And then there’s the bill I won’t be introducing because my objective was achieved by letting people know about my proposed legislation.

Three years ago, I passed a bill requiring each law enforcement agency in the state to adopt written policies relating to eyewitness identification by a victim or a witness to a crime.

Done the wrong way, a line-up or a review of mug shots can result in an innocent person being accused and then convicted. Under my bill, witness ID must comply with standards issued by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Many police departments responded to this requirement inadequately or not at all. So I had a bill drafted that would reduce state grants to these agencies if they did not comply with the law.

I shared the draft with law enforcement officials last fall. By the time we met today, most of the police agencies had come into compliance.

In Annapolis, nothing concentrates the mind like a bill hearing – or the prospect of one.