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Week of September 8th
PROTECTING VOTERS RIGHTS: On Tuesday, I will chair a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on "Protecting the Right to Vote: Oversight of the Department of Justice's Preparations for the 2008 General Election." The hearing will review whether or not the Administration, specifically the Department of Justice (DOJ), is ready and able to proactively protect the rights of American voters in November's important election. DOJ has less than sixty days to continue working with state and local election officials, as well as civil rights groups, to ensure that every eligible voter is given the right to vote and that every eligible vote is counted. The results were not stellar in 2006, when there were many documented instances of voter deception and intimidation across the country and specifically in Maryland, California, Ohio and Florida. Professor Gilda Daniels, an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore Law School, will be among those experts testifying during the hearing.
INVESTING IN AMERICA: This week, as a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I will be participating in hearings on the economy and the nation's bridges. First, I will chair a hearing of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure focusing on reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA is the only federal agency focused solely on private-sector job growth and sustainability. It is a vital resource for localities across Maryland and the nation, striving to improve their economies during these difficult financial times. David Edgerley, Secretary, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and Leanne Mazer, Executive Director, Tri-County Council for Western Maryland (on behalf of the National Association of Development Organizations) both will testify before the subcommittee. The EDA generally leverages $30 of private investment for every taxpayer dollar invested, making it one of our most effective job creation programs.
Later in the week, the full Environment and Public Works Committee will review America's bridges. Maryland has more than 5,200 bridges, and many of them are in need of maintenance, repair or replacement. Like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, bridges across our state are lifelines for our citizens and our economy. The Committee will focus its attention on new legislation that would improve the bridge inspection process, look at new inspection technologies, and provide a major boost in funding to restore our bridges.
STIMULUS REBATE UPDATE: If you are a senior or disabled veteran who relies on qualifying income from Social Security or the VA, and you aren't typically required to file a tax return, you may be missing out on your $300 or $600 stimulus rebate check. Early this week, along with Internal Revenue Commissioner Douglas Shulman, Maryland Secretary of Aging Gloria Lawlah, Deputy Secretary for Veterans Affairs Wilbert Forbes, and Prince George's County officials, I will meet with seniors and veterans at the Camp Springs Senior Center to deliver this important message. I want them to get the money they are entitled to receive. Close to 100,000 Marylanders are missing out on money simply because they didn't know they had to make a request or could still make a request after the traditional April 15 Tax Day. The reality is that these seniors and veterans have until October 15 to file for their rebate check. Marylanders are missing out on nearly $30 million that could be helping individuals across our state and helping our communities. For more details, click here.
RUSSIA-GEORGIA CONFLICT: As Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (US Helsinki Commission), on Wednesday, I will be co-chairing with Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) a hearing entitled, "Russia, Georgia, and the Return of Power Politics." The hearing will examine Russia's recent armed intervention into Georgia, the implications for US-Russian relations, and for the European security infrastructure. It was disturbing last month to see Russia invade Georgia after the Georgian government tried to reassert control of separatist South Ossetia. I joined with others in the international community in condemning Russia's large-scale assault on Georgia and subsequent unilateral recognition of the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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