DEMOCRACY REFORM

During the 117th Congress, Congressman Sarbanes led the effort to pass a transformational anti-corruption and clean elections reform package – HR1, the For the People Act. On five separate occasions over three years, the House of Representatives passed various versions of the bill and ultimately succeeded in putting these issues squarely before the Senate. In 2022, however, the Senate failed to muster the votes necessary to overcome the filibuster and vote on this critical package of reforms.

Every day, in every arena, the need for democracy reform continues. The Democracy Reform Task Force remains committed to:

• Promoting Clean and Fair Elections: Empowering the American voter by protecting voting rights, ending partisan gerrymandering and reducing barriers to voting;
   
• Ending the Dominance of Dark Money in Politics: Fixing our broken campaign finance systems to end the scourge of dark money in politics and increase the power of everyday Americans through stronger disclosure laws, a matching system for small donations and more effective oversight by the Federal Election Commission; and
   
• Forging Responsive Governance: Strengthening ethics laws to ensure public servants work for the public interest.

Congressman Sarbanes has continued fighting to fortify our democracy by:

• Strengthening Americans’ right to access the ballot box: Congressman Sarbanes is a cosponsor oflegislation – like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act – to revise and restore portions of the Voting Rights Act that were gutted by the Supreme Court in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder and modernize America’s electoral processes.

EDUCATION

K-12 Education

• No Child Left Inside: Congressman Sarbanes is a national leader in the movement to promote environmental education, which is critical to empowering and inspiring the next generation of scientists, teachers and environmental stewards. Research shows that hands-on environmental education has a positive impact on student achievement in science, math and social studies, and encourages students to lead healthier lives. To better afford students these opportunities, Congressman Sarbanes authored the No Child Left Inside Act, which provides schools the resources necessary to integrate environmental education and field experiences into their core academic programs.
   
• Improving the Quality of Education: Congressman Sarbanes consistently prioritizes expanding access to early learning programs and strengthening K-12 educational programs with a particular focus on providing the necessary resources to promote opportunities for students in underserved communities, bolster special education programs and increase school safety.
   
• Supporting Students’ Mental and Behavioral Health. School-based health centers provide quality primary, preventive and mental health care to students in a convenient, trusted setting. Congressman Sarbanes has long championed investments in School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) to help meet the physical, mental and behavioral health needs of students and continues to fight for robust funding to improve and expand their services.

Higher Education

Many hardworking individuals and families continue to struggle with the costs of higher education even as they seek to enter a workforce that often demands a college degree. Congressman Sarbanes is working to ensure every individual has the opportunity to reach their full potential by making continuing educational programs more affordable and more accessible.

• Strengthening Financial Aid Programs: Congressman Sarbanes consistently advocates for increasing the size, duration and year-round eligibility of the federal Pell Grant and bolstering other programs that make it possible for millions of students to recognize their dreams and obtain need-based federal financial aid for college.
   
• Student Loan Repayment: Many who are fortunate to earn a degree still grapple with student loan debt long after they graduate. In 2007, Congressman Sarbanes authored the law creating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which forgives remaining student loan debt for those who have made loan payments for 10 years while employed full-time in public service. The broader law also allows other individuals with federal student loan debts to apply for an income-based repayment plan that caps their monthly loan payments at no more than 10% or 15% of their income and can provide forgiveness after 20 years. The Congressman continues to advocate for improvements to the program that address implementation failures and bottlenecks, allowing more payments and more borrowers to qualify for forgiveness. To learn more, visit https://studentaid.gov/h/manage-loans.

• Boosting Career and Technical Education: As the country transitions to a clean energy economy, workforce development and training programs must ensure that all Americans can acquire the skills, training and preparation to succeed in new, in-demand jobs. Congressman Sarbanes is committed to investments that expand career pathways for workers across the board and boost our STEM education resources.

ENVIRONMENT

Congressman Sarbanes shares the same passion for the environment as the people of Maryland’s Third Congressional District, who have a strong history of environmental advocacy for, and stewardship of, the Chesapeake Bay. Marylanders know that preserving and protecting our environment can go hand in hand with spurring economic growth. Congressman Sarbanes is dedicated to addressing the many environmental challenges facing our nation, including by addressing climate change, restoring and protecting clean air and water, finding alternatives to the finite supply of fossil fuels and supporting environmental justice efforts.

