Jack Reed

November 4, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – In a positive step for Rhode Island's economy, the U.S. Senate today approved legislation championed by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to immediately extend unemployment benefits for up to 20 weeks for more than 4,000 Rhode Island job seekers who exhausted their current benefits. The Reid-Baucus-Reed-Shaheen legislation extends unemployment insurance benefits to jobless Americans in every state by up to 14 weeks, with an additional 6 weeks possible in high unemployment states like Rhode Island with rates at or above 8.5%.    » read more »

November 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding a $15 million Recovery Act grant to Rhode Island LFG Genco, an affiliate of Ridgewood Renewable Power, to support the expansion of Ridgewood’s landfill methane-capture electricity generation plant in Johnston.

The project will be the second-largest landfill gas-to-electricity generation facility in the United States. The project will generate 42 MW of power, and save an estimated 1.21 trillion Btu annually from the landfill gas that would otherwise be flared.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), today announced that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations Conference Report, will provide over $30 million in federal funding for conservation and clean water projects in Rhode Island. The bill passed the House 247-178 earlier today and the Senate 72-28 this evening. The Conference Report now goes to the President to be signed into law.

Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, noted that the Interior spending bill provides money for land acquisition, drinking water and storm water infrastructure, and environmental preservation projects.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the City of Providence will receive over $1.75 million in flexible federal funding to improve energy efficiency in residential and municipal buildings. This award is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy under its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.

The EECBG program is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which Senator Reed supported.

Providence is expected to use the funding to establish a revolving loan fund for residential and municipal building retrofits.    » read more »

October 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a comprehensive proposal to extend unemployment insurance by up to 14 additional weeks for jobless workers in all 50 states. Nearly two million out-of-work Americans face expiring benefits by the end of the year.

The legislation would also extend benefits for six additional weeks in states with unemployment levels over eight and a half percent. The proposal is fully paid for by extending the Federal Unemployment Tax through June 30, 2011.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – By a vote of 93-7, the U.S. Senate last night approved legislation providing over $80.5 million in defense funding for Rhode Island that U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) requested as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2010.

Rhode Island’s defense industry employs about 16,000 people throughout the state and contributes nearly $2 billion annually to the local economy.    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to curb record-high foreclosure rates across the country and stabilize the housing market, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today introduced legislation that will help keep families in their homes and prevent communities from deteriorating as a result of skyrocketing mortgage defaults.    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation today announced over $22 million in federal funding for Rhode Island to support cutting-edge medical research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will distribute 91 federal grants to eligible grantees throughout the state. These grants were funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which the delegation supported.    » read more »

June 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, after attending President Barack Obama’s speech at the White House on financial regulatory reform, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Chairman of the Banking Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment, issued the following statement:

“The financial crisis exposed serious pitfalls and cracks in our financial regulatory system. Today, the President offered a solid plan to begin to fill in those gaps, reform the system, and strengthen our economy.

“We need comprehensive regulation of financial institutions and robust supervision and rules that give regulators “teeth” to hold firms accountable. The Administration’s proposal offers stronger protection and increased transparency for consumers, investors, and businesses.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to strengthen financial oversight of hedge funds and other private investment funds, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), today introduced the Private Fund Transparency Act of 2009, which will help protect investors, identify and mitigate systemic risk, and prevent fraud. This legislation amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to require advisers to hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds, and other private investment pools to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, following the release of a working draft of the Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement:

“Our health care system is too expensive, inefficient, and ineffectual. High premiums and a lack of basic coverage are hurting families and businesses in Rhode Island and across the country. This situation is also putting America at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – As foreclosure rates around the country continue to rise, it has become increasingly difficult for many homeowners seeking to modify their mortgages to get a hold of their loan servicers. In an effort to help struggling homeowners and ensure that banks and loan servicers are held accountable to requests for help, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and 14 of his Senate colleagues sent a letter to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan urging HUD to develop and implement a strategy requiring banks and loan servicers, particularly those that have agreed to participate in the Obama Administration’s foreclosure prevention initiatives, to respond to homeowners in a timely fashion.    » read more »

June 4, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to create jobs, restore habitats, and mitigate flooding along the Pawtuxet, Pocasset, and Meshanticut Rivers, Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation today announced that the state will receive over $2.3 million through the federal Recovery Act for flood protection projects in Cranston and West Warwick. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Rhode Island will receive over $1.95 million to purchase easements and conduct restoration at 4 sites and approximately $400,000 to design, engineer, and obtain permitting for these projects.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to curb smoking, improve public health, and save billions of taxpayer dollars each year, the U.S. Senate is currently debating the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, legislation long supported by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products and prohibit misleading tobacco advertisements.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Democratic Senators Frank Lautenberg, Dick Durbin, Chris Dodd and Jack Reed joined Matt Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, at a press conference this morning to discuss the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The legislation will give the Food and Drug Administration legal authority to regulate the sale, distribution and advertising of cigarettes in order to stop tobacco companies from targeting children and misleading the public.    » read more »