Dear Neighbor:

I wanted to take a moment to share an update about how my staff and I have been working for the people of the Eighth District. It remains a surpassing honor to serve as your Representative in Congress.

As always, I encourage all of my constituents across the Eighth District to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If you need help with a federal agency and want to request my assistance, please complete the online request form here, and my District Office will be in touch.

All Best,

Jamie Raskin

Rep. Raskin’s May in Photos

Announcing Winners of the Congressional Art Competition

“Tia Mona” by Isabel Acuna Marin, the MD-08 winner of the 2022 Congressional Art Competition

I was thrilled to award Albert Einstein High School junior Isabel Acuna Marin first place in my 2022 Congressional Art Competition! Her piece, “Tia Mona,” pictured above, will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year alongside winning entries from congressional districts across America. You can watch a video of our celebration ceremony here and view a slideshow showcasing all entries here. This year, over 130 high school students from Montgomery, Frederick and Carroll counties shared their talents with me and submitted entries to the competition.

Thanks so much to our expert artist judges and to VisArts in Rockville for supporting our submission portal!

Be sure to check out all entries at my virtual gallery!

I’m so grateful to the hundreds of arts educators across our district who nurture artistic talent within our community, like Local Hero Lauren Latané-Valis of Liberty High School in Eldersburg. Lauren fosters creativity and digital savvy at Liberty and across Carroll County, and I’m pleased to share our full conversation here.

Securing Federal Funding for Maryland

Announcing watershed restoration with the Maryland congressional delegation and Environmental Protection Agency

I've been proud to pass major legislation in Congress, from the American Rescue Plan to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, that delivers critical federal funding to Maryland. Last month, I celebrated several initiatives that will improve our quality of life across the Eighth District with investments in watershed restoration, wildlife conservation, accessibility and more.

Over $730,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will help conserve wildlife and natural habitats across Maryland, through the State Wildlife Grant Program. This funding will help our state meet conservation goals and protect our local flora, fauna and resources in a changing climate. To read more about this wildlife conservation initiative, click here.

I was proud to vote for the American Rescue Plan last spring, which bolstered the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Program, an initiative that will distribute nearly $200 million to small businesses in need across Maryland. In particular, these funds will invest in women and minority-owned small businesses and shepherd them through their COVID-19 recovery. You can read more about this funding and the SSBCI program here.

In May, I joined Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume in Baltimore to announce an award from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to restore the Chesapeake Bay (see photo above). This $40 million in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure plan will help restore the watershed, promote environmental justice efforts and combat climate change. I hope you’ll read more about funding the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort here.

Visiting the Hill Y in Westminster

This spring, I secured over $5 million for Maryland’s Eighth District in our FY 22 government funding package. I've enjoyed meeting with project partners to see how these investments will kickstart phenomenal projects in our neighborhoods. In May, I toured the Hill Y in Westminster and discussed with staff how $370,000 will help fund safety and accessibility improvements that will serve the broader Carroll County community. To see more photos from my visit to the Hill Y, click here.

Defending Academic Freedom

With witnesses who testified before the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee

In May, I chaired a Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee hearing examining escalating classroom and curriculum censorship across the country. Did you know that in the past year, 42 states have introduced legislation censoring curriculum topics related to race, gender and sexuality? In our hearing, we heard from witnesses firsthand how these broad and discriminatory restrictions, stemming from politically-motivated and false moral panics, harm students and teachers and erode First Amendment freedoms. You can read more about our hearing here and watch my opening statement here.

Celebrating the Local Heroes of the Eighth District

In May, we celebrate the numerous and valued contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community through AAPI Heritage Month. I launched our AAPI Heritage Month observation with Maryland State Senator Susan Lee, the Senate Majority Whip and first Chair of the Maryland Legislative Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus. Last year, Senator Lee alerted me to an alarming national pattern of ethnic profiling of Chinese American scientists, and we got to work alongside Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu to hold the first ever Congressional roundtable on the issue. During our Local Hero conversation, Susan and I discussed the roundtable findings as well as her work on the recent statewide ghost gun ban and her efforts to combat human trafficking in Maryland. Be sure to watch my full conversation with Senator Susan Lee here.