Protecting the Bay

As a leader of the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, Congressman Sarbanes consistently works to raise awareness among his colleagues in Congress about the importance of protecting the Bay. Through the Task Force, Congressman Sarbanes has secured vital funding to protect this national environmental treasure as it connects communities and powers the regional economy.

• Supporting Restoration: Congressman Sarbanes is fighting to provide adequate resources for federal agencies that have a hand in Bay restoration efforts, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Park Service (NPS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) and others. His leadership has led to record funding levels for Chesapeake Bay programs that facilitate conservation, restoration and recreation throughout the Bay watershed. He has also led the effort to re-authorize NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office, which coordinates restoration efforts, fisheries management, habitat protection and scientific research in the Bay.
   
• Environmental Stewardship: Congressman Sarbanes’ environmental efforts have also focused on empowering citizens to be everyday environmental stewards. He is the author of the No Child Left Inside Act, which aims to provide meaningful outdoor education experiences to students across the country, empowering and inspiring the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards. In 2015, a provision of the No Child Left Inside Act was signed into law as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Since then, educators have been able to access federal grants for environmental education programs, including for education and engagement in the Chesapeake region, and Congressman Sarbanes is working to expand and build on the program’s success. He continues to advocate for robust resources to help schools and teachers integrate environmental education and field experiences into their core academic programs.
   
• Reducing Pollution: With a particular focus on improving the health of Bay tributaries, Congressman Sarbanes leads Members who represent parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in advancing discussions about how the pollution originating from streams or rivers in their districts flow into the Bay and how their states can collaborate with others in the region to address this. Congressman Sarbanes strongly supports the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay “pollution diet,” which sets limits on runoff from states in the Bay watershed.

Addressing Climate Change

As a proud member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee – and its Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, which has jurisdiction over all matters related to soil, air and water contamination – Congressman Sarbanes believes that climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our day. Science shows that climate change is a real threat to human health and our environment and working to address it will ensure a greener, healthier future for all Americans. Congressman Sarbanes was proud to vote for the historic climate investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, which will allow our nation to cut its emissions by nearly 40% by 2030, and remains committed to meeting our climate challenge to address our economic, national security, equity and environmental policy priorities in one fell swoop.

• Big Money in Polluting Our Environment: Big money politics is polluting our democracy and our environment. Congressman Sarbanes is working to combat the influence of wealthy and well-connected special interests, like the oil and gas industry, by elevating the voice of the American people in Congress. He has demanded accountability from fossil fuel companies and advanced policies that would loosen the grip of big money in politics and bring about reforms that fight climate change and lower costs for families.
   
• Clean Energy: Congressman Sarbanes believes that clean energy technologies, such as solar energy, offer our world a way to drastically curb carbon emissions while increasing energy savings to American families. He has been a strong supporter of helping level the playing field for renewable energy development through measures like tax credits and research funding. It is vital that America stays at the forefront of a dynamic energy industry, developing clean energy technology and good-paying jobs that will spur tremendous growth and offer long-term relief to the American economy. Clean energy innovation can help diversify our energy portfolio, maintain our nation’s competitive advantage, end our dependence on energy sources from volatile parts of the world and ensure a prosperous future for our children.
   

• Environmental Justice: Low-income communities, communities of color and Tribal communities have historically borne the brunt of pollution and other environmental hazards, including the impacts of climate change. Congressman Sarbanes is working to address legacy pollution, support climate mitigation and resilience measures, and create opportunities for those most impacted by social injustices to be at the forefront of action in their communities. He also recognizes that environmental justice issues are intrinsically tied to other social justice issues, and believes that Congress must also prioritize equity and provide assistance to communities disproportionately burdened by environmental and public health hazards as it discusses housing, health care access, transportation and infrastructure policies.

HEALTH CARE

As the Vice Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, Congressman Sarbanes is a strong advocate for reforming our nation’s health care system to ensure all individuals can access high-quality, comprehensive and affordable health care services. He is also committed to strengthening our public health infrastructure, supporting the health care workforce and investing in lifesaving biomedical research.

