John Sarbanes

John Sarbanes has been a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the Third Congressional District of Maryland, since 2007.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Immigration
Congressman John Sabanes favors illegal immigrants being given a path to citizenship as opposed to criminalization. “The current system is a blueprint for exploitation of workers, both foreign-born and native, and is feeding a multimillion dollar illegal enterprise at the US-Mexico border. America deserves better. We must expand the channels for legal entry.”

“As a world leader, America ought to have a fair path to citizenship that honors our proud immigrant past and promotes our promising immigrant future. Immigration reform could and should create secure borders and employer accountability while preserving the openness of our democracy.”

Biography
The son of former Senator Paul Sarbanes, John was born and raised in Baltimore. He graduated from from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton in 1984 and Harvard Law in 1988. He clerked for judge J. Frederick Motz on the federal district court before entering into private practice. He served on the Health Care Pactice at Venable for sixteen years, six of them as chair, representing non-profit hospitals and senior living providers. He now lives in the towson area with his wife, Dina, and three children, who attend baltimore county public schools. He attends the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore, where he has gone since childhood, and is also active at the Bolton Street Synagogue.

2006 election
In the 2006 congressional elections, Sarbanes defeated Republican John White to replace Rep. Ben Cardin, who successfully ran for U.S. Senate. Sarbanes decided to seek the Democratic nomination for the third congressional district of Maryland after incumbent Ben Cardin decided not to run for reelection, opting to instead run for the Senate seat of John Sarbanes’ father, Paul Sarbanes who was retiring that year. Sarbanes won the Democratic nomination by defeating State Senator Paula Hollinger and Peter Beilenson with 31.9% of the vote. During the general election, Sarbanes ran against Republican nominee John White and Libertarian Charles Curtis McPeek. Sarbanes won in a landslide, with 64% of the vote. White got 34% and McPeek got 2%. This was the expected outcome, as Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District has elected a Democrat to office in every election since 1927. The 3rd District has served as a springboard for many young politicians, being the former seat of Barbara Mikulsky, Maryland’s current Senior Senator, Ben Cardin, current Maryland Junior Senator, and Sarbanes’ father, Paul Sarbanes, retired Maryland Senator.

Money in politics
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110th Congress

 * House Committee on Education and Labor
 * Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
 * Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities
 * House Committee on Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public lands
 * House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
 * Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia

Caucuses

 * Democratic Caucus
 * Armenian Caucus
 * Pakistan Caucus
 * House Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force
 * House Congressional Hellenic Caucus
 * Joint Congressional Human Rights Caucus

Organizations

 * Board Member, Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies, 1989-present
 * Board Member, Public Justice Center, 1990-2006
 * President, Public Justice Center, 1994-1997
 * Board Member/Former Chair of Membership Committee, Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies.

Resources

 * Sarbanes for Congress, official campaign site.
 * John Sarbanes, 3rd District of Maryland, official site.
 * Project Vote Smart, John Sarbanes
 * US Chamber of Commerce
 * Open Secrets, John Sarbanes