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Office Location
Prince George's County Office
5001 Silver Hill Road
Suite 106
Suitland, Maryland 20746
301-516-7601 main
301-516-7608 faxMontgomery County Office
8730 Georgia Avenue
Suite 209
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
301-562-7960 main
301-562-7964 faxWashington, D.C. Office
318 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-8699 main
202-225-8714 fax
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Latest News
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Rep. Edwards' Upcoming Coffee Conversations
The following Coffee Conversations will take place on Saturday, November 21st, 2009.
Prince George’s County
Time: 8:30am – 9:30am
Location: Dunkin Donuts
9183 Central Ave
Capitol Heights, MD 20743-3806Montgomery County
Time: 10:30am – 11:30am
Location: Panera Bread
Germantown Town Center
19820 Century Blvd.
Germantown, MD 20874Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley Proclaims November 20th Special Day of Tribute to the Honorable Donna Edwards
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley proclaimed Friday, November 20, 2009, a "special day of Tribute to the Honorable Donna Edwards" for her successful efforts to provide Maryland’s children increased access to healthy and nutritious meals as part of the At-Risk Afterschool Supper Program.
Click here for more information and to read the proclamation.
Rep. Edwards Votes for Historic Health Care Reform Legislation for All Americans
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) today voted for the Affordable Health Care for American Act, H.R. 3962, which passed the House by a vote of 220-215. Rep. Edwards championed the effort to include section 104 of the Manager’s Amendment, a provision to prevent price gouging by enabling states to review private insurers’ premium increases beginning in 2010. The provision guarantees transparency on rates and will also enable state insurance commissioners to recommend to the National Insurance Commissioner whether a particular insurer should participate in the Health Insurance Exchange, taking into account excessive or unjustified premium increases in making that determination. Section 104 will hold private insurers (both inside and outside of the Exchange) accountable, and ensure affordability for working American families.
“The Affordable Health Care for America Act is historic legislation, which will usher in a new era of affordable and accessible health care for all Americans,” said Rep. Edwards. “I am thankful for the opportunity to lead the effort to include a provision against price gouging that will hold insurance companies accountable to ensure health care affordability for working families in the 4th Congressional District and across the country. This landmark legislation will make health care affordable for millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans, end rate increases or coverage denials for pre-existing conditions, and eliminate co-pays and deductibles for preventative care.”
In Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, the Affordable Health Care for America Act will:
- Improve employer-based coverage for 476,000 residents.
- Provide credits to help pay for coverage for up to 112,000 households.
- Improve Medicare for 71,000 beneficiaries, including closing the prescription drug donuthole for 3,700 seniors.
- Allow 15,100 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage and provide tax credits to help reduce health insurance costs for up to 13,300 small businesses.
- Provide coverage for 57,000 uninsured residents.
- Protect up to 1,200 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
- Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers by $36 million.
Furthermore, the Affordable Health Care for America Act will provide tremendous benefits for women who have suffered gender discrimination for decades under the current health care system. The legislation will end “gender rating” so that insurance companies cannot charge women more than men for the same benefits, prohibit insurers from denying coverage to victims of domestic violence (or consider domestic violence a preexisting condition), and eliminate lifetime caps on benefits.
“The current health care system is not sustainable for small businesses, who must pay up to 18% more per worker than large firms for the same health insurance policies,” said Rep. Edwards. “Due to high costs, more than half of our nation’s uninsured are small business owners, employees, and their families. This legislation will change all of that by helping small businesses provide health care for their employees and their families.”
This bill is also critical to the nation’s small businesses, which are the engine of the American economy. Since 2000, small businesses’ health care costs grew an unbelievable 129%. Workers in small businesses pay an average of 18% more for premiums than those with larger firms, and administrative costs consume two and a half times more of their premiums.