Expanding Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care

• Making Insurance More Affordable: Congressman Sarbanes has been an outspoken champion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has reduced health care costs for families and helped millions gain coverage. He believes it is critical to strengthen the ACA and its implementation while also advancing other proposals to further expand coverage and lower costs for Americans with private insurance – like the Medicare for All Act.

• Strengthening Medicare & Medicaid: The Medicare and Medicaid programs provide quality coverage for millions of seniors, individuals with disabilities and low-income individuals. Congressman Sarbanes supports strengthening the range of services provided by these federal health programs – including home- and community-based services – and curbing seniors’ premiums in the Medicare Part B program.

• Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs: Congressman Sarbanes has routinely fought to lower prescription drug costs for Americans and hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable for their price increases. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed with Congressman Sarbanes’ support, finally allows Medicare to directly negotiate lower drug prices, restricts how much pharmaceutical companies can raise prices on their drugs and caps out-of-pocket spending for seniors.

• Investing in Public Health & Biomedical Research: He is a strong supporter of rebuilding our public health infrastructure to ensure its readiness for future crises, improving its ability to use data-driven solutions to promote health equity and increasing investments in biomedical research, including at the National Institutes of Health.

• Combating the Opioid Epidemic & Bolstering Mental and Behavioral Health Programs: Congressman Sarbanes has supported legislation to increase the availability of mental health services and has also voted to enhance opioid treatment and prevention resources. He authored legislation – which became law in 2016 – to allow the co-prescribing of lifesaving naloxone to individuals at elevated risk of overdoses. Congressman Sarbanes has also sponsored legislation to strengthen critical mental and behavioral health programs for children and has secured robust funding for school-based health centers, which he has long championed as a way to improve students’ health and academic outcomes.

• Protecting Reproductive Rights: Congressman Sarbanes strongly believes that every individual – regardless of where they live – should have the ability to exercise their reproductive freedom and control their own health, life and future. He supports legislation to codify the right to access abortion services and remove barriers that prevent individuals from accessing contraception.

Strengthening America’s Health Care Workforce

One of Congressman Sarbanes’ top priorities in Congress is building and strengthening our health care workforce to meet the needs of delivering quality care today and preparing for the public health challenges of tomorrow.

He has worked to secure several provisions to create additional scholarship and loan repayment programs for primary care providers in shortage areas, increase the number of substance use disorder professionals, improve grant programs for primary care training and help align our health care workforce with the needs of the population – now and in the future.

Congressman Sarbanes has also sponsored legislation to help combat America’s shortage of primary care physicians by providing training and financial assistance to encourage mid-career and retired or retiring physicians to return to practice and serve at community health centers, Veterans Administration medical centers or school-based health centers.

JOBS & ECONOMY

Congressman Sarbanes believes that a strong economy is one in which all individuals have the opportunity to succeed and make a better life for themselves and their families. He supports policies that foster job creation, improve pay and benefits, build stronger communities and secure America’s role as a global economic leader. He continues to fight for a stronger, more prosperous future for all Americans.

Lowering Costs & Creating Good-Paying Jobs

Congressman Sarbanes is committed to creating good-paying jobs to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, boost American manufacturing and strengthen our economy. By making necessary investments in our workforce now, we are making a down payment on a more prosperous, equitable economy for all.

• Lowering Costs for Families: Congressman Sarbanes supports legislation that invests in families, cracks down on price gouging and lowers the cost of living. He supported the Inflation Reduction Act – historic legislation that lowers the costs of health care, prescription drugs and energy while reducing the deficit and strengthening our economy.
   
• Investing in Infrastructure: Congressman Sarbanes believes that we must put millions of Americans back to work rebuilding our nation’s roads, bridges, public transportation, ports and water systems, many of which are in desperate need of repair. He also supports efforts to transition to a clean energy economy, strengthen our resilience to climate change-related events, improve electric vehicle infrastructure and modernize our nation's electric grid.

Strengthening Technological Innovation and Workforce Programs

Congressman Sarbanes has been proud to support legislation that enhances our country’s technological innovation and fortifies our domestic supply chains. He is also committed to improving workforce training programs that provide Americans with the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

• Bolstering Supply Chains: Congressman Sarbanes has voted for legislation to secure our nation’s supply chains, prevent shortages in critical goods and strengthen our global competitiveness. He is also working to boost science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development opportunities to prepare more American workers with the tools necessary to obtain good-paying, skilled jobs.
   
• Apprenticeship Programs: Congressman Sarbanes has long been a champion for registered apprenticeship programs and other Workforce Innovation and Opportunity programs, which help support adult education and literacy and reemployment services, especially for women, minority and other historically underserved populations.

Bolstering Paid Leave, Pay and Benefits

Congressman Sarbanes is a strong advocate for expanded and strengthened paid leave programs, workplace protections and wages. It is his longstanding belief that reasonable labor standards are vital to the morale of our workforce, the health of our economy and the strength of our country.

• Paid Leave: Congressman Sarbanes is working to establish a social insurance program, funded through payroll taxes, that would allow individuals to receive paid leave from work for certain medical or family-related reasons. He has also supported legislation to allow workers in businesses with 15 or more employees to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick days each year.
   
• Workplace Protections: Congressman Sarbanes is a strong advocate for legislation that strengthens protections for workers engaged in collective bargaining, penalizes companies for violating workers' rights and combats coercive labor practices.
   
• Increasing the Minimum Wage: Congressman Sarbanes believes every individual deserves to make a living wage and is supportive of legislation that would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.

Helping Small Businesses Grow and Succeed

Small businesses serve as an engine for the American economy. Congressman Sarbanes supports policies that stimulate growth for small businesses, which in turn spurs innovation and brings jobs to our communities.

• Pandemic Relief Programs: Congressman Sarbanes was proud to help secure critical funding for small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic through passage of the American Rescue Plan. This legislation provided $7.25 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and $15 billion in funding for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, including $5 billion for the Supplemental Targeted EIDL Advance program to help those businesses most adversely affected by the public health crisis. He also supported the creation of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program.

• Expanding Opportunities for Entrepreneurs & Businesses: Congressman Sarbanes has also voted to boost funding for the Small Business Administration and important programs like Growth Accelerators, Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers, all of which help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive. He has also supported provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to help small businesses in the clean energy sector and voted to increase access to technical training, business development and other resources for entrepreneurs from underserved communities or underrepresented populations

Safeguarding Pay and Benefits for Federal Employees

Congressman Sarbanes is a strong supporter of our nation’s federal workforce. He believes it is critical that we continue to support those who have dedicated their careers to public service and has continually defended our federal workforce from Republican attacks on their pay, rights and benefits. Congressman Sarbanes believes that we must continue to champion the good work of public servants and inspire the next generation of Americans to serve.

• Improved Pay & Benefits: Congressman Sarbanes has cosponsored legislation to help attract top talent to our federal workforce and annually joins colleagues in advocating for fair pay for federal employees. To create greater flexibility for individuals and their families, Congressman Sarbanes also supports providing 12 weeks per year of paid family and medical leave to all federal employees.

• Collective Bargaining and Workplace Protections: Congressman Sarbanes consistently supports legislation to protect the right of public employees to join unions and engage in collective bargaining. He has also voted for legislation to strengthen whistleblower protections and prevent retaliation against employees who expose waste, fraud or abuse. 
   
• Telework: Congressman Sarbanes greatly values the many benefits that telework programs provide, especially for our federal workers. These programs have been proven to boost productivity, improve employee retention and deliver high-quality services to the American public, all while reducing our environmental impact and delivering cost savings to American taxpayers. In 2010, he authored the original federal telework law - the Telework Enhancement Act - which required federal agencies to develop and implement telework policies for eligible employees. In 2022, he was proud to help introduce the Telework Metrics and Cost Savings Act, which would modernize, strengthen and expand federal government telework programs including by leveraging lessons learned during the coronavirus pandemic.

SENIORS

Our seniors make enormous contributions to our civic life and the success and prosperity of our nation. That’s why Congressman Sarbanes is working to ensure that seniors are treated with respect, receive the health care and retirement benefits they have earned and continue to have meaningful opportunities to contribute to the workforce and our communities.

Making Health Care More Accessible and Affordable

We owe it to our nation’s seniors to ensure that Medicare offers comprehensive coverage of health services with affordable premiums. Congressman Sarbanes has consistently supported health care reforms that benefit our nation’s seniors in a variety of ways.