I also celebrated National Physical Fitness and Sports Month with Coach Louis Hoelman of Blair High School last month. This beloved physical educator and sports coach fosters a lifetime love of physical education and the outdoors in the Blair community. Not only that, he wears shorts 365 days a year! You can watch my full discussion with Louis here.

Last month’s Memorial Day observation was enriched by Local Hero and Frederick County Veterans Advisory Council Chair Ret. Lt. Col. Sharon Jacko. Sharon served for nearly thirty years in the Marine Corps and has extensive experience empowering women in our state and across the world. Don’t miss my conversation with Sharon here.

Advocating for Vulnerable Immigrant Youth

In May, I led 27 congressional colleagues in writing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur M. Jaddou urging the agency to quickly process petitions for the thousands of immigrant children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) in the United States. This program is intended to grant permanent residence and work permits to at-risk immigrant children facing abuse, abandonment or neglect from a parent or guardian, and although federal law mandates USCIS adjudicate SIJS petitions within 180 days, this deadline is rarely met. We cannot leave children waiting months or even years for much-needed relief. You can read more about my efforts to protect vulnerable immigrant youth here.

In Committee: Protecting Abortion Access, Monitoring Civil Asset Forfeiture

After a leaked draft opinion revealed that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark privacy case that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion, my Judiciary Committee colleagues and I held a hearing examining dwindling abortion access across the country. I won’t stand idly by as extremist judges and lawmakers attempt to revoke nearly a half-century of judicial precedent and turn Americans' personal health care decisions into crimes. You can watch our full hearing here and catch some of my remarks here.

Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve exposed how civil asset forfeiture empowers law enforcement to seize money, cars, homes and other goods without needing to charge people with a crime. My Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee is seeking information from the Department of Justice regarding its 'Equitable Sharing Program,' which allows state and local governments to transfer seized property, money and assets to the federal government, then collect up to 80 percent of the proceeds. I’m concerned that the Equitable Sharing Program creates a loophole for state and local law enforcement to seize assets from individuals without bringing criminal charges or a conviction—even in states that expressly prohibit civil asset forfeiture. You can read our full letter and more about civil asset forfeiture here.

Calling for Commonsense Public Safety Legislation

Marylanders grieve alongside the people of Buffalo, Uvalde and every community across our country reeling from catastrophic mass shootings. I’m horrified by these deranged massacres, and I’m renewing my calls for commonsense gun safety legislation that can prevent these uniquely American tragedies.

The Second Amendment allows reasonable gun safety regulation—it does not give anyone the right to carry assault rifles, purchase a gun without a violent criminal background check or carry guns into public schools or government buildings. Even the most conservative constitutional scholars, including the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, have been emphatic on this point. Americans must unite across the political spectrum to confront the nightmare of gun violence in America and its savage toll on our people.

After an armed white supremacist opened fire in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, the House took action to combat the rising tide of extremist violence. H.R. 350, the bipartisan Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, would give our federal law enforcement agencies the resources and coordination to better protect our nation from domestic terror attacks.

On the Floor: Lowering Gas Prices, Expanding Access to Baby Formula, Investing in Workforce Development

Through a busy May on the House Floor, I voted to pass legislation responding to national infant formula shortages, combating gas price surges, investing in workforce development, confronting domestic terrorism and more.

House Democrats continue working to resolve nationwide baby formula shortages plaguing American families. Last month, I cosponsored and voted for H.R. 7790, the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022 and H.R. 7791, the Access to Baby Formula Act, two bills that would provide emergency funding to address formula shortages and emergency authority to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program to remediate supply chain issues and jumpstart formula distribution. President Biden signed the Access to Baby Formula Act into law in May. You can read more about the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act here.

Despite boasting record profits, a handful of heavily monopolized oil companies are driving up gas prices worldwide. I know Marylanders are feeling the effects of Big Oil’s gas price gouging at our pumps, as working families are left to shoulder global market disruptions from Putin’s bloody invasion of Ukraine. That’s why in May, I voted for H.R. 7688, the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. This legislation would empower the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to curb price gouging on consumer fuels, continuing our efforts to lower costs for working Americans.

As our nation continues to recover from the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are clamoring for skilled workers. Last month, I proudly voted for H.R. 7309, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2022, which would invest in our chronically underfunded workforce development programs to help fill job openings in Maryland’s Eighth District and across America. You can read more about the WIOA here.