Biography:

Born and raised in Baltimore, John Sarbanes has nearly two decades of experience working in the private, public and non-profit sectors. In 2006, he was elected to the House of Representatives to represent Maryland's 3rd Congressional District, which spans portions of Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County. Congressman Sarbanes has been appointed to the Education and Labor Committee, the Natural Resources Committee, and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

During his first term, John has been awarded the Outstanding New Member Award by the Voice for National Service. He has also received an honorary award from the National Association of Law Schools for his work in passing the Education for Public Service Act, which helps those who want to pursue a career in public service do so without being saddled with overwhelming debt. Congressman Sarbanes has been working hard to provide first rate constituent services and practical solutions for the challenges that face Maryland’s working families.

Click here to see a summary of Congressman Sarbanes' legislative work so far in the 110th Congress.

John graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton in 1984 and the following year studied law and politics in Greece on a Fulbright Scholarship. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988, he returned to Baltimore, where he clerked for Judge J. Frederick Motz on the federal district court and the following year began his law practice at Venable. He spent 18 years at Venable, six as Chairman of the firm’s Health Care practice. John currently lives in the Towson with his wife of nineteen years, Dina, and their three children, who attend Baltimore County public schools.

Before coming to Congress, Congressman Sarbanes worked to improve public education in Maryland’s school system. Most recently, he completed a seven-year tenure as special assistant to the State Superintendent of Schools, serving as liaison to the Baltimore City Public Schools under the City-State Partnership. At Venable, he represented non-profit hospitals and senior living providers in their mission to deliver high quality care to the people of Maryland. He has a firsthand understanding of the pressures that rising costs and the persistent shortage of qualified care-givers are placing on these providers and the families they serve. Throughout his life, Congressman Sarbanes has fought to improve the lives of working people in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region. On issues like consumer protection, decent public housing and fair treatment in the workplace, John championed the efforts of the Public Justice Center and other public interest organizations that serve Maryland’s families.

Since childhood, Congressman Sarbanes has attended the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore. In 1989, he participated in a church-sponsored dialogue with members of the newly-formed Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies. Over the last fifteen years, John served as a board member of the Institute. Active with his wife and children in the Bolton Street Synagogue, John brings a special perspective to the Institute's mission of promoting understanding and dialogue among people of different religious faiths.

Congressman Sarbanes is honored to have been appointed to serve his constituents on three committees and four subcommittees in the U.S. House of Representatives. A great deal of important legislative work takes place in the committees, and committee hearings are a valuable source of public information. If you would like more information you may click the links below to visit each committee's home page, where you will find hearing schedules and a wealth of other information regarding current issues under consideration by Congress.

The Education and Labor Committee's purpose is to ensure that students and workers can succeed in a changing school system and a competitive global economy. The committee and its five subcommittees oversee education and workforce programs that affect all Americans, from early learning and secondary education through job training and retirement.

• Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
• Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.

Natural Resources Committee

The Committee on Natural Resources is responsible for the protection of our Nation’s natural, cultural, and wildlife resources. It has jurisdiction over fisheries and wildlife, forest reserves, national parks and monuments, marine affairs, mineral resources and mining interests, Native American issues, and inhabited territories under U.S. sovereignty.

• Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.

Oversight and Government Reform Committee

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It has authority to investigate the subjects within the Committee’s legislative jurisdiction as well as any matter within the jurisdiction of the other standing House Committees.

The Committee also has legislative jurisdiction over the federal civil service, municipal affairs of the District of Columbia in general (other than appropriations), management and operation of the federal government generally, population and demography generally, including the Census, and the Postal Service.

• Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia.