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CLEAN ENERGY: As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, this week I will be joining my colleagues in marking up the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. This bill is the most significant and comprehensive environmental bill that has been proposed in years. It will reduce our carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020, and help us reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. Today, the transportation sector accounts for 30 percent of America's greenhouse gas emissions and 70 percent of our oil consumption. That is why it is imperative we develop other alternative energy sources, including ethanol refined from algae, switch grass and other sources of biomass. As we move forward in marking up this bill, I will be offering amendments that will strengthen the legislation to ensure we meet our goal of clean energy.

IMPORTANT VOTE: On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to vote on the Workers, Home Owners and Business Assistance Act. I am a co-sponsor of the amendment that will provide an additional 14 weeks of unemployment insurance to all states, including Maryland. In September, as co-chair of the Senate Real Estate Caucus, I introduced Legislation to extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. I am pleased that this bill also includes an extension and expansion of that tax credit. It will extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit until April 30 for contracts and June 30, 2010 for settlement and it includes a new $6,500 credit for homebuyers who have been in their current home for at least five years.

HEALTHCARE: As the debate over health care reform continues, I will speaking on the Senate floor about the need for health care reform and why it's so important for middle-class families. Health care costs are skyrocketing and American families and businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to afford the cost. Americans who have insurance pay a hidden tax of $1,100 every year -- the cost of "uncompensated" health care for those who have no insurance. In addition, many Americans who have no health insurance end up in emergency rooms, often accessing our health care system when they are sicker and more costly to treat. All these factors have helped drive up the cost of health care, seriously impacting middle-income Americans.

JUSTICE: On Thursday, I will chair a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs about ways to reduce recidivism in our prisons. The hearing will highlight the important role law enforcement can play in helping reduce recidivism and explore ways for the federal government to assist in that effort. When local ails, community service providers and public officials work together in support of successful re-entry programs, recidivism rates can be reduced. Earlier this week, prior to the hearing, I toured the Montgomery County (MD) Department of Corrections' Pre-Release Center and met with program officials and participants. This community-based center is a national model, focusing on work-release and re-entry programs for approximately 180 inmates from county, state, and federal systems who are returning to Montgomery County.

HELSINKI COMMISSION: On Wednesday, I addressed a crowd of human-rights leaders, foreign diplomats, including the ambassadors of Germany and Romania, in commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This anniversary is a reminder of what can happen when citizens of a country join together to end oppression.

Upcoming Interviews: For those who are in the Baltimore, I will be interviewed by Marc Steiner (WEAA-FM) on Monday (11/2) at 5:05pm. On Thursday, I will be speaking with Bill Reddish (WICO-AM) at 8:10 am. I also will be on the "Ron Smith Show" (WBAL-AM) at 4 p.m. on Friday (11/6) for listeners in the Baltimore area.

Past Briefings