I start my workday with a list and a question.

            My bills are on a spreadsheet, from the first one that had a public hearing to the one scheduled for March 21.

            As I work my way through the list, I ask this question: What do I need to do today to help pass my bills?    

            My legislation protecting both sides in the signature-collecting process for a referendum was heard three weeks ago.  Yesterday, the Attorney General responded to my request asking how the relevant words in House Bill 312 (fraud, duress, force, etc.) have been defined by the courts.  This morning, I forwarded that legal advice to relevant legislators and staffers.

            House Bill 957 would create a pilot program to encourage a father to be involved when a mother applies for welfare benefits.  The objective: the father would play a positive role in raising the child. 

            I decided to introduce this bill after hearing Joe Jones, who has been nationally recognized for his work in this area, discuss this concept at Johns Hopkins.  I emailed him today to confirm that he would testify at the hearing on March 8.

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            Some things are better done offline. 

            Hoping to reach a compromise, the lobbyist for the University System of Maryland proposed a friendly amendment to my bill broadening the exemption from the Public Information Act for the academic work done by professors at state colleges and universities. 

            This afternoon, we received different language from the lobbyist for the state’s newspapers.

             Instead of figuring out our response in a flurry of emails, we’re meeting in my office.