Updates

How Many GOP House Members Are Mired in Conflicts of Interest? No One Knows
Jon Skolnik, Newsweek

After 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.

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As states crack down on voting, advocates look to Congress
Benjamin Barber, Facing South

This past weekend marked the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, when voting rights marchers were brutally assaulted by law enforcement officers while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Broadcast on national television, images of state troopers attacking peaceful demonstrators, including John Lewis, a civil rights icon who went on to become a long-serving Democratic congressman from Georgia, shifted public opinion and galvanized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).

This year's commemoration — the first since Lewis's death last year from cancer — took place as many state legislatures are ramping up an assault on voting rights.

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Election reform: Judge Sarbanes’ proposal on merit, not partisan advantage
The Editorial Board, The Baltimore Sun

There has always something essentially quixotic in Rep. John Sarbanes’ “For The People Act,” its title as idealistic as anything found on its nearly 800 pages of content. In sum, what H.R.1 attempts to do is fix much of what is broken in this nation’s election system, chiefly by making voting more accessible, ending partisan redistricting, raising ethical standards, and exposing and reducing the influence of big money in politics.

Americans should be celebrating its passage in the U.S. House of Representatives late Wednesday and giving thanks to the 58-year-old Maryland Democrat, the eldest son of the late Sen. Paul Sarbanes, who has made this worthy cause a personal crusade. Don Quixote may have tilted at windmills, but John Sarbanes went after something real and far more daunting: a political system that runs on money and disenfranchises far too many Americans.

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I am deeply grateful to the voters for re-electing me to Maryland's 3rd Congressional District. As our country continues to face major challenges, I will work my hardest to ensure we have a government of, by and for the people that advances fairness, justice and a decent quality of life for every family and every community.

Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined the Maryland Congressional Delegation in urging Governor Larry Hogan to increase the state’s focus on halting the disproportionate spread of COVID-19 among Maryland’s Latino communities and delivering targeted relief to Latino families.

House Democrats Renew Calls for Bill Giving Election Agency More Funding and Responsibility
Courtney Bublé, The Government Executive

Following news from intelligence officials on Wednesday evening of foreign election interference attempts, several House lawmakers are renewing their calls for the Senate to take up their massive reform bill that would bolster the funding and responsibilities of the nation’s elections clearinghouse.

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christopher Wray gave an unexpected press briefing on Wednesday—13 days out from the election—in which they said that Iran and Russia obtained voter registration information in attempts to meddle in U.S. elections. They said that voting remains secure, but House lawmakers renewed the call for the Senate to take up their “2019 For the People Act,” which the chamber passed in March 2019 and has specific provisions to beef up the Election Assistance Commission.

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Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) released the following statement today after co-sponsoring a resolution that condemns Azerbaijan's recent military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and denounces Turkey's role in the conflict (H.Res. 1165):

“Azerbaijan and Turkey must answer for the unprovoked offensive launched against Nagorno-Karabakh by the Aliyev government. This attack – which has inflicted casualties deeply anguishing to Armenians everywhere – is a wake-up call for U.S. policymakers who have too often downplayed or excused Azerbaijan's aggressive actions in the region.

Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined the Maryland Congressional Delegation in announcing $1,675,000 in federal funding to improve bus safety and prevent hazards on rail systems in Maryland.

“The safety of our regional transportation networks must be a top priority,” the lawmakers said. “This new federal funding will upgrade Maryland’s rail systems with warning technology that helps bolster safety and reliability for Maryland commuters. Our delegation will always work to deliver resources that modernize and expand public transportation in our state.”

Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined the Maryland Congressional Delegation in again urging Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) and Maryland Secretary of Labor Tiffany Robinson to redouble the state’s efforts to speed up the processing of Marylanders’ Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims.

Following up on their past efforts and conversations with state leaders earlier this year, the Congressional Delegation also requested that the state provide full and updated information about the numbers of unpaid and/or unresolved UI claims.