John Sarbanes has based his efforts in Congress on the input he receives from people like you. In the last year he has made the economy a priority, visiting more than 100 small businesses and helping local entrepreneurs get access to credit so they can grow their businesses and create jobs. He is also interested in your feedback and involvement in any and all of the following initiatives:
VetCorps. Congressman Sarbanes was a leader in establishing a new Veterans Corps or VetCorps under the Americorps program. This service program would provide stipends to individuals wishing to serve our veterans as well as enlisting veterans themselves in giving back to their communities. For more information about VetCorps, go to www.nationalservice.gov and click on the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009.
Making your home “Chesapeake Bay Friendly.” Congressman Sarbanes wants to help ordinary citizens get involved in Chesapeake Bay clean up. By making your home “Chesapeake Bay friendly” or becoming a citizen steward of streams in your neighborhood, you can help your community meet pollution-reduction. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting initiative.
No Child Left Inside. Congressman Sarbanes is author of the No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI), which would promote outdoor education, making children more aware of the environment and improving their health. A coalition of advocates has sprung up in support of this effort. It now numbers 1700 organizations across the country representing nearly 40 million people. You can get more information about the NCLI initiative by going to www.nclicoalition.org.
Experience Corps. Congressman Sarbanes is also a champion of Experience Corps, an Americorps service program that brings retirees into classrooms to share their knowledge and experience. Maryland has one of the largest group of Experience Corps Volunteers in the country. If you would like to learn more about how you or someone in your family can get involved in Experience Corps, please go to www.experiencecorps.org.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Option. Congressman Sarbanes developed a new public service loan forgiveness program that will allow students graduating with federal or federally consolidated loans who choose to go into public service the opportunity to earn loan forgiveness. Specifically, students who work in government or the non-profit sector for a cumulative total of ten years will have their monthly payments lowered during that time and have all outstanding balances at the end of the ten years completely forgiven. If you would like more information about the Sarbanes Loan Forgiveness Option, please go to www.ibrinfor.org.
Campaign Finance Reform. Congressman Sarbanes believes we have to empower individual citizens to take back their government from the special interests. He hasco-sponsored the Fair Elections Now Act in Congress to promote campaign finance reform. If you would like to learn more about the Congressman’s efforts to enlist grassroots donors, please visit www.grassrootsdonor.com.
Which of these initiatives is most important to you? Fill out our survey to let him know!
