ‘Let’s look it up.’ And his memory will be revived again, as it should be.”

When terrorists breached his defensive perimeter with a truck bomb in Kabul on Aug. 7, 2015, McKenna ran toward attackers, helping to repulse them while losing his own life. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest military honor, and the Purple Heart. A Green Beret assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group, he was deployed overseas six times, and received the Bronze Star during his first tour in Afghanistan.

“We owe him the debt of gratitude forever,” Raimondo said. “How many of us would have run toward fire, toward danger? His humility was the most distinguished thing about him. He did it because it was the right thing to do.”

McKenna always wanted to be a soldier.

As a child, he rarely took off his “Army” uniform, and friends remembered how he organized the neighborhood kids into one band of brothers or another.

“From the youngest age, he wanted to be a soldier,” said Robert McKenna of Bristol, a cousin. “He’d gather the local kids and off they’d go on their mission.”

McKenna traveled far from home during his nearly 20 years of service, but he never forgot what made Bristol special.

Three years ago, he was honored at the Bristol Fourth of July parade for traveling the farthest — from Afghanistan — to his hometown. The town bestowed an American flag that had once flown above the White House.

A month later, he was gone.

His mother, Carol McKenna, was a bit overwhelmed by this latest tribute, which was hardly the first. A stretch of Route 114 between the Warren Bridge and the Mount Hope Bridge has been renamed in his honor. A monument sits in front of the Bristol VFW Club.

“If he was here, he’d say, ‘I can’t believe people are doing this,’” said Carol McKenna. “I have mixed emotions. I’d give all of this up in a heartbeat…. He was a special man.”

Even those who didn’t know McKenna personally had some connection to his family. The mother whose son, an Eagle Scout, helped build the monument on Hope Street. The neighbor who has a photograph of him as a little boy, dressed in his uniform.

“It’s a small town,” Pam Meyer said. “People come out.”

Sgt. Maj. Calvin Boersma served with McKenna in Afghanistan. He said Andrew saved his life.

Boersma described the boyish side of McKenna, the young soldier who liked to tear up North Carolina on his motorcycle, the guy who gave friends a thumbs-up if he liked their girlfriends.

But he also recalled a man who was fiercely loyal, no matter how far away his buddies were. When one soldier was in a bad way, McKenna showed at his house and forced him to get out of bed and go outside. The friend later described that encounter as a turning point.

“He loved his town and his country,” Boersma said. “His patriotism was driven by how he grew up. I don’t think there could be a better place in the world to commemorate him.”

Nextgov: Senate-Passed Bill to Hack DHS Heads to House Floor

Nextgov: Senate-Passed Bill to Hack DHS Heads to House Floor

By Joseph Marks

The House Homeland Security Committee forwarded two bills Thursday to make it easier for ethical hackers to share computer vulnerabilities they find in Homeland Security Department websites.

The first bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., would direct Homeland Security officials to create a vulnerability disclosure policy. That policy would describe which department websites, hackers can legally probe for vulnerabilities, how they can alert the department about those vulnerabilities and when and how the department will respond to and remediate the vulnerabilities.

Homeland Security Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen told lawmakers in April that the department already plans to adopt such a policy, but the department has not made progress since then, Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., said during Thursday’s markup.

The second bill, which has already been passed by the full Senate, would go a step further, requiring Homeland Security to create a formal program, known as a bug bounty, that would solicit vulnerability reports from hackers and pay them for vulnerabilities that checked out.

The Hack the Department of Homeland Security bill, sponsored by Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. in the Senate, is partly modeled on numerous successful bug bounty programs at the Pentagon and military services.

The bill would mark the first departmentwide bug bounty in the civilian government. The General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Service also runs an ongoing a bug bounty.

Those Defense Department bug bounties required a lot of time and money, however, and some bug bounty organizers have warned that a full bug bounty may not be a good investment for civilian agencies—especially if they lacks the resources to investigate and patch all the bugs ethical hackers uncover.

Homeland Security’s top cybersecurity and infrastructure security official Chris Krebs initially expressed skepticism about a department bug bounty, worrying it could steal resources from other parts of the department’s cyber mission. He later endorsed the plan, however, during his confirmation hearing.

ProJo: Our Turn: Jim Langevin and Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson: Closing the skills gap is bipartisan affair

ProJo: Our Turn: Jim Langevin and Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson: Closing the skills gap is bipartisan affair

By Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA)

Bipartisanship isn’t dead. In fact, it just experienced a significant victory.

Though we come from opposite sides of the aisle, we successfully worked together as co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus to overhaul the law responsible for much of our nation’s career and technical education system.

The Perkins Act, which is the primary federal funding source for career and technical education programs, had not been reauthorized in over a decade, and it was clear there was a strong need to better align what is taught in the classroom with the skills businesses need today.

This long-overdue reauthorization bill, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, passed Congress unanimously and was signed into law by President Trump on Aug. 1. It ensures businesses have more input in classroom curricula so students are learning in-demand skills for the workplace. It also expands student access to apprenticeships, while increasing career and technical education investment by $100 million over the next five years.

