Cardin, Lugar Respond To Big Oil Challenge To Transparency Regulations

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Dick Lugar (R-IN), authors of the provision in Dodd-Frank Act that requires transparent reporting of payments made to governments for the extraction of oil, natural gas, and minerals by companies that otherwise must file disclosures with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), called the legal challenge by the American Petroleum Institute (API) "expected" and "frivolous" in its attempts to have the SEC ignore the law. The SEC took two y… Continue Reading

Cardin Attends Unveiling Of New WMATA 7000-Series Railcars In Landover

LANDOVER, MD - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today joined Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD-4th) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) officials for the public unveiling of a full-scale model of the new 7000-series Metro cars, which are expected to be in use by early 2014. WMATA has ordered 428 7000-series railcars, which will be built in Lincoln NE, creating approximately 1,000 U.S. jobs. The 7000-series was designed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company w… Continue Reading

Cardin, MIkulski, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Announce $1.5 Million Federal Grant For At-Risk Youth Mentoring Programs

BALTIMORE - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today were joined by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) to announce that the foundation has been awarded a $1.538 million grant through the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention program. These federal grant funds will help the foundation provide mentoring opportunities for at-risk youth in Maryland and 33 other states, as well as the District of Columbia. This grant was administer… Continue Reading

$302,584 Federal Grant To Help Protect Maryland Children From Online Predators

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that the Maryland State Police has been awarded a $302,584 grant from U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to train local law enforcement across Maryland in the latest technology to protect children from Internet predators. These federal funds will support Maryland's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program. "There is no grey area here; if… Continue Reading

Chesapeake Bay Senators Urge USDA To Support Farmers During Lapse Of Farm Bill Authorization

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), along with Chesapeake Bay Watershed colleagues Senators Barbara A. Mikulski (also D-MD), Tom Carper and Chris Coons (Both D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Mark Warner ( D-VA), and Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (Both D-NY), wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White urging them to support Chesapeake Bay watershed farmers during the interim period since the lapse of the Farm Bil… Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski Announce $250,000 Grant For Veterans Upward Bound At Prince George’s Community College

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that the Prince George's Community College (PGCC) has been awarded a grant for $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Education for the Veterans Upward Bound program, which assists veterans in acquiring the skills needed for admission into postsecondary education programs. "I applaud Prince George's Community College for all it is doing to help our veterans acquire the skills they need to succeed in the 21st… Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski Announce Federal Funding To Equip Federalsburg Police Department With K-9 Unit

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced that the Federalsburg Police Department has been awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDARD) grant of $35,000 to purchase a K-9 unit and a new K-9 patrol equipped vehicle. "Equipping our first responders is one of my top priorities and K-9 units provide law enforcement with an effective tool," Senator Cardin said. "Our rural first responders face unique challenges and situations. T… Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski Announce Federal Grant To Renovate, Repair Lloyds Volunteer Fire Hall In Dorchester County

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced that the Lloyds Volunteer Fire Company was awarded a $50,000 grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. The Lloyds Volunteer Fire Company of Dorchester County will receive federal funds to repair, renovate and expand the current firehouse. "Rural first responders face unique challenges and they are on the frontlines every day," said Senator Cardin. "The structural integrity of… Continue Reading

Evergreen Health Cooperative Receives $65 Million Loan to Open Insurance CO-OP in Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland - Representatives from Evergreen Health Cooperative Inc. joined today with Maryland health officials, advocates, and elected officials to announce that Evergreen Health Cooperative Inc. has received a $65 million loan from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to operate a new health insurance "CO-OP" in Maryland. CO-OPs (Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans) were included in the 2010 Affordable … Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski Announce $5 Million Grant To Maryland-Based National 4-H Council To Help Underserved Youth Nationwide

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that the Department of Justice (DoJ) has awarded $5 million to the National 4H Council based in Chevy Chase Maryland. The funds will be routed to local 4-H Club affiliates to strengthen and expand mentoring programs for underserved youth. "This grant to the 4-H Council will enable the organization to expand its mentoring programs for at risk youth, helping them succeed in the future," said Senator … Continue Reading