• Strengthening Medicare: Congressman Sarbanes has continually fought to curb Medicare Part B premiums and expand coverage for health care services while ensuring the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund.

• Lowering Prescription Drug Costs: Congressman Sarbanes proudly voted for the Inflation Reduction Act which, for the first time, gives Medicare the ability to directly negotiate lower drug prices for seniors, restricts how much pharmaceutical companies can raise prices on their drugs and caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors at $2,000 per year.

• Improving Access to Care: Congressman Sarbanes has worked to ensure seniors can access crucial support and services. He has advocated for building on the American Rescue Plan, which increased federal matching funds for Medicaid to help more seniors receive home- and community-based care services and expanded coverage of telehealth services in the Medicare program, to lift up our seniors.

• Expanding Research to Find Cures: Congressman Sarbanes is a strong supporter of legislation to invest in lifesaving biomedical research that will help Americans lead longer, healthier lives. He consistently advocates for increased funding for the National Institutes of Health and other public health efforts to accelerate breakthroughs and find cures.

• Protecting Seniors’ Access to Their Doctors: With Congressman Sarbanes’s support, Congress has passed legislation to preserve seniors’ access to their doctors and provide increases in Medicare’s physician payments so that seniors can keep their trusted medical providers.

Preserving Social Security and Strengthening Retirement Security

Social Security has made it possible for millions of seniors to live with security and dignity in their retirement. Congressman Sarbanes remains committed to strengthening retirement security for all Americans.

• Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): Congressman Sarbanes has cosponsored legislation to create a new formula for calculating COLAs that would better account for costs that disproportionately fall on seniors and increase benefits.

• Extending the Solvency of Social Security: He has also cosponsored legislation to eliminate the contributions cap on earnings subject to the Social Security Payroll tax. This change would extend the solvency of the program for an additional 75 years without adjusting benefits or raising the retirement age. Instead, it would simply require millionaires and billionaires to pay the same rate as everyone else.

Expanding Food, Nutrition and Housing & Promoting Community Engagement

Ensuring that seniors have adequate access to food and housing is another top priority for Congressman Sarbanes, and he consistently supports programs that promote seniors’ engagement in communities throughout Maryland.

• Increasing Availability of Healthy Meals: Congressman Sarbanes is a strong supporter of increased SNAP benefits and robust federal investments in nutrition services for seniors, such as home-delivered meals.

• Providing Safe, Affordable Housing: Every senior deserves a safe, affordable place to live. Congressman Sarbanes has supported efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing and provide an historic expansion of housing assistance programs. Additionally, Congressman Sarbanes voted to provide emergency rental, mortgage and utility relief during the COVID-19 pandemic to help seniors keep roofs over their heads and cover utility costs.

• Experience Corps: Congressman Sarbanes is a champion of the Experience Corps Program - a partnership of the AARP Foundation and the AmeriCorps Program - that nationally deploys 3,000 senior volunteers into elementary schools to tutor students in reading. Baltimore boasts one of the largest chapters of Experience Corps in the nation.

VETERANS

America's veterans have made every sacrifice to protect our country. Although we can never fully repay the debt we owe them, Congressman Sarbanes believes it is our duty as a nation to fulfill our commitments to them. Congressman Sarbanes has worked to streamline the benefits process, ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system is delivering services in a timely and efficient way, and help our returning veterans secure higher education and gainful employment. 

Strengthening the VA and Reducing Backlogs

Throughout his time in Congress, Congressman Sarbanes has worked hard to strengthen the services provided by the VA and address the backlog of disability and medical claims that prevents veterans from accessing the benefits they deserve.

