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Press Releases

February 21, 2019

PALM DESERT, CA — Today, Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt urging them to quickly implement the new Farm Bill and direct millions of dollars in new funding to conserve the Salton Sea. The funds would supplement state and local efforts to address the severe environmental and public health consequences of the Sea's decline. The letter comes after Dr.

February 15, 2019

PALM DESERT, CA — Today, Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) and the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) announced a $1,080,000 grant to expand vocational training and provide affordable housing for low-income families in the Hemet and San Jacinto region. Over the next three years, the grant will allow RCOE to expand its YouthBuild program to support an additional 61 underserved young people between the ages of 16 and 24.

December 20, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, President Trump signed into law H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act, otherwise known as the 2018 Farm Bill, which changed critical agricultural conservation programs to make the Salton Sea eligible for millions in new federal funding. The changes were championed by Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and Sen. Kamala Harris who wrote to Farm Bill negotiators in support of the changes earlier this year.

December 19, 2018
Grant will fund a program to remove hazardous fuels from private property and educate homeowners about fire safety
November 29, 2018

PALM DESERT, CA — Today, Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert), along with a bipartisan group of Southern California lawmakers called on Governor-elect Newsom to make management of the Salton Sea a priority for his Administration and to visit the Sea within his first six months of taking office. As Lieutenant Governor, Governor-elect Newsom recognized that the Salton Sea's public health and environmental challenges have not received the attention and resources they deserve.

November 19, 2018

PALM DESERT, CA — Today, Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) and the Independent Living Partnership announced a $1,318,000 grant to improve access to transportation for individuals with mobility issues throughout Riverside County and the Coachella Valley. Over the next three years, the grant is estimated to help more than 4,500 individuals across Riverside County get free rides to medical appointments, grocery stores, and other essential services through the Independent Living Partnership's Transportation Reimbursement and Information Project (TRIP).

October 8, 2018

PALM SPRINGS, CA — Today, on the second anniversary of the deaths of local heroes Officers Gil Vega and Lesley Zerebny, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced additional support for H.R. 5060, the Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gilbert Vega First Responders Survivors Support Act, and discussed next steps for advancing the bill. The bipartisan bill was originally introduced in February of this year, and has steadily gained bipartisan support in Congress.

April 24, 2018

PALM DESERT, CA — Today, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) introduced the Advancing High Quality Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders in Medicare Act, a bill that will increase access for seniors on Medicare to comprehensive addiction treatment services such as care management, treatment planning, and support services. The bill would also reward and support treatment programs with the best outcomes, fostering innovations in care to successfully help patients.

February 23, 2018
PALM SPRINGS, CA — Today, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), local public safety leaders, and families of fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters came together to announce the introduction of the Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gilbert Vega First Responders Survivors Support Act. This bipartisan bill would update the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit (PSOB) Program so that grieving families of fallen heroes will have the support they need to pay off their debt, pursue an education, and get back on their feet. Click here for more information.
February 9, 2018

Washington, D.C. – Today Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced that his bipartisan Wildfire Prevention Act passed the House and the Senate as part of the budget deal and will be signed into law. H.R.1183, the Wildfire Prevention Act was included as part of a package of disaster relief provisions that in total provide $89.3 billion to help communities in California, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and across the nation recover in the wake of the devastating wildfire and hurricane season.