In The News
The Baltimore event, staged on the steps of the Cathedral of the Incarnation, the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, also drew Reps. Elijah E. Cummings of Baltimore and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes, both of Baltimore County.
Led by Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, several dozen lawmakers sat on the floor of the House, which quickly went into recess -- a move that shuts off live coverage of the chamber by CSPAN.
Reps. John Sarbanes of Baltimore County, Donna F. Edwards of Prince George's County, Steny Hoyer of Southern Maryland, Elijah Cummings of Baltimore, Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County were among those taking part in the effort, aides said. Sen. Ben Cardin crossed the Capitol to join with his House colleagues.
In May, the House of Representatives passed a bill introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes, a Baltimore County Democrat who represents parts of Baltimore, to encourage doctors who prescribe opioids to patients to also provide a second script for naloxone.
Democratic Congressman John Sarbanes, of Maryland, is the sponsor of small-donor matching legislation in the House. Sarbanes predicted that even though public financing isn’t part of the Senate Democrats’ plan now, it will likely be a part of an eventual bicameral reform package that is more comprehensive.
“Whether it gets in on the front end of the process or comes in later—as long as ultimately it is there when we are articulating it to voters, and when we’re in position to move—then I think it will be a strong package,” Sarbanes told theProspect in an interview last week.
To offset the influence of big money in politics and return power to everyday people, Rep. John Sarbanes authored and introduced the Government By the People Act in 2014. The bill would provide citizens — and the candidates they support — with the tools they need to run competitive campaigns without money from wealthy donors or special interests.
Sarbanes, who is in his fifth term, said he believes the attention the legislative process is bringing to the issue might be helpful itself. It could raise awareness, for instance, for patients when they are handed prescriptions for high-powered pain killers that can trigger addiction.
"It takes us beyond a conversation about crisis and alarm to 'What can we do about it?'" Sarbanes said. "I think that can have a positive impact."
Rep. John Sarbanes will serve on a conference committee charged with reconciling the vastly different opioid addiction bills passed by the House and Senate, offering him an opportunity to help address one of Baltimore's most intractable problems.
Sarbanes, a Baltimore County Democrat who represents portions of Baltimore City, was named to the conference committee Tuesday by House leaders. The five-term lawmaker was one of the few Democrats to shepherd a bill through the House last week intended to mitigate a national increase in heroin and prescription drug overdose….
… Sarbanes' proposal, which was passed on a voice vote last week, would encourage and train doctors to prescribe overdose reversal drugs, such as Naloxone, when they prescribe pain medication and other opioids. The idea is to ensure that if a patient becomes addicted and overdoses that there is medication on hand that could save his or her life.
That legislation, and several other House-passed bills, must be reconciled with a more substantial measure approved by the Senate on a 94-1 vote in March. That bill, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA, would create several new grant programs to expand treatment, but Democrats and Republicans have tussled over funding for those new efforts.
“"While this package that we passed last week and we hope the Senate will come together around it is a good first step, we've got to bring significant resources," Representative John Sarbanes said.Sarbanes has said the key is investing more federal resources to expand treatment programs that work.
"There were probably four to five members of the energy and Commerce Committee when we were debating these bills, both Republicans and Democrats, who personalized the crisis by talking about a family member, or someone very close to them that has suffered from this type of addiction," Rep. John Sarbanes said.
Rep. John Sarbanes of Baltimore County was the original sponsor of one of the House-passed bills. His proposal would encourage and train doctors to prescribe overdose reversal drugs, such as Naloxone, when they prescribe pain medication and other opioids.
The idea is to ensure that if a patient becomes addicted and overdoses that there is medication on hand that could save his or her life.