• Reduced Backlogs: The backlog of disability and medical claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is unacceptable. Congressman Sarbanes was pleased to provide robust resources in the American Rescue Plan to tackle this problem and continues to advocate for additional funding to reduce the remaining backlog of compensation and pension claims, outstanding Board of Veterans’ Appeals hearing requests and intake backlogs.
• Expedited Benefits and Automatic VA Enrollment: Congressman Sarbanes has also continuously worked to streamline the disability claims process for veterans at other federal agencies. After learning of a constituent’s struggle to get approval for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits despite a 100% service-connected disability rating from the VA, Congressman Sarbanes authored the Benefit Rating Acceleration for Veteran Entitlements (BRAVE) Act, which spurred federal officials to overhaul the review process so that veterans who receive a 100% service-connected disability rating from the VA can secure their Social Security benefits on an expedited basis. He has also supported legislation to automatically enroll veterans into the VA’s health care system during their often-difficult transition to civilian life.
• Improved Pay for VA Staff: To attract skilled, dedicated workers to care for our nation’s veterans, Congressman Sarbanes supports increasing the maximum rate of basic pay for VA nurses and physician assistants and other programs that would allow VA to offer more competitive salaries to registered nurses, advanced practice nurses and physician assistants in high cost-of-living markets.

Helping Veterans Seeking Medical Care

Congressman Sarbanes has supported several initiatives to improve and expand veterans’ access to the high-quality, comprehensive health care services they deserve.

• Addressing Toxic Exposure:After years of advocacy, Congressman Sarbanes was proud to vote for the Honoring Our Promise to Address Toxics (Honoring Our PACT) Act, comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to extend VA health benefits to more than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service. This legislation also improves the network of Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Maryland by opening two new veterans’ health clinics in our state.

• Improving Mental Health: Congressman Sarbanes continues to advocate for strengthening mental and behavioral health resources for veterans. He has voted for legislation that better enables the VA to support veterans' mental health and well-being through increased training, outreach and mental health care delivery and increase research to address the epidemic of veteran suicide. He has also supported efforts to ensure veterans continue to receive reimbursement for transportation to and from mental health care appointments.

Promoting Veterans’ Economic and Community Participation

It is critical that veterans have access to higher education, well-paying jobs and supportive communities upon their return from service. Congressman Sarbanes continues to back efforts to help achieve these goals.

• Job Training: Congressman Sarbanes supports job training and employment assistance to help veterans transition to civilian employment and succeed in fulfilling, high-demand occupations.

• Higher & Technology Education:Congressman Sarbanes has helped secure increases in funding for the Veteran Employment through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) program, which provides more student veterans the chance to gain the high-tech skills sought by today’s top employers. He has also worked with his colleagues to enhance and expand the Post-9/11 GI Bill program.
• Veterans’ Service Corps:Congressman Sarbanes also helped establish the Veterans’ Service Corps – an AmeriCorps program that enlists veterans in service to fellow veterans and military families as well as to the broader community. Projects may include building housing for veterans, transporting veterans to medical appointments, volunteering in veterans’ hospitals and performing outreach to provide the veterans’ community information and help them access to available services.

Resources for Veterans

• Health Care: The VA Maryland Health Care System is responsible for providing veterans care at numerous locations around the state, including at medical centers located in downtown Baltimore and Perry Point as well as at a variety of outpatient clinics.

• Post-9/11 GI Bill: Veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill may find this Frequently Asked Questions database useful.

• eBenefits: This site allows veterans to file claims online, as well as track the status of their pending claim with the VA.

• MDVA: In addition to providing veterans in Maryland with information and support, the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs also acts as a Veterans Service Organization that can assist with filing claims.

• National Cemetery Administration: The VA can provide burial and funeral benefits in some cases. 

• Housing: Through the HUD/VASH program, the VA has partnered with HUD to find affordable housing to combat homelessness among veterans.  

If you, a friend or a family member needs additional assistance accessing veterans' benefits, please contact Congressman Sarbanes’ office at (410) 832-8890 or by email.

Drug-Free Communities

It’s an unfortunate fact that drug abuse and addiction are on the rise, but we must be committed to providing effective resources and treatments to those in need. Congressman Sarbanes is collaborating with state and other local leaders to identify opportunities for federal assistance to Maryland. Congressman Sarbanes is also working together with other concerned Members of Congress to strengthen available federal resources and support.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please know that help is available. The Maryland Behavioral Health Administration can be reached at (410) 402-8600 or you can contact Congressman Sarbanes' Towson office at (410) 832-8890.

