News
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In the News: Why There’s Even More Pressure Now on Congress to Pass a Voting Rights Bill
July 9, 2021
Why There’s Even More Pressure Now on Congress to Pass a Voting Rights Bill
Carrie Levine, The Center for Public IntegrityCongress faces growing pressure to pass new federal voting legislation in the wake of a Supreme Court decision last week that will make it more difficult to challenge a spate of new Republican-backed state-level voting restrictions.
Democrats already wrestling with a loaded agenda on voting rights now face the additional complication of how to address the ruling, beyond a slew of strongly worded statements.
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In the News: Your Voice: Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md.
June 15, 2021
Your Voice: Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md.
WBFF-TV (FOX)
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In the News: U.S. Department of Labor Secretary tours Baltimore training facility today
May 20, 2021
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary tours Baltimore training facility today
WBFF-TVOn Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will join U.S. Rep John Sarbanes to tour the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 37’s training site in Baltimore, Maryland.
He will also discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in workforce training with labor leaders, apprentices and instructors.
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In the News: Your Voice: Congressman John Sarbanes
May 19, 2021
Your Voice: Congressman John Sarbanes
WBFF-TV
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In the News: Labor Secretary Walsh visits Baltimore to discuss investments in workforce training
May 18, 2021
Labor Secretary Walsh visits Baltimore to discuss investments in workforce training
WBAL-TV
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In the News: Four Annapolis restaurant owners discuss surviving COVID-19 with Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris
May 18, 2021
Four Annapolis restaurant owners discuss surviving COVID-19 with Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris
Danielle Ohl, The Capital GazetteFour Annapolis restaurant owners who overcame hurdles to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic met Tuesday morning with second gentleman Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Emhoff, the nation’s first second gentleman, has been traveling the country as an ambassador for the Biden administration, encouraging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, raising awareness about various pandemic relief packages such as the American Rescue Plan and drumming up support for President Joe Biden’s jobs plan, an ambitious $2 trillion proposal.
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In the News: Federal Lawmakers, City Officials Want Funding to End ‘Highway to Nowhere’
May 18, 2021
Federal Lawmakers, City Officials Want Funding to End ‘Highway to Nowhere’
Ron Cassie, Baltimore MagazineU.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, with Maryland Congressmen Kweisi Mfume, John Sarbanes, and Anthony Brown, joined Mayor Brandon Scott on Monday to make the case for infrastructure funding to redress West Baltimore’s infamous “Highway to Nowhere.”
Built in the late 1960s, the long-since scrapped urban highway was once intended to connect I-70 to downtown and link it to I-95 and I-83. Completion of the project was finally halted amid community opposition—in part led by then-community organizer Barbara Mikulski—from threatened neighborhoods along the proposed route. By that point, however, the damage had been done in West Baltimore where more than 970 homes, 60 businesses, and 1,500 local residents were displaced.
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In the News: Maryland Democrats hope to remedy damage from decades-old ‘Highway to Nowhere’
May 17, 2021
Maryland Democrats hope to remedy damage from decades-old ‘Highway to Nowhere’
Jeff Barker, The Baltimore SunDemocratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation expressed hope Monday that — for the first time in decades — there may be an opportunity for funding to redress damage done by West Baltimore’s so-called Highway to Nowhere.
U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin stood in a parking lot overlooking a weed-filled field, the site of a project the lawmakers called a “monstrosity” that uprooted surrounding communities. The original plan was to connect Interstate 70 coming from the west with Interstate 95, but the project was halted in the early 1970s amid opposition from threatened neighborhoods along the proposed route and environmentalists.
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In the News: As States Add Voting Restrictions, Democrats Say Reform Bill By Maryland’s John Sarbanes Is ‘Vital to Protect Our Democracy’
May 8, 2021
As States Add Voting Restrictions, Democrats Say Reform Bill By Maryland’s John Sarbanes Is ‘Vital to Protect Our Democracy’
Jeff Barker, The Baltimore SunCongressional Democrats are launching a concerted push on behalf of an ambitious voting rights and campaign reform bill sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland that backers say is urgently needed because voter access is being threatened around the country.
