Reporters Notebook: Bipartisan Maryland

News Article

By C. Benjamin Ford

Even though he serves in the partisan role of minority whip, U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer received national recognition for being a bipartisan leader who can cross party lines.

Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville received the National Bipartisan Leadership Award from the Peoria, Ill.-based Bradley University Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service.

"Congressman Hoyer has modeled ethical and bipartisan leadership throughout his 30-year career in Congress," said Bradley President Joanne Glasser in a statement. "In an era of partisanship and divisiveness, he has been a beacon of civility and wisdom. He is a pragmatic leader and a committed consensus builder."

Hoyer, who has served 16 terms, was listed as the most bipartisan Democrat in the House of Representatives in a 2009 survey of congressional Republicans by the political newspaper The Hill.

Speaking of bipartisan, U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington and U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Dist. 6) of Buckeystown co-chaired an event Thursday on Capitol Hill on renewable energy.

Van Hollen and Bartlett may differ on nearly every other issue politically, but the two serve as co-chairmen of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus.

The caucus kicked off its 14th annual expo Thursday morning, showcasing more than 50 businesses working on renewable energy and energy efficient products.

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