Congressman Sarbanes is also working to improve and strengthen federal resources:

• Introduced and Passed H.R. 3680, the Co-Prescribing to Reduce Overdoses Act of 2015

Bipartisan legislation that would expand access to life-saving medications to counter drug overdoses. This grant program would encourage co-prescribing naloxone, a drug that safely and effectively reverses opioid or heroin-induced overdoses, for individuals who are at an elevated risk of overdose. This bill was signed into law in July 2016.

• Introduced and Passed H.R. 3681/S.599, the Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act of 2015

Bipartisan legislation that extends a demonstration project that will allow community psychiatric hospitals to get Medicaid matching payments for emergency inpatient treatment of individuals with severe mental illness and substance use disorders, including those who have experienced an overdose. This bill was signed into law in December 2015.

• Cosponsored H.R. 953, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015

Combatting opioid and heroin abuse requires a strong and multi-pronged strategy. This bill would provide additional resources for addiction prevention and education, law enforcement tools including naloxone (an antidote for heroin overdose), the expansion of treatment services and special programs for pregnant women and veterans. The bill also includes extra help for states to prepare broad and integrated opioid abuse response initiatives. This bill was signed into law in July 2016.

• Supported Key Programs to Combat Opioid Abuse

Several federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration steward important programs to combat opioid abuse and addiction. Congressman Sarbanes supported funding for these agencies’ various initiatives include heroin overdose surveillance and a naloxone grant program.

• Supported the Drug Free Communities Program

Congressman Sarbanes is a strong supporter of the Drug Free Communities program. This program provides resources for community coalitions that organize prevention, education and intervention strategies to reduce youth substance abuse.  A local initiative is the Coalition for Safe Communities in Anne Arundel County.

• Supported Resources to Fight Crime in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs)

Baltimore and its surrounding counties belong to the Washington, D.C./Baltimore HIDTA. HIDTAs receive extra federal funding and support for law enforcement to fight drug trafficking and crime.

• Member of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic

This Task Force is focused on creating and implementing solutions to end the heroin epidemic with a focus on expanding coordination among local and state officials, law enforcement agencies and medical professionals as well as increasing educational efforts. 

The Government By the People Act (H.R. 20)

American Democracy is under assault. More than ever, the wealthy and well-connected are flooding our politics with big-money campaign contributions. Candidates – dependent on these contributions to run competitive campaigns – are caught up in a bad system. Instead of being able to spend their time talking to their constituents and representing their communities, candidates must court big donors. Too often, this also means that public policy suffers. As a result, the public’s trust in government is eroding.

There is a better way. To counter the influence of big money in politics and return power and a voice to the people, Congressman Sarbanes is leading the effort in Congress to fight back. His Government By the People Act (H.R. 20) would provide Americans, and the candidates they support, with the tools they need to compete with big-money politics. This bold proposal would allow Congress to once again reflect the will of people – building a democracy of the many, not the money.

Backed by 160 House co-sponsors, an unprecedented coalition of over 50 national organizations and petition signatures from nearly half a million citizens across the country, the Government By the People Act would help us return to a government of, by and for the people.

Federal Workforce

In this increasingly complex and fast-paced world, Americans deserve a government built for the 21st-century. That’s why making the federal government operate efficiently and effectively is a priority for Congressman Sarbanes. Congressman Sarbanes is committed to putting policies in place that improve government operation, help our nation’s dedicated federal workers succeed, and increase the efficacy of our civil-service.

• Telework: Congressman Sarbanes authored the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. At its core, the law is about smart government management. Already, the telework reforms have saved taxpayer money by reducing the need for government office space, enhanced the continuity of government operations in the case of an emergency, and improved traffic and pollution conditions in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. Just as important, the law has improved the quality of life for thousands of federal employees, enabling our hard-working civil servants to have a better work-life balance and enhancing recruitment and retention efforts.

•  Defending Against Attacks on Our Federal Workforce: Congressman Sarbanes is a strong supporter of America’s federal workers. He has routinely opposed politically driven attacks on their pay and benefits. Congressman Sarbanes recognizes that we will have to make difficult choices between competing budgetary priorities, but in making these choices, he believes that we must not compromise those who have dedicated their careers to public service and that we must strive to inspire the next generation of Americans to serve. An effective 21st century government needs the best and the brightest to serve. 