Rep. Edwards Votes to Extend Unemployment Insurance Benefits, Homebuyers' Tax Credit, Business Tax Relief to Stimulate Local Economy
Congresswoman Edwards voted to stimulate the local economy and provide stability to American families hit hardest by the recession by extending unemployment benefits, the homebuyers’ tax credit, and tax relief for military families and businesses. The Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, H.R. 3548, passed the House by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 403 to 12.
For additional information, please click here.
Rep. Edwards, NFL, and the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network Work to Raise Awareness For Breast Cancer Screening
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards hosted a press conference to raise awareness for the importance of breast cancer screening during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The press conference was attended by Daniel E. Smith, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), Tanya Snyder, National spokesperson for the NFL’s Crucial Catch campaign, and Derrick Dockery, a guard for the Washington Redskins.
Below is a portion of Rep. Edwards' remarks:
"As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It provides the perfect opportunity to highlight programs like the National Football League’s Crucial Catch Campaign and its work to raise awareness about screening for breast cancer. The importance for screening cannot be overstated, especially for African American women, who are thirty-four percent more likely to die from the disease and ten percent less likely to be diagnosed than white women. These kinds of disparities can be attributed to a lack of access to screening, early diagnosis, and treatment. Therefore, screening is literally a matter of life and death."
To read her entire remarks, please click here.
Reps. Edwards, Biggert, Van Hollen, Broun, Sarbanes, and LoBiondo Introduce a Six-Month Homeowners Tax Credit Extension
Representative Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) introduced legislation that would extend the first-time homebuyer tax credit for six months, H.R. 3773. Rep. Edwards was joined by Reps. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Paul Broun (R-GA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) as original co-sponsors. H.R. 3773 is the House companion to legislation introduced in the Senate by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), along with Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Harry Reid (D-NV), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
The current provision passed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provides an $8,000 credit for first-time homebuyers, and is set to expire on December 1, 2009. According to the Washington Post, first-time homebuyers made up 30 percent of all August sales. This bill would not change the tax credit; it would simply extend it until June 1, 2010.
“The first-time homebuyers’ tax credit is critical to the recovery and stabilization we are beginning to see in the housing market,” said Rep. Edwards. “It is important that we pass this six-month extension to ensure the upward trend in home sales and purchases, further stabilizing the nation’s housing market. Extending this tax credit is good policy for the housing industry and the entire economy, and more importantly good for families looking to purchase a home. I thank my colleagues in the House and Senate for working together in a bi-partisan effort to move this important legislation forward.”
Please click here to read the entire press release.
2010 Appropriations
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Press Releases & Statements
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Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley Proclaims November 20th Special Day of Tribute to the Honorable Donna Edwards
11/20/09Congresswoman Edwards recognized for her efforts on child hunger and nutrition
Read more -
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards Votes to Protect Physician Pay and Guarantee Seniors' Access to Doctors
11/19/09FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 19, 2009 &n...
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Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards Highlights November as American Diabetes Month
11/17/09FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 17, 2009 Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) joins with th...
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Photo Gallery
Rep. Edwards with Martin Sheen and Bradley Whitford
Rep. Edwards at a Coffee Conversation
Rep. Edwards Holds Coffee Conversation with Constituents
Rep. Edwards with faculty at Seat Pleasant Elementary School
Rep. Edwards with other members of Congress at Darfur rally in front of Sudanese Embassy
Rep. Edwards speaks on crisis in Darfur in front of Sudanese Embassy
Rep. Edwards with Vice President Biden, Gov. O'Malley, and Sen. Cardin at a Press Conference
Rep. Edwards with the NASA flight crew of STS-119 to the International Space Station
Group photo at a recent press conference announcing $300 million from the American Recovery Act for the "Clean Cities Project"
Group photo with Sen. Mikulski at Prince George's Community Hospital
Congresswoman Edwards with Col. Shepro and others from Joint Base Andrews
Rep. Edwards with Ms. Emerson's 5th Grade Class at Glenarden Woods Elementary School
Rep. Edwards with Students Constructing a Robot at Benjamin Banneker Middle School in Burtonsville
Rep. Edwards Reads to Students at Laytonsville Elementary School
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