Press Release of Senator Cardin

TEAM MARYLAND ANNOUNCES $5.6 MILLION TO PREPARE FOR THOUSANDS OF BRAC JOBS

Funds will support road improvements near Ft. Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground

Contact: Sue Walitsky: 202-224-4524
Monday, January 25, 2010

Click here for a PDF Document

SEVERN, MD – U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD)joined Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, (MD-2), John Sarbanes (MD-3) and Frank Kratovil (MD-1) today to announce $5.6 million in new funding to help prepare Ft. Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground for the thousands of new jobs that will be heading to Maryland through the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The federal funds, which were included in the FY 2010 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that passed Congress in December, will pay for much-needed road improvements near Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County and Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County. The Omnibus Appropriations Bill also included $2.5 million for BRAC-related improvements to Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County. Additionally, the FY 2010 Defense Appropriations Act, which also passed Congress in December, includes $130 million for BRAC-related improvement for the future Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. A total of 30,000 BRAC-related jobs are expected to come to Maryland at the four sites.

“The relocation of thousands of BRAC-related jobs to Maryland brings with it great responsibility and enormous economic opportunity,” said Senator Cardin. “This year, Team Maryland secured more than $138 million in BRAC-related infrastructure improvements for Harford, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties that will make it possible for employees to get to their jobs safely and efficiently.”

“I fought to BRAC-proof Maryland’s bases, now I am working to BRAC-ready our transportation systems. Fort Meade will house high-tech, high-pay jobs of the future,” Senator Mikulski said. “Their genius club at NSA, and soon-to-be DISA and Navy’s Cyber Command, will combat cyber spies, cyber criminals and cyber terrorists trying to steal our secrets and take our systems down. I wanted to make sure they – and the surrounding community – weren’t stuck in a traffic logjam. I am proud to partner with my Team Maryland colleagues to make BRAC a success and secure the federal funding needed to meet the increased demands on our communities.”

“In these trying economic times, additional high-paying jobs are music to our ears,” said Congressman Ruppersberger, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “But we need to make sure that we preserve the great quality of life that residents experience all across the state, especially here in Anne Arundel County. Together, Team Maryland has worked hard over the last four years to make sure we have the proper infrastructure in place – everything from roads to schools to hospitals to public safety – to make the transition as smooth as possible as we welcome our new residents.”

“BRAC is bringing thousands of new, good paying jobs to Maryland during difficult economic times,” said Congressman John Sarbanes. “It is critical that we bolster our transportation infrastructure around Fort Meade so this economic growth is not stunted by traffic gridlock and does not diminish the quality of life in the surrounding area.”

“BRAC will bring new jobs while reinvigorating the workforce, commerce and economy of our region; but we need to be ready in order to fully realize the economic benefit it presents,” said Rep. Frank Kratovil. “We fought for these funds because they represent a significant federal investment in the future Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Grounds, the surrounding counties and the families who live there.”

“The Maryland Department of Transportation’s relationship with Congressman Ruppersberger and our other federal partners has brought much needed and greatly appreciated funding for projects that benefit all who travel throughout Maryland,” said State Highway Administrator Neil J. Pedersen. “The funds announced today will certainly help prepare for enhanced safety, improved traffic flow and ease of congestion for the Ft. Meade community.”

WBAL.com

The USNS Comfort, is being activated in case it’s needed to support humanitarian operations in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

The Defense Department’s U.S. Southern Command hasn’t officially said the ship will sail.

But the Navy’s Military Sealift Command says the Comfort is starting to “crew up” for a trip. Sealift Command spokeswoman Laura Seal says the ship could be ready by Monday.

A spokeswoman for Democratic Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland says that’s when the Maryland Port Administration expects the ship to leave.

First, however, the Navy must bring the crew up from about 70 to nearly 800 – mostly doctors, nurses and technicians from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.

Ruppersberger release

	For Immediate Release December 2, 2009		Contact Information Heather Moeder Molino 202-225-3061
	From the Office of Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger Maryland’s 2nd District
	Ruppersberger Breaks Ground on Fire Station for MD National Guard at Martin State Airport
	(Middle River, MD)- Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Brigadier General James A. Adkins, Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard, Assistant General Brigadier General Allyson Solomon, and members of the Maryland Air National Guard broke ground today on a new fire station at the Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport. Congressman Ruppersberger, a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, secured $7.9 million in federal funds for the new facility last year.  The base houses the 175th Wing of the Maryland Air National Guard, which has more than 1,500 Air Guard members who train, eat and sleep there. The existing station is more than 40-years-old and severely outdated with cracked walls, leaky roofs and tight quarters. In fact, the station – which has no ventilation system – is currently too small to house all of the fire trucks. “Finally, the guardsmen are getting a state-of-the-art facility so they can prepare for future missions,” Congressman Ruppersberger said. “These citizen troops have answered the call to serve their country – and their local community. They deserve better than what they have. I was honored to be in a position to be able to help get this project rolling.” The Airmen stationed at Warfield Air National Guard Base respond to man-made and natural disasters here in Maryland as well as across the country.  Their planes were the first aircraft flying after 9-11 and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Crews delivered much-needed food, supplies, and personnel.  The airmen also work together with the Baltimore County Fire Department to assist in emergencies in the surrounding area, including hazardous spills, house fires, and serious car accidents, especially on Interstate 95.  Airmen from the 175th Wing also serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. ####

I posted the other day about a new congressional expense report released for the 3rd Quarter of 2009. The complete report is here. I also have the numbers from the Maryland delegation below. The funding source is taxpayer dollars. Based on the Maryland delegation, Lockheed Martin Desktop Solutions and The Accurate Word LLC are really raking in the cash from all the members of Congress from the whole country.

