Join us for Legislative Speaking, the JCRC's three-part 2022 Maryland advocacy webinar series, you will have the opportunity to hear Federal, State, and County elected officials discuss legislative priorities as the Jewish community prepares to advocate in the coming year. Part two features Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, and Senator Chris Van Hollen.
Date & Time
-
Location
Online. A zoom link will be emailed upon registration.
Speakers
Senator Ben Cardin U.S. Senator, MD
A third-generation Marylander, Ben Cardin has been a national leader on health care, retirement security, the environment and fiscal issues while representing the people of Maryland in the U.S. Senate, and before that in the House of Representatives. He has worked across party lines to further U.S. national security and to ensure that good governance, transparency and respect for human rights are integrated into American foreign policy efforts.
Senator Chris Van Hollen U.S. Senator, MD
Elected to the United States Senate by the people of Maryland in November 2016, Chris Van Hollen is committed to fighting every day to ensure that our country lives up to its full promise of equal rights, equal justice, and equal opportunity. He believes that hatred in all forms is unacceptable, and that we must commit ourselves to supporting the Jewish community and ending anti-Semitism, along with all other forms of discrimination in this country.
In working towards that end, he has introduced legislation to stop the spread of hate. Among his recent efforts are the NO HATE Act, which he cosponsored last year and that would distribute grants for state-run hate crime hotlines, establish incentives for local law enforcement to submit thorough hate crime reports, and create a federal private right of action for victims of hate crimes. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Van Hollen has worked to secure funding for the Non Profit Security Grant Program, which provides support to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attacks, including Jewish schools and synagogues. He also believes that we can build a more tolerant society through education and is a proud cosponsor of the Never Again Education Act, which would provide schools with resources to implement curriculum on the Holocaust.
Senator Van Hollen is deeply committed to the State of Israel, its security in the region, and a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. In his role as a member of the Senate Appropriations’ State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, he has been a vocal advocate for robust security assistance to Israel, including the $3.8 billion in annual foreign military financing and missile defense support.
Senator Van Hollen started his time in public service as a member of the Maryland State Legislature, where he became known as a tenacious advocate for everyday Marylanders. He was elected to represent Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard, and the Georgetown University Law Center.