John Sarbanes: “I see this through two lenses. One is absolutely that the Hatch Act is there to protect Federal employees.”

This bill takes important steps to support the ongoing restoration of the Chesapeake Bay by reauthorizing NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office and authorizing the agency's long-running Bay Watershed Education and Training, or B-WET Grant program.

They want to be on the field of their democracy. They want to feel like they have some power within their own democracy.

I hope that today's hearing is the first step in continuing that legacy of strong bipartisan support for the Chesapeake Bay in this Congress.

The health of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed can only continue to improve through robust Federal, state, and local partnerships.