The left column of figures is year to date (YTD) while the right column is for the 3rd Quarter. You can click on the thumbnails to get the full-sized image. I provided commentary on specific items below the general numbers. The commentary is just based on what looks unusual to me.

Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD-01)

Kratovil spent approximately $15K in district office rent for the quarter. One large expenditure was over $18K in June to American Direct Mail. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02)

Ruppersberger is paying Onstar memberships in his expenses as well as a significant amount  (over $26K for just one quarter) of rent to COPT. There is also a new purchase of nearly $6700 in furniture for the quarter. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

John P. Sarbanes (MD-03)

District office rent payments to the H. Adams Limited Partnership are approaching $16K for the quarter. There is one large printing bill totaling over $25,000. There are home security system expenses itemized as well. One curious thing is a payment for web and email services to Liberty Concepts. As far as I know, the House has its own email servers and its own web servers for members to use. I’m curious what the $2,000 to them for this quarter actually went for. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Donna Edwards (MD-04)

Edwards has probably the longest itemized list so it would take further research to find any patterns or trends. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Steny Hoyer (MD-05)

Reports from earlier this week indicated Hoyer spent $1,561 on bottled water alone this quarter. Cities across the country have been banning purchases of bottled water since the U.S. Council of Mayors endorsed such measures in 2007 as away to limit the environmental impact the plastic bottles have. Maryland bans on bottled water include Takoma Park and the University of Maryland. I seem to remember a proposed ban in Baltimore City and/or Annapolis as well.

There are also over $25K in district office rental expenses for the quarter.

One example of where the money goes is in an August event. Hoyer spent $5379.66 on food and beverage expenses just to Middleton Hall. There was also $400 in space rentals paid to Middleton Hall. On August 28, Hoyer hosted a Women’s Equality Day Luncheon at the hall. The featured speaker was HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The number of attendees is not listed anywhere and other expenses itemized on the report are likely also associated with this event. The banquest menu for the venue indicates a basic price of $22.99 a person (not including taxes or gratuities.)

You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Roscoe Bartlett (MD-06)

Bartlett spent an estimated $16K+ in district office rent for the quarter. His office also used Fireside21 for web and internet services in addition to the in-house services provided on the Hill. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Elijah Cummings (MD-07)

Cummings broke the $1 million mark for the year in just 3 quarters. Cummings spent just over $20K in the 3rd Quarter alone on district office rent. His largest food and beverage expense for 3rd quarter was approximately $3900 spent at Morgan State in June.

You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Chris Van Hollen (MD-08)

Van Hollen spent just under $22K in district office rent for the quarter. Fireside21 also has been paid by Van Hollen.You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

UPDATE

Bryan Sears wrote on this topic and received a reply from Sarbanes’ office:

Makeda Scott, communications director for Rep. John Sarbanes called at 4:30 p.m. to explain the “home security expenses” referenced on Insidecharmcity.com.

“It’s actually for security for the front door of the district office in Towson,” Scott said.

Ruppersberger release

For Immediate Release
November 20, 2009
Contact Information
Heather Moeder Molino
202-225-3061

From the Office of Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger

Maryland’s 2nd District

Ruppersberger and Lyons to Announce Money for National Security STEM Initiative in Anne Arundel County

(Annapolis, MD) – Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Maryland Secretary of Higher Education James E Lyons, Sr. will announce $381,000 for a new National Security STEM initiative in Anne Arundel County. Through a public-private partnership, the federal funds will help boost Maryland’s global competitiveness by focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for middle school students, especially near Fort Meade, the home of the National Security Agency. The partnership will also be critical to prepare young people for the tens of thousands of new jobs being moved to Maryland through military base closures known as BRAC.

“In our world that is becoming more and more competitive every day, it is critically important that American children stay a step ahead in these important areas of study. Whether these students become scientists, engineers, mathematicians, or technology experts and work at the National Security Agency or at another employer in the government or the private sector, this training will serve them well in whatever career they choose to pursue,” said Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD).

“Governor Martin O’Malley has directed Maryland to be a frontrunner through his P-20 Leadership Council when it comes to STEM programs,” said Secretary James E. Lyons, Sr. “As the world becomes more globally competitive in this growing economy, Maryland needs to keep up in these four major fields. We need to position ourselves as a worldwide leader when it comes to producing the best scientists, technological experts, engineers, and mathematicians at Maryland’s outstanding colleges and universities as well as our elementary, middle, and high schools. Additionally, this school will help more of our students eventually compete for substantial BRAC jobs coming to Maryland.”

WHO: Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
Maryland Secretary of Higher Education James E Lyons, Sr.
Teachers
Students

WHAT: Ruppersberger and Lyons to Announce Funding for National Security STEM Initiative

WHEN: 11 a.m., Tuesday, November 24, 2009

WHERE: The Maryland Higher Education Commission
839 Bestgate Road
Suite 400
Annapolis, MD 21401

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