• Public Service Caucus: Congressman Sarbanes is privileged to serve on the bipartisan Congressional Public Service Caucus – a organization within Congress committed to supporting our federal workforce and ensuring that government functions effectively and efficiently. This role has given the Congressman the opportunity to help shape initiatives improving pay, earned benefits, and other workplace rights for individuals who have dedicated their lives to the service of our government. 

• Promoting Fairness for Our Nation’s Federal Firefighters: Congressman Sarbanes has authored the Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act – bipartisan legislation to correct a longstanding disparity in the treatment of professional firefighters who are employed by States, counties, or municipalities and federal firefighters. “Trade time” enables firefighters to meet personal obligations such as attending a child's birthday or assisting a sick family member without exhausting their annual leave. Currently, federal firefighters are ineligible to participate in trade time. This legislation would amend federal employee labor laws to fix this problem. Correcting this inequity will help federal agencies recruit and retain firefighters, while also ensuring our nation’s federal firefighters are afforded the same flexibility as their brothers and sisters in state, county and municipal fire departments.

H.R. 1, the For the People Act

Last November, the American people went to the polls and resoundingly rejected the culture of corruption in Washington. They elected a historic Democratic House majority driven by candidates who promised to repair our broken democracy, and restore openness, transparency and unity to Congress. House Democrats delivered on that promise with H.R. 1, a bold and transformative suite of reforms that will strengthen American democracy and return political power to the people. With this legislation – which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 8, 2019 – Democrats will make elections clean and fair, end the dominance of big money in our politics and ensure that public servants put the public’s interests ahead of special interests.

Clean and fair elections.

• Improve Access – H.R. 1 expands access to the ballot box by taking aim at institutional barriers to voting, such as patchwork and cumbersome registration systems, disenfranchisement and limited voting hours, which create major roadblocks to a more participatory democracy. H.R. 1 will create automatic voter registration across the country; ensure that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full rights restored; expand early voting and simplify absentee voting; and modernize the U.S. voting system.
   
• Promote Integrity – H.R. 1 commits Congress to build the record necessary to restore the Voting Rights Act; prohibits voter roll purges like those seen in Ohio, Georgia and elsewhere; and ends partisan gerrymandering to prevent politicians from picking their voters.
   
• Ensure Security – H.R. 1 ensures that American elections are decided by American voters without interference by enhancing federal support for voting system security, particularly paper ballots, increasing oversight over election vendors, and requiring the development of a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions.

• End the dominance of big money in our politics.

• Guarantee Disclosure – H.R. 1 shines a light on dark money in politics by upgrading online political ad disclosure and requiring all organizations involved in political activity to disclose their large donors. H.R. 1 also breaks the so-called ‘nesting-doll’ sham that allows big-money contributors and special interests to hide the true funding source of their political spending.
   
• Empower Citizens – H.R. 1 gives political power to everyday Americans, creating a multiple matching system for small donations, thereby allowing the American people to exercise their due influence in our politics. This new 21st century system of citizen-owned elections will break special interests’ stranglehold on Congress and lay the groundwork for an agenda that serves the American people. H.R. 1 also reaffirms that Congress should have the authority to regulate money in politics, pushing back on the wrong-headed Citizens United and Buckley decisions by the Supreme Court.
   
• Strengthen Oversight – H.R. 1 ensures that there are cops on the campaign finance beat that will enforce the laws on the books. H.R. 1 tightens rules on super PACs and restructures the Federal Election Commission to break the gridlock and enhance its enforcement mechanisms. It also repeals Mitch McConnell’s riders that prevent government agencies from requiring commonsense disclosure of political spending.
   

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  Ensure public officials work for the public interest.

• Fortify Ethics Law – H.R. 1 breaks the influence economy in Washington and increases accountability by expanding conflict of interest law and divestment requirements, slowing the revolving door, preventing Members of Congress from serving on corporate boards and requiring presidents to disclose their tax returns.
   
• Impose Greater Ethics Enforcement – H.R. 1 gives teeth to federal ethics oversight by overhauling the Office of Government Ethics, closing loopholes for lobbyists and foreign agents, ensuring watchdogs have sufficient resources to enforce the law and creating a code of ethics for the Supreme Court.