My senator is one of the most dedicated and hardworking Democrats in the house. He is a dedicated liberal and an outstanding legislator. I most remember him tag teaming with Chris Dodd and Jim Sasser in the spring before we defeated BushI on the economy. I credit their efforts for raising the isue of the recession and reving up public opinion against Bush.
Senator Sarbanes began serving the State of Maryland in the U.S. Senate in 1977. He is currently in his fifth term. His focus was mostly on consumer protection, banking issues, civil rights, women's rights, voting rights, rights of the disabled, education.
Some highlights of his activities from his site:
http://sarbanes.senate.gov/Senator Sarbanes re-introduced the Predatory Lending Consumer Protection Act of 2003 (S.1928). This legislation is designed to restrict abusive predatory lending practices, expand consumer protections, and strengthen enforcement of existing protections in current law by enhancing civil remedies and statutory penalties.
Senator Sarbanes has been a long-standing champion of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), legislation enacted in 1977 to ensure that financial institutions invest actively in underserved communities from which they take deposits.
He has repeatedly joined in cosponsoring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation.
As an original cosponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Senator Sarbanes has been a consistent supporter of measures to ensure equal treatment of this Nation’s disabled citizens. Senator Sarbanes supported the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which mandates a free and appropriate public education for children with disabilities and provides for Federal funding to assist States and localities in meeting this goal.
Senator Sarbanes has been a champion of the Legal Services Corporation, and strongly believes that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to equal access to justice. The Legal Services Corporation was established by Congress in 1974 to oversee the Federal legal services program. This important program provides free civil legal assistance to those who could otherwise not afford the services of an attorney and has been a critical factor in putting meaning in the words "equal justice under the law" for millions of poor and elderly persons.
Senator Sarbanes was an early proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment, and a member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee that reported it favorably in 1971. In the 108th Congress, Senator Sarbanes has cosponsored a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States confirming that "Equal rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
In the wake of the 2000 presidential elections, Senator Sarbanes cosponsored the Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001, and strongly supported the election reform legislation when it came before the Senate.
In the 108th Congress, Senator Sarbanes is again a cosponsor of a bill that would provide for full voting representation in Congress for the citizens of the District of Columbia.
Senator Sarbanes is concerned about the infringement of civil liberties in the name of the war against terrorism. He continues to monitor the implementation of the USA Patriot Act that was passed in the fall of 2001 and particularly the sixteen provisions - generally dealing with wiretaps, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, seizure of electronic records, and nationwide search warrants - that sunset on December 31, 2005. Senator Sarbanes believes that Congress needs to "methodically revisit" the PATRIOT Act at that time with an eye toward achieving a balance between addressing the threat of terrorism and protecting civil rights and civil liberties.
In recent years, he has helped to procure millions in funding and grants to Maryland’s colleges and universities for research and training. Included in the Higher Education Act of 1998 was legislation introduced by Senator Sarbanes that established the Thurgood Marshall Legal Education Opportunity Program. This program provides low-income, minority, and disadvantaged college students with the information, preparation, and financial assistance necessary for law school. Senator Sarbanes has supported legislation to increase Federal funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including legislation to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities with the restoration and preservation of campus buildings and facilities.
Senator Sarbanes has taken many steps to help preserve affordable housing for consumers. He was chief Democratic negotiator on legislation to preserve tens of thousands of units of affordable housing in 1997, which also ensured that housing in high-rent markets will remain in the affordable housing stock by offering owners adequate returns. He encouraged home ownership by proposing a raise of FHA loan limits in 1998, which will lead to an estimated 15,000 new homeowners every year. He helped negotiate a provision in the 1999 appropriations bill to fund an additional 50,000 new housing vouchers for rentals.
Senator Sarbanes has worked hard to protect Maryland's environmental interests. He has worked to restore the Chesapeake Bay, protect Maryland's Coastal Bays, rivers, and streams, as well as its fish and wildlife, and enhance its national parks. He has also promoted Federal environmental research, technologies, and public education
Senator Sarbanes joined in introducing the Pipeline Safety and Community Protection Act of 2000, a bill to improve safety and environmental protection in oil and gas pipelines.
Senator Sarbanes introduced the Financial Information Privacy Act of 1999, which would require that a consumer receive prior notice, and an opportunity to object, if his or her bank or securities broker sells or shares personal financial information with other companies.
In both the 105th and 106th Congresses, Senator Sarbanes introduced legislation to provide for enhanced disclosures to consumers regarding their credit card payment terms and conditions. Consumers would have to be told the number of months it would take for them to pay their balance and the total cost if they pay only the required minimum payment, as well as receiving other helpful information.
Senator Sarbanes also introduced legislation to provide consumer opt-outs from credit card solicitations. This proposal would require credit card companies to establish a phone and mail system that allows consumers to opt out of any phone or mail solicitations from that company and make opt-out lists effective until revoked by the customer.
As chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, Senator Sarbanes held hearings on the state of the U.S. economy, the impact of the recession on workers and their families, and the situation with respect to individuals who exhausted their unemployment benefits. He introduced legislation to extend unemployment insurance benefits to those workers who depleted their benefits and were unable to find work because of the recession. He joined in the introduction of and fought for legislation to raise the minimum wage in the 105th Congress. In the 106th Congress, he is again an original sponsor of legislation to increase the minimum wage.
Senator Sarbanes is a cosponsor and strong supporter of the Democratic Patient Bill of Rights, legislation to guarantee all Americans with private health insurance certain fundamental rights regarding their health coverage.
He is strongly committed to providing health insurance coverage to all our children and strongly supported passage of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). This legislation, enacted in the 105th Congress. Is designed to expand health insurance coverage of low-income children. Senator Sarbanes has battled to secure increased Federal funding for Maryland's S-CHIP program so that more Maryland children can receive the vital health care services they need. He has also fought consistently to restore Federal funding for critical child nutrition programs.
Senator Sarbanes has been a vigorous supporter of the Healthy Start program, designed to address the serious problem of infant mortality. This program improves access to care and birth outcome for low-income women by providing them with a range of services from pre-natal care to nutrition and job counseling. Senator Sarbanes has worked hard to obtain Healthy Start funding for Maryland and has supported efforts to increase funding for the program.
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