Cardin, Snowe, Bingaman, Feinstein Introduce New Energy Efficiency Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California), have introduced the "Commercial Building Modernization Act" (S. 3591), legislation to reform, extend, and simplify the Section 179D tax deduction for energy efficient commercial and multi-family buildings. The bipartisan bill, filed last Thursday, will extend the Section 179D tax deduction, which is scheduled to expire at the end of next year,… Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski Announce $938,773 DOJ Grant To Baltimore City To Improve Community Safety In Mcelderry Park Grant part of coordinated effort to revitalize the neighborhood

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced the City of Baltimore has been awarded a $938,773 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's (DoJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to reduce juvenile and violent crime in McElderry Park. The award will be administered through the DoJ's new Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Initiative, which awards highly-competitive grants targeted at high-crime neighborhoods that most need help. "It takes a co… Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski, Cummings, Sarbanes, Rawlings-Blake Announce More Than $7 Million For STEM Education For Baltimore Public Schools

BALTIMORE - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski along with Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, John Sarbanes and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake today announced that the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) has been awarded a $7,414,585 federal grant over five years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund STEM Achievement in Baltimore Elementary Schools (SABES). Team Maryland was joined by Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels and Baltimore City Schools Chief of S… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MORAN LEAD BIPARTISAN CALL FOR CUBA TO RELEASE AMERICAN ALAN GROSS

Washington, DC - Calling his imprisonment a "major obstacle" to improving bilateral relations, a bipartisan group of nearly half the U.S. Senate, led by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), has written to Cuban President Raúl Castro asking him to finally release Marylander Alan Gross on humanitarian grounds. Alan has been in Cuban custody since December 2009. He suffers a number of debilitating medical conditions while his elderly mother and his daughter are both being trea… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE $1.9 MLLION GRANT TO HELP MARYLAND FIGHT IMPAIRED DRIVING

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been awarded a grant for $1,991,041 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help fight impaired driving. MDOT will distribute the funds statewide, which will be used to combat impaired driving through education and enforcement. Impaired driving from alcohol and/or drug use has taken a deadly toll on Maryland's roads. In 2010, 154 p… Continue Reading

Federal Funding To Distribute And Install Smoke Alarms For The Elderly, Low Income In Hagerstown

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced that the Halfway Volunteer Fire Department in Hagerstown will receive $63,630 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) to administer a public safety and fire prevention initiative in the community and to distribute and install smoke alarms for elderly and low income residents. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senat… Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski, Van Hollen Present $40m Check To Montgomery County For New Pedestrian Tunnel Between NIH And Walter Reed

Bethesda, MD - U.S Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski and Congressman Chris Van Hollen (all D-MD) visited the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Gateway Center today to award $40 million to Montgomery County and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) for a new pedestrian underpass at the Medical Center Metro station. The funding is part of an $89 million series of grants to the county and state for BRAC-related transportation. Accepting the ceremonial check… Continue Reading

Cardin Co-Sponsors Resolution Calling On U.N. To Take Action Against Iran’s Leaders For Inciting Genocide Against Israel And The Israeli People

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has co-sponsored a U.S. Senate Resolution, S. Res. 574, calling on the United Nations to take action against Iranian leaders for inciting genocide against Israel and the Israeli people. The U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide prohibits acts of genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide, as well as direct and public incitement to commit genocide. The Convent… Continue Reading

Cardin Co-Sponsors Bill To Make Adoption More Affordable

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) has co-sponsored legislation to support families that have made the decision to adopt. The Adoption Tax Credit (ATC) helps defray the sometimes high administrative fees associated with adoptions, ensuring that families who want to adopt are not discouraged by the high cost of the process. The Making Adoption Affordable Act will make the ATC a permanent part of the tax code and make it refundable, which would allow adoptive families to receive a tax re… Continue Reading

Cardin Joins EPA Officials To Announce $700,000 Grant To The University Of MD To Reduce Stormwater Runoff, Pollution Flowing Into The Chesapeake Bay

BLADENSBURG, MD -- U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today joined EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin, Maryland Department of Environment Secretary Robert M. Summers and Bladensburg Mayor Walter James to announce a grant for $691,674 to the University of Maryland. EPA's Sustainable Chesapeake Grant will allow the University to help two local communities improve how they manage stormwater runoff, the fastest growing source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its local rivers, including th… Continue Reading