At this year’s General Assembly session, as the Supreme Court considered the fate of reproductive rights, I was a leader in expanding access to safe abortions. Additional crime-fighting resources will be provided in 41st District neighborhoods. Senator Jill Carter, Delegates Dalya Attar, Tony Branch, and myself obtained construction funds for the Ambassador Theatre; Enoch Pratt …more >
A victim of a hate crime could seek damages in a civil action under House Bill 290. During today’s debate on the House floor, too many of my Republican colleagues spoke inaccurately about what the bill would do. That prompted me to speak. As the House sponsor of the original Hate Crimes Act, I rise …more >
Sports Entertainment Facilities Act of 2022 was the short title of House Bill 897 when it was introduced. As amended by the House of Delegates today, it is entitled, Economic Development – Sports Entertainment Facilities and Events, Prince George’s County Blue Line Corridor Facilities, and Racing Facilities. Of greatest interest to me was Section 3. …more >
The session ends next Monday at midnight. Once again, I went over the list of my bills that have made it to the Senate. I don’t want to work on a bill for months – several before Annapolis and three once we’re here, and have it die at the end because I took its passage …more >
Attorney General Brian Frosh sued Westminster Management, an apartment management company, for routinely using “unfair or deceptive” rental practices while running rodent-infested apartments in Baltimore. That suit was filed in October 2019. I introduced House Bill 499 at the 2021 session, requiring that any funds the State receives from such a lawsuit, brought under our …more >
Here’s a new term for the Annapolis dictionary: a presentment bill. The Maryland Constitution requires that a bill passed by the General Assembly be presented to the Governor. It must be taken from the clerk’s office on the first floor of the State House and presented to the staff of the Governor on the second …more >
Redistricting is an inherently political matter. When you draw the lines, should you take into account where incumbents live? Should a voter be able to cast a ballot for one member of the House of Delegates or three members? Should districts cross the boundary lines between Baltimore City and Baltimore County? Should a conservative neighborhood …more >
In Annapolis, there’s the reason, and then there’s the real reason. The real reason is not stated publicly. Politics may be involved. In this diary, I try to tell you the strategy needed to pass a bill. Tonight, I’ll discuss the strategy and then the real strategy. A few weeks ago, I wrote about a …more >
All politics is local. So are budget appropriations. Where state dollars are available, it’s my job to try to bring them to the 41st District. The capital budget is for construction projects. The Pimlico Race Course redevelopment, the Ambassador Theatre renovation, and a new Enoch Pratt Library branch in Park Heights will each get more …more >
I’m listening to the tape of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation hearing yesterday, as I write. No doubt you were also moved by her story from her freshman year at Harvard. “Persevere” was the single word uttered to her by a Black woman whose path she crossed one night on campus. Like Judge Jackson, …more >
