The identical Senate version of my SLAPP bill got an unfavorable report in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee late yesterday.

That means the House bill is dead as well.  Even if the bill is amended, it is now guaranteed unfavorable action in the Senate.

I wrote the people who testified for the bill: “Our strategy for next year should be to introduce a bill only in the House and pass it over to the Senate. With the momentum generated by that vote, we will be in a stronger position.”

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The big news of the day comes from the borough of Queens: Amazon has decided not to build its HQ2 there in response to neighborhood opposition.

An important part of my job is to represent the legitimate interests of the neighborhoods in my district.  If Amazon wanted to bring 25,000 jobs to Baltimore, I would have fought for more favorable terms but not at the risk of losing the deal.

In another context, part of my obligation on the Pimlico redevelopment is to make sure that all of the nearby neighborhoods actually benefit from the renovation.