   
Dear Neighbor:
I wanted to take a moment to share an update about how my staff and I have been working over the last few months for the people of Maryland’s 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 October and November in Photos
Spreading the Word About the PACT Act
This summer, I was proud to vote to pass the Honoring our PACT Act, legislation to expand the promise of health care to our veterans exposed to toxins like Agent Orange, burn pits and more during their service. Not only does this law expand and extend health care eligibility substantially, through multiple provisions it also offloads much of the burden of proving covered health conditions from veterans. The PACT Act greatly expanded the medical conditions and exposure locations “presumed” related to military service, making it easier for vets to get care and treatment covered. This is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) history, so be sure to spread the word to the veterans in your life. You can read more about the PACT Act at the VA’s website.
In conjunction with Veterans Day, I convened a forum of leading VA officials to discuss how the PACT Act will help veterans in Maryland’s Eighth District and across the country. Antione Waller, Director of the Baltimore Regional Office of the U.S. Veterans Benefits Administration and Michael Heimall, Director of the Washington D.C. V.A. Medical Center, joined me to share their expertise and explain the new law's key provisions. You can watch our full PACT Act Forum here.
Championing Electric Vehicles
Recently, I’ve been delighted to celebrate transformational electrification initiatives throughout our community. From MCPS' announcement of the largest school bus electrification project in the country to the billions of dollars for electric vehicle charging in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Maryland’s Eighth District and our country are taking decisive steps to address climate change and protect the planet for our children.
Who better to champion these green-energy successes than MCPS school bus driver and sustainability advocate Sheila Martinez? Last month, Ms. Martinez graciously joined me on my Local Hero program to share what it’s like to get up at 4:00 am to get our kids to school, and to discuss the numerous benefits of school bus electrification. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that Ms. Martinez was skeptical of making the shift to an electric bus at first, but that didn’t last long once she got behind the wheel of one of the buses in the electric fleet! You can watch my full conversation with Sheila Martinez here.
Recognizing the Local Heroes of the Eighth District
Our Thanksgiving Local Hero Amy Falcone never expected to return to her childhood farming roots, but after a cross-country trip and a few wrong turns on her way home, Bella Vita Farm was born. When our neighbors began experiencing food insecurity in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy and Bella Vita Farm joined Montgomery County's Farm to Food Bank program, which coordinates food assistance in our community. You can watch my conversation with Amy Falcone here.
A model scientist and researcher, Dr. Cliff Lane of the National Institutes of Health has helped the scientific community across America and the world understand HIV/AIDS, Ebola, COVID-19 and more. I was so pleased when the Partnership for Public Service awarded Dr. Lane its 2022 Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement award that I decided to honor him as an MD08 Local Hero. To watch my full discussion with Dr. Lane, click here.
With thirty-five years of commissioned military service and advocacy for the veterans of Frederick County and Maryland, Colonel Fred Schumacher is an esteemed Local Hero. I was delighted to feature him on Veterans Day and learn about the new Veterans Services Center in Frederick. To watch my full conversation with Col. Fred Schumacher, click here.
A recent report by the Democracy Initiative ranked Maryland second in election integrity out of all fifty states. That’s thanks in large part to civic-minded Marylanders like Barbara Sanders, who works with the Montgomery County League of Women Voters to educate and empower voters with up-to-date, nonpartisan election information. You can watch my Local Hero segment with Barbara Sanders here.
Maryland State Delegate Jim Gilchrist has served sixteen hardworking, productive years in the General Assembly for our people and environment. In our time together in the legislature, this Local Hero taught me so much about the health and biodiversity of the Chesapeake Bay, and after a tremendous career in public service, the world is now his oyster. Click here to watch my discussion with Delegate Gilchrist.
Across the MCPS community, Julia Guillén Williams supports students, welcomes newcomer families and empowers Latina/e/o teachers and faculty through PODER Educators. Julia’s MoCo roots run deep, to say the least–she is currently serving two MCPS schools she herself attended! You can watch my full conversation with Julia Guillén Williams here.
Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, the first Latina and first immigrant to serve on the Council, is guided by her motto: “equity rooted in prosperity.” In October, I was delighted to recognize her as a Local Hero and highlight some of her amazing contributions to our community, like leading MoCo to a Triple-A bond rating and spearheading one of the strongest racial justice and equity laws in the nation. Click here to watch my discussion with Councilmember Navarro.
Securing Federal Funding for Maryland
Maryland Congressional Democrats remain unyielding advocates for robust federal investment in our state. From the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Inflation Reduction Act, Team Maryland shares a vision of lower costs for working families, climate action, resilient public health and more. In October and November, we were delighted to report several exciting new initiatives to:
Investigating the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol
When Congress established the January 6th Select Committee, nine representatives, Democrats and Republicans, accepted the urgent responsibility of investigating a domestic violent assault on our democracy, and delivering a comprehensive report to the American people. Since then, my committee colleagues and I have been diligently interviewing witnesses, reviewing documents and relaying our findings to millions of Americans through a series of dynamic hearings. You can watch these hearings on the January 6th Committee YouTube channel here.
In October, our committee voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump for testimony under oath and records relevant to our investigation. It is not only the former president’s moral duty to appear before our committee, it is his legal obligation. You can read more about our subpoena here.
Urging Cannabis Decriminalization
I’ve fought for years to decriminalize marijuana, but even as forward-thinking states like Maryland vote to legalize, forty-three percent of drug arrests nationwide are cannabis-related. In November, I brought my decriminalization work to my Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, where we held a historic bipartisan hearing on efforts across the country to decriminalize cannabis. I was touched to hear colleagues on both sides of the aisle share deeply personal stories about the importance of legalizing marijuana. You can find an excerpt from my opening remarks here, and a full recording of the hearing here.
Setting the Record Straight on the Second Amendment
I’m sickened by the spate of deadly shootings that continue to afflict our nation, and I’m deeply troubled by the theory spreading in extremist right-wing circles that our Constitution guarantees the right to overthrow our government through violence. I’ve previously written about the “Insurrection Theory of the Second Amendment,” and this October I joined MSNBC to further debunk these ludicrous—and dangerous—claims. You can watch a clip of my conversation here.
Celebrating Accountability for AAPI Discrimination
Last year, I convened a roundtable with Representative Judy Chu of California, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, to investigate accounts of racial profiling of Chinese American scientists. We exposed a troubling pattern of persecution targeting researchers like Sherry Chen, a highly accomplished hydrologist, whose life, career and reputation were upended when she was falsely accused of espionage in 2014. I'm delighted to report that in November, Ms. Chen was awarded a historic settlement by the U.S. government, vindicating her case in a powerful rebuke of anti-Asian discrimination. You can read more about Ms. Chen and her case here.
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