When the Congress passed the first civil rights bill since Reconstruction, Roy Wilkins, the executive director of the NAACP, called the watered down legislation “a small crumb.” This afternoon, Speaker Adrienne Jones and the House of Delegates leadership announced their support for ten measures addressing critical housing issues. That’s the whole loaf. The two issues …more >
As I prepared to testify on legislation providing a right to an attorney for poor tenants facing eviction, I expected to tell this story. Gideon v. Wainwright is the Supreme Court case that held a defendant charged with a felony is entitled to a lawyer, paid for by the state. Gideon’s Trumpet, written by the New …more >
Bill hearings are the public forum for witnesses on both sides of an issue to make their case. Or sometimes not. If the stakeholders are already discussing a compromise, they may not want to say out loud what they may be ready to concede in private. On the other hand, testimony can make it clear …more >
If your bill won’t have a public hearing until March, don’t despair. Email all of the interested parties now to get their input. Your goal is to reach consensus before the hearing. If you can do that, the committee can act favorably on your compromise – with time to spare. Every bill has a …more >
“The states are the laboratories of democracy.” I didn’t think of that. Justice Louis Brandeis did. For example, a minimum wage law was first enacted by Massachusetts in 1912. FDR made it part of the New Deal in 1933 Maryland became one of the first states to set aside a separate fund for the settlement …more >
I don’t need to be the lead sponsor of the bill that passes. What counts is passing into law an idea that I have proposed. My Voters’ Rights Protection Act, House Bill 57, is an example. It has six provisions that enhance voter access or election integrity. I learned today that the Ways and Means …more >
It doesn’t matter who sponsors the bill. When the Governor signs it, he gets credit for its enactment. Nonetheless, this is what Governor Hogan wrote to Maryland’s Congressional delegation yesterday. Maryland’s current course [for vaccinations] has brought the state “from 2,000 shots per day to over 22,000 shots per day in a matter of weeks,” …more >
It’s been eleven months since I entered the House chamber. The action we took today will have an impact for a decade and beyond. We adjourned early last March because of the pandemic. Committees have been meeting virtually for the last three weeks. Today was our first floor session. We voted to override Governor …more >
There was only one early voting location in St. Mary’s County last fall. It was 14 miles away from the community with the highest concentration of low-income voters and voters of color in the county. Objections were raised, but the State Board of Elections was powerless to act. My Voters Rights Protection Act (House Bill …more >
For my bills to get a public hearing, I need to submit them by Friday at 5:00. Do other bills address the issue, making my bill unnecessary? That was the response I got on my bill creating a task force to study whether mental health professionals or the police should respond to 911 calls. Instead, …more >