Sarbanes’ legislation was years in the making and is a defining bill for the eighth-term lawmaker and son of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes.
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In the News: Sarbanes Emphasizes Election Reform in Meeting With Howard County Lawmakers
March 31, 2021
Sarbanes Emphasizes Election Reform in Meeting With Howard County Lawmakers
Bennett Leckrone, Maryland MattersU.S. Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.) touted his sweeping federal election overhaul to state legislators from Howard County in a Wednesday morning meeting, saying the proposed reforms are the “most requested anti-corruption legislation” ever passed by the House of Representatives.
Sarbanes is the primary architect of the For the People Act, an omnibus proposal that would cut back on gerrymandering, expand absentee ballot access and modernize voter registration. Those are just a few of the slew of election reform efforts included in the legislation, which is currently in the Senate after passing the House in early March.
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In the News: Maryland Lawmakers Announce Emergency Funding For Baltimore's Most Vulnerable
March 30, 2021
Maryland Lawmakers Announce Emergency Funding For Baltimore's Most Vulnerable
William Smink, WBFF (FOX)On Tuesday, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen along side Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume came together to announce $15.45 million in emergency federal funding to reimburse the delivery of essential goods and shelter to the city of Baltimore's most vulnerable residents.
The award serves as a total federal cost share reimbursement for services that Baltimore city provided to residents earlier in the pandemic.
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In the News: Biden promises tight US-Greek ties
March 26, 2021
Biden promises tight US-Greek ties
EkathimeriniOn the occasion of the bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence, the White House organized an online get-together with President Joe Biden and prominent members of the Greek-American Community Thursday.
The event was coordinated by Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki. Biden regretted not being able to host the event in the White House, adding that he could see a lot of good friends on the screen.
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In the News: Md. Congressional Democrats Urge USPS to Fix ‘One of Worst Postal Backlogs in the Country’
March 25, 2021
Md. Congressional Democrats Urge USPS to Fix ‘One of Worst Postal Backlogs in the Country’
Bryan Gallion, Montgomery County MediaMaryland congressional Democrats called on the U.S. Postal Service to address mail delivery problems that the state has faced in recent months following a meeting they had Monday with agency officials.
The state has “experienced one of the worst postal backlogs in the country,” the federal lawmakers said in a statement Tuesday, “and there are no excuses for the widespread breakdown of mail delivery.”
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In the News: Officials break ground on latest phase of Port Covington development
March 24, 2021
Officials break ground on latest phase of Port Covington development
Bryna Zumer, WBFF Online (FOX)Officials and community leaders broke ground today on the latest phase of South Baltimore's Port Covington project, which promises to bring 1.1 million square feet of new development, including 89 affordable-housing units.
This latest phase is called 1B and will feature vertical construction, according to a press release.
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In the News: Maryland Democrats Pay Tribute To AFA On 11th Anniversary
March 24, 2021
Maryland Democrats Pay Tribute To AFA On 11th Anniversary
Dan Shalin, Owings Mills PatchRep. John Sarbanes, D-MD, marked the 11th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Tuesday by discussing how the legislation has been strengthened thanks to the passage of American Rescue Plan (ARP), the $1.6 trillion relief package signed into law earlier this month.
Speaking at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, Sarbanes said the coronavirus relief bill is another step in achieving the goals of the AFA, helping more Americans gain access to high-quality and affordable health care.
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In the News: Bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeks to support federal firefighters
March 23, 2021
Bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeks to support federal firefighters
Douglas Clark, Homeland Preparedness NewsSens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) reintroduced legislation last week designed to support federal firefighters by correcting disparity between federal firefighters and state, local and municipal firefighters.
The Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act would allow federal firefighters to engage in trade time, enabling two firefighters to trade shifts without affecting pay or using annual leave.
