August Recess

Statement

The Senate recessed Aug. 6th after confirming Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and passing emergency funding to prevent massive layoffs of teachers and first responders across the nation. I am pleased that the House returned from its recess to also pass this important legislation. Now, local communities throughout Maryland and around the nation will receive $26 billion in aid, funding that will help prevent the layoff of 140,000 teachers and 150,000 first responders.

During recess I will be traveling around Maryland talking about the new health care laws, jobs, education and training and the environment. At the beginning of the recess, I will travel to Garrett County to talk about the $400,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant that will enable Garrett College to expand its Career Technology Training Center, providing training to 500 people for new jobs in environmental/energy systems and communications. While in Garrett County, I also will visit the Garrett Engineering and Robotics Society, which runs a technology camp for students in grades 1-12. I also will help "break ground" for the restoration of 2.7 miles of the historic Big Slackwater Towpath, which when completed will allow hikers and bicyclists to travel from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, uninterrupted.

My next stop with be on the Eastern Shore with a visit to Smith Island, where I will get a briefing on Corp of Engineers' erosion management project and view the Island's new water pump, which was funded with through the Recovery Act. I will then visit the NSA Wallops Flight Facility, which also supports science missions for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). My next stop will be Salisbury for a town hall meeting on the new health care law at the new Salisbury-Wicomico Senior Services Center, followed by a visit to Cambridge for a tour of the Choptank Community Health Systems dental clinic that will be doubled in size thanks to a competitive grant funded by the Recovery Act. Later in the August, I will be participating in the 75th Anniversary celebration of the Social Security program in Woodlawn and attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Cancer Institute at Shady Grove. I also will be joining the Anne Arundel County Workforce Development to celebrate the completion of their summer jobs program for low-income youth and youth with disabilities, and I will visit the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge where Recovery Act funding has resulted in substantial renovations and upgrades to one of our nation's premier wildlife research facilities.

On September 13, the Senate will return and turn its attention to passing the small business jobs bill and the Department of Defense Reauthorization Act. Small businesses are responsible for creating almost two-thirds of the jobs in our nation, and I am committed to passing this important measure that will provide our nation's small businesses with the economic support they need to succeed.

Follow me throughout the week on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SenatorCardin.

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