In The News
“No American family should have to suffer the grief of losing a loved one to opioid addiction or overdose,” Rep. Sarbanes wrote. "Our communities are in desperate need of resources to combat the epidemic of opioid abuse that’s sweeping across the nation. And today, Democrats and Republicans in Congress came together to tackle this national crisis by expanding access to a wide array of lifesaving treatment initiatives."
What will that mean? First and foremost, it means public financing of elections, which Teddy Roosevelt called for long ago. Public financing allows candidates who show some threshold amount of public support to receive sufficient funding for their campaigns. Congressman John Sarbanes has introduced legislation that would match small contributions with public funds, and free candidates and officeholders from begging from big donors. This legislation would broaden and diversify democratic participation, in our voters and candidates alike.
Congressman Sarbanes has a wide pallet of policy interests. He is a national voice on campaign finance reform. His recent initiatives have addressed everything from the opioid abuse crisis to climate change, solar energy, and environmental education.
In the dozen bills the House committee approved, there are plenty of fine ideas — such as one from Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) to push physicians to prescribe Naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, along with opioids — and several that would order studies related to the epidemic.
So it’s refreshing to hear Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) present a detailed action plan to try to repair what’s broken. This proposal isn’t a cure-all. It wouldn’t fix the immigration problem or fund Social Security or fight terrorism. But by changing the way we fund elections, this proposal could make it easier to elect the politicians who would make the U.S. government work again for its citizens.
Sarbanes presents his proposal in the current issue of the Harvard Journal on Legislation. It’s a simple idea: Congress should free itself from big-money, special-interest domination by encouraging an alternative system of small contributions that would be matched with public funds. This isn’t a new idea —Teddy Roosevelt proposed a version back in 1907 — but it’s a good one, and a way to start curing what ails us.
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), a leading proponent of campaign finance reform in Congress, organized fellow Democratic lawmakers to send a letter to the Committee on House Administration and to the House Judiciary Committee, asking them to hold hearings on five pieces of legislation: the Voter Empowerment Act, Government By The People Act, Democracy for All Amendment, Automatic Voter Registration Act and Voting Rights Advancement Act. The measures are intended to create a public financing system for congressional elections, overturn Citizens United v. FEC and other campaign finance-related court decisions, and expand voting rights.
"Baltimore's leading the way if you think about it," Sarbanes said. "Here at Masonville Cove, this is the first urban wildlife refuge partnership in the country. It shows how even in urban areas, we can connect the beautiful outdoors to what kids are doing in the classroom and make sure that they become stewards of the environment."
Rep. John Sarbanes charged that the federal legislation would undo important environmental protections.
“If we don’t act to block this harmful, special-interest bill, then all of the progress we’ve made to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay could be undone,” Sarbanes said.
A national conservation group has named the Susquehanna one of "America's Most Endangered Rivers", saying the Conowingo Dam's ability to prevent pollutants and sediment from flowing into the Chesapeake Bay is threatened….
"...The health of the Susquehanna River – and of the Chesapeake Bay – depends on the safe and environmentally conscious operation of the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam," [Sarbanes] said. "Today, we have an opportunity to ensure that the dam continues to limit nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution to the Bay."
Medical and behavioral health practitioners and law enforcement officials, invited by U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-03), met at Anne Arundel Medical Center on Friday, April 8, to discuss the growing issue of opioid addiction throughout the state of Maryland and how to best serve those in need….
… Cardin and Sarbanes said a bipartisan effort is underway in Washington to tackle the opioid epidemic….
… “I think all the various agencies that are connected to reimbursement methodologies out there really have an open mind now about how to start making some changes,” Sarbanes said. “It’s about taking the health care dollar and figuring out how to redistribute it across the continuum of care.”