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In the News: Federal American Rescue Plan includes millions for county, transit, education
March 19, 2021
Federal American Rescue Plan includes millions for county, transit, education
Briana Adhikusuma, Bethesda MagazineMore than $303 million is expected to come to Montgomery County and its municipalities through the new federal American Rescue Plan.
The county also will benefit through hundreds of millions of dollars more for local transit projects serving the region and for local schools.
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In the News: Biden Has One Shot To Stop Republicans’ Voter Suppression Crusade
March 16, 2021
Biden Has One Shot To Stop Republicans’ Voter Suppression Crusade
Eric Lutz, Vanity Fair ('Hive')Earlier this month, Joe Biden signed an executive order to ensure that Americans’ right to vote is “protected and defended”—a move that came as Republicans across the country intensify their attacks on the voting rights of Black Americans and other marginalized groups, who already face systemic barriers. “We’ve seen an unprecedented insurrection in our Capitol and a brutal attack on our democracy on January 6—a never-before-seen effort to ignore, undermine, and undo the will of the people,” Biden said in a video statement. “It’s been followed by an all-out assault on the right to vote in state legislatures all across the country,” he continued, citing the hundreds of bills that have been introduced in 43 states to dramatically roll back voting rights. “We cannot let them succeed.”
But Biden could find himself helping Republicans do just that if he doesn’t change his position on the Senate filibuster. Led by progressives, a growing chorus of Democrats have been calling to abolish or at least modify the filibuster to make it harder for Mitch McConnell and the GOP minority to obstruct their agenda. Those demands have taken on a greater sense of urgency amid Republican disenfranchisement efforts. With state lawmakers across the country using Donald Trump’s bogus election fraud claims to push wildly restrictive voting laws, and the Supreme Court, to which he appointed three justices, potentially on the cusp of dealing another blow to the Voting Rights Act, Democrats and activists have rallied behind HR1, a sweeping bill to secure elections, expand voting access, and restore the pro-democracy law named for the late John Lewis. It passed the House March 3. “At a time when Americans across the political spectrum are demanding real change and accountability from their elected officials, it’s more important than ever to deliver on the promise of HR1 and restore faith in our democracy,” Representative John Sarbanes, who introduced the bill, said upon its passage. “We have no time to waste.”
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In the News: Senate Gets Landmark Voting Legislation, But Partisanship Poses Steep Challenges
March 15, 2021
Senate Gets Landmark Voting Legislation, But Partisanship Poses Steep Challenges
Jennifer Mandato, Capital News ServiceA House-passed package overhauling voting, improving election security and reforming campaign finance laws is now in the Senate, where deep partisan divisions spell an uncertain fate for the landmark bill.
H.R. 1, also known as the For the People Act of 2021, is sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Towson, and co-sponsored by every House Democrat. The measure passed the House March 3 on a 220-210 party-line vote.
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In the News: How Many GOP House Members Are Mired in Conflicts of Interest? No One Knows
March 12, 2021
How Many GOP House Members Are Mired in Conflicts of Interest? No One Knows
Jon Skolnik, NewsweekAfter Congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program last year, pumping billions of dollars into small businesses struggling under the weight of the pandemic, reports surfaced that sizable chunks of that money went right back into the pockets of Congress. A slew of members, many of them already wealthy, received millions in federal aid for their personal businesses ventures under the auspices of job-saving. That reanimated debate about a longstanding, conflict of interest entrenched within the legislative branch: Members of Congress can hold positions in for-profit corporations while officially serving their constituents in Washington.
Senate ethics rules address this conflict —but the House does not. Senators are prohibited from "from serving as officers or members of the board of any publicly held or publicly regulated corporation, financial institution, or business entity." No such stricture applies to members of the House. Rules restrict all members of both chambers from making 15% in excess of their salaries in "outside earned income," but passive income derived from investments and holdings doesn't necessarily count.