In The News
A bill introduced Wednesday in Congress by a Maryland representative would prevent President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence from using taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists onto the presidential transition teams…. Rep. John Sarbanes introduced the No Lobbyists on Presidential Transition Teams Act (H.R. 6324)…. "On the campaign trail, President-elect Trump promised to 'drain the swamp' in Washington," Sarbanes said in a statement. "But he’s not living up to that promise by stocking his transition team with corporate lobbyists. This bill is a meaningful step toward reducing the undue influence of wealthy and entrenched special interests in Washington."
Needless to say, John Sarbanes is a hero to many, shining the light on the mother of all issues: democracy itself. Recently we felt honored to chat with him. Below is the first half of our conversation (look for part two coming soon). Here, we discuss how money affects legislation and the emerging grassroots movement to fix our democracy.
Change is coming to Howard County. In this era where big money dominates politics at all levels, Howard County residents have a chance to move Maryland and our country in a different direction — toward a government truly of, by and for the people…. A "yes" vote on Question A will send a powerful message that citizen-owned elections are the new standard of good government in Howard County. This transformative ballot initiative gives small donors a way of competing against the big-money interests that too often exercise undue influence over public policy…. Proposed by council members Jon Weinstein and Jen Terassa — alongside a diverse coalition of organizations, including Maryland PIRG, Common Cause Maryland, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, NAACP and the Howard County League of Women Voters — Question A will authorize the Howard County Council to establish a small-donor driven system of financing campaigns.
The measure is patterned after a small-donor program established in Montgomery County in 2014. It resembles national legislation that has been pushed — sadly without success so far — by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.). Howard’s effort is unusual in that public funding programs rarely go as stand-alone measures to the voters but instead are usually packaged with other reforms. Supporters hope passage would set a precedent that would inspire other counties, in Maryland and elsewhere.
This finding is consistent with efforts of Congressman John Sarbanes who has spearheaded a major effort through his Government By The People Act to level the playing field for candidates who must currently rely on special interest money to fund their campaigns. Congressman Sarbanes' quest is to provide his colleagues with an alternative to big money interests which has the added effect of encouraging legislators to reach out and, in so doing, provide a greater opportunity for other voices to be heard.
The 300 people attending the ceremony included U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and U.S. Reps. John Sarbanes and C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger.
And Rep. John Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat who is pushing for a big-picture overhaul of the system that would offer tax credits for campaign contributions, says this election will boost his party’s odds of eventually moving legislation.... “The level of awareness, sensitivity and appreciation that candidates and members of Congress have on this issue is going to have to go up,” he says.
A $400,000 grant from the National Park Service (NPS) will allow Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis to build a new playground and seating area and improve landscaping and signage.... The grant comes from the NPS’s Land and Water Conservation Fund and was announced by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) as well as Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) on Tuesday.
On the campaign-finance side, Democratic senators this year introduced the “We the People” package of reforms, which Hillary Clinton said she supports. It includes strengthening disclosure and lobbyist reporting and revolving-door provisions, reforming the Federal Election Commission, and introducing a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Unfortunately, the package did not include a small donor–based public financing system for Congress. But the Durbin bill in the Senate (the Fair Elections Now Act) and the John Sarbanes bill in the House (Government by the People Act) create, in slightly different ways, such a system for congressional races…. As of now, these bills have very little Republican support, and will be far more challenging to move than the Voting Rights Advancement Act. But the situation has gotten so clearly out of hand, and there is such strong support from voters across the spectrum, that it may be possible that with both presidential and congressional leadership, a new chemistry on the issue can be developed, at least enough to make the debate serious.
According to a release from Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Baltimore County, both the foundation and the B&O Railroad Museum received $150,000 grants from the federal agency.