I chair the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Health Facilities. After certain bills have a hearing before the full committee, they’re referred to the subcommittee. We have eleven members and meet weekly. If there’s a difference of opinion among the bill’s sponsor, a state agency, a service provider, or a lobbyist, we try to resolve …more >
I was strategizing with my staff about my bill hearings the next two weeks. You put your bills in early. Fifteen so far. Your bills get heard early. Hopefully they’re given a favorable committee report, which sends the bill to the full House for debate. Whom can we get to testify in support of my …more >
We debated the redistricting map for the state legislature on the floor of the House of Delegates today. One of the issues we debated was whether people are better served by a district with three delegates or one delegate. This is what I said: You’ve heard me talk about Pimlico Race Track once or twice …more >
As you may recall, I usually offer the opening prayer on the first day of the legislative session. This year, a prayer was offered in memory of the passing that morning of Steve Sachs, the Attorney General of Maryland from 1979-87. I offered my prayer this morning, our first floor session since opening day. I …more >
Silence may be golden. But that’s not the case at a bill hearing. The State has a study center to analyze data from various agencies. However, the Abell Foundation has been unable to receive data to evaluate which programs better prepare prisoners for life on the outside after they serve their sentence. My bill would …more >
There are photographs of all of the past presidents of the Women’s Division of the Associated Jewish Charities in one of the meeting rooms at 101 W. Mt. Royal Av. My mother was president from 1971-73. During a condolence call, one longtime friend told me that decades ago, when she was new to the Associated …more >
I know something about political courage. I saw colleagues vote for repeal of the death penalty, persuaded by the logic of our argument. I know something about filibusters. Every fall, I teach about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Until then, every civil rights bill since Reconstruction had died – killed by …more >
I don’t think I’ve ever been in this situation before – skeptical about a capital project in my district. My 41st District colleagues and I have been working with several community associations to improve a heavily trafficked intersection. This week, the City Department of Transportation submitted its capital improvements budget to the City Planning Commission. …more >
The less I bring to the witness table, the more I know about my bill. If all I have is a copy of the bill, I’m ready to make the case for it and to answer the questions I expect to be asked. If I bring another witness with me to the table, I expect …more >
“That is not true.” I don’t say that often in Annapolis, but today I did twice. A witness stated that her organization was “very proactive” when my bill was enacted three years ago. Not that I remembered. I asked a research librarian for the witness lists for my legislation. The organization was nowhere to be …more >