Career and technical education was once known as “vocational education,” which, for many people, evokes memories of shop classes for students who weren’t “cut out” for college. The vocational education of yesteryear was regarded by many as a plan B for students. But that is not the career and technical education of today, which is not a fallback option, but a pathway that appeals to students of all abilities.

Today’s programs prepare students for college and high-skill, high-paying careers. They teach core academic and job-specific technical skills while incorporating the use of communication, teamwork, problem solving and other “soft skills” that are highly valued by employers and lead to better outcomes when students enter the workforce.

In addition to classroom instruction, career and technical education provides hands-on learning using advanced equipment like 3D printers and medical simulators, and it creates opportunities to participate in on-the-job training in leading local businesses. Nearly 12 million students were enrolled in high school and postsecondary classes in the 2016-2017 school year, and this number is growing.

We need to be rid of the stigma that surrounded vocational education once and for all and embrace today’s career and technical education programs. These programs engage students, allow them to explore different career paths, and prepare them for today’s workplace. They also fill a dire economic need: they build a skilled workforce.

When we travel across Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, we hear the same thing from businesses — they can’t find qualified workers to fill open positions. Nationally, 46 percent of employers cite difficulty finding skilled talent, and more than 80 percent of manufacturers report that worker shortages impact their ability to meet customer demand.

Career and technical education helps close this skills gap, driving economic growth and yielding big returns on investment for state economies. But this can only happen when students are learning relevant skills for in-demand jobs, when education and industry are aligned through partnerships across secondary and postsecondary schools.

Our bill puts these partnerships front and center, bringing stakeholders from local businesses and schools to the table. It ensures career and technical education programs are adequately preparing students not only for college, but also for career success and providing them with work-based learning opportunities. It strengthens federal investment in career and technical education programs, allowing students and businesses to thrive.

Our colleagues in Congress agreed this was an important bill. Despite our ideological differences, we found common ground on the necessity of modernizing these programs, on updating an old law to create new pathways of success for our constituents.

Yes, political rhetoric can be nasty at times, but we can work together when we put our minds to it; we did it with career and technical education, and we were proud to lead that effort.

Now it’s time to implement the law, and even more importantly, it’s time to move this spirit of bipartisanship forward — to find other policy areas where we can work together to expand opportunities for the American people.

Jim Langevin is a Democratic U.S. representative from Rhode Island. Glenn “GT” Thompson is a Republican U.S. representative from Pennsylvania.

ProJo: $2M grant to establish Zero Suicide initiative in Southern R.I.

ProJo: $2M grant to establish Zero Suicide initiative in Southern R.I.

By G. Wayne Miller

RICHMOND, R.I. — Already a leader in mental-health awareness and services, the South County Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds collaborative has received $2 million in federal funding aimed at reducing suicides. The funding was announced Monday at Harvest Acres Farm, whose owners, Cindy and John Duncan, lost their teenage daughter to suicide.

The funding will enable the collaborative to establish its “Zero Suicide in Washington County” initiative, described by the state Department of Health and three members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation in a joint statement as a “wide-ranging program for health care providers across the region to screen for the warning signs of suicide and provide vital services to further assess and care for those at risk of suicide.”

Dr. Robert Harrison, director of the project, described it as “both a system and a culture change [and] also the most effective program proven to drastically reduce suicides in health care systems for the initiative. Yale New Haven Health/Westerly Hospital is proud to collaborate with South County Health and every other major health care organization in the region to prevent the most preventable death — suicide — in Washington County.”

Among other significant efforts, South County Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds has joined the international Mental Health First Aid effort, which now includes the University of Rhode Island, whose provost, Donald H. DeHayes, sits on the collaborative’s board.

“We can mount this program in South County because of the strength of South County Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, a collaboration of healthcare providers, the school systems, URI, our community action agency, business partners and many other social service agencies,” said South County Health president and CEO Lou Giancola.

The $2 million in funding will flow from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“This initiative is a comprehensive approach that has brought in advocates and family members who have been impacted by suicide to bring help, hope, and light to those in need who are going through a dark time,” said Senator Jack Reed.

Said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse: “Making sure health care professionals have the training and resources to lend care and support to those fighting depression and thoughts of suicide will go a long way toward getting us to zero suicides.”

Added U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, whose district includes South County, “Suicide is preventable, and we need to do all we can to save these lives.”

While providing direct services and raising funds for mental-health causes and awareness, Harvest Acres Farm also memorializes Cassie Duncan, who lost her life to suicide during the Christmas 2005 holidays. Fourteen years old and an artist, Cassie had not shared what she was experiencing.

“It’s absolutely incredible how far we have come,” Cindy said in May, as Harvest Acres marked yet another expansion of its programming. “It’s a true blessing. Cassie and God are smiling and I couldn’t be happier.”

South County now joins a growing movement to reduce suicide. In May, Butler Hospital announced its own Zero Suicide initiative.