Former member of Congress · last served 109th Congress

Paul S. Sarbanes

DEMOCRAT U.S. Senator · MarylandSenate 1977–2007 · House 1971–1977 (MD-4, MD-3)

Paul Sarbanes was a Democratic U.S. senator from Maryland, first elected to Congress in 1971, who sponsored 16 bills that became law (100th–109th Congress).

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205Bills & resolutions sponsored100th–109th Congress (excludes amendments)

47Passed a chamberof 205 bills & resolutions sponsored

16Became law15 substantive + 0 ceremonial + 1 private · 100th–109th Congress

—Broke with partyNo roll calls in PORKER’s records (they start in 2011)

—Missed votesNo roll calls in PORKER’s records (they start in 2011)

—Pork: own shareFY2024 earmarks: not in office

How we count: “Broke with party” is a yes/no roll call where the member voted against most of their own party on that vote (party as recorded; even splits not counted). “Pork: own share” splits each earmark shared by several members evenly among them.

Recent votes

No recorded roll-call votes in PORKER’s records. Roll-call records start in 2011.

5 most recent bills

S. 4038 Global Resources, Environment, and Security Commission Act of 2006
Sep 29, 2006 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S10739-10741)
S. 2568 Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designation Act
Jul 31, 2006 · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 552.
S. 959 Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission Act
Jun 8, 2006 · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
S. 958 Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Act
Dec 2, 2005 · Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks.
S. 777 Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area Designation Act
Dec 2, 2005 · Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks.

Top bills sponsored

Laws first, then bills that passed a chamber, were reported from committee, or drew the most cosponsors.

Elections Sen. Sarbanes has won

Sen. Sarbanes has won 5 U.S. Senate elections (1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000). Of the contested races, margins ran from 17.7 to 26.9 points.

Democratic winRepublican winseat changed partyunopposed

Elections won5 in the data (1976–2024); losses are not listed

Closest win: 17.7 points1976, MD Senate

Won an open seat or took one from the other party0 of 5 elections (open seat or changed party)

Seat history, Maryland Senate (class 1)Winners in regular elections, most recent three: Paul Sarbanes (D) 1976–2000 → Benjamin L. Cardin (D) 2006–2018 → Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) 2024.

Full election history for this seat →

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. House V15 / U.S. Senate V8 (CC0), retrieved 2026-10-18; winners matched to member records by seat and term. Results run through the 2024 elections; nothing from 2026 is shown until it is certified. A margin is a fact about one election, never a score of how well a member represents anyone, and PORKER does not rank members by it.

How has Maryland done while Sen. Sarbanes served?

2005 to 2006 in Maryland: typical household income was up 2% after inflation, the share of people below the poverty line was about the same, and the share of workers looking for a job was down 0.4 points.

Typical household income · after inflation

Maryland: $99.5K in 2005 → $101.9K in 2006

Maryland up 2%U.S. up 1%

Share of people below the poverty line

Maryland: 8.2% in 2005 → 7.8% in 2006

Maryland about the sameU.S. about the same

Share of workers looking for a job

Maryland: 5.7% in 2005 → 5.3% in 2006

Maryland down 0.4 pointsU.S. down 0.5 points

Each mini chart has its own scale, fitted to its lines (it does not start at zero), so compare the numbers, not the heights. Oxblood = state, grey = U.S.

While they served, not because of them. This shows what happened in Maryland during Sarbanes’s time representing it (1977 to 2007). It does not say what the member did or caused. It is not a score, and PORKER never ranks members on it.

Survey years start at 2005. The yearly estimates for Maryland begin in 2005, so 1977 to 2004 are not shown. No 2020 yearly estimate exists.

See the full 20-year record →Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates (tables B19013, B17001, B23001) and BLS CPI-U-RS for inflation, retrieved October 18, 2026. “About the same” means the change is inside the 90% margins of error. Who held the seat: Congress.gov member service records, year level.

Official records on bills this member sponsored

109th Congress. What Congress.gov lists for the 20 bills sponsored.

Record	Bills	Source
Bills sponsored	20	Source: Congress.gov member record, PORKER copy of October 26, 2026 ↗ See them →
With a CBO cost estimate listed	5	See the 5 →
With a committee report listed	4	See the 4 →
With a Congress.gov note	1	See the 1 →

Evidence

How counted: Bills where this member is the lead (first-listed) sponsor in the 109th Congress, read from the stored Congress.gov bill records
Fields: cboCostEstimates, committeeReports, constitutionalAuthorityStatementText, notes
PORKER copy refreshed: October 26, 2026 (nightly)

Read this first. These are counts of records Congress.gov lists. Many bills never get a CBO estimate or a report, so a zero is not a mark against a member. We never show this as a score.

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Data as of Oct 26, 2026 · Sources: Congress.gov, Senate.gov, House Clerk, Appropriations Committee earmark tables. PORKER is non-partisan.