A pre-meeting meeting is an Annapolis staple. Before the public meeting where votes are cast, the committee leadership meets in the back room (usually the Chairman’s office) to decide the fate of every bill on the voting list. On some committees, a voting list is then distributed with up or down arrows next to each …more >
My focus between now and our final day (April 10) will be five bills. They are the five bills I introduced that have passed the House and now need to pass the Senate. Last night, right after HB 1487 got a favorable vote, 97-42, I emailed this message to the landlord and tenant advocates whom …more >
House Bill 172 would amend our fair housing law. It would prohibit discriminatory practices with respect to residential housing because of a potential buyer or renter’s source of income. It’s the Section 8 bill. In my first job after law school, I started the Section 8 program in Baltimore City. This was a Nixon Administration …more >
Today we debated the bill giving the Md. Attorney General the authority to sue the federal government. This is what I said: Thank you Mister Speaker. This legislation, I would respectfully submit, does not waste taxpayer dollars. It preserves the fundamental rights under our constitution of every resident of this State. By giving our Attorney …more >
“This is a reminder to the body that this bill puts funding in the hands of 10 clinics, instead of in the hands of 93 community health centers.” The minority whip said this before the vote on House Bill 1083, which would preserve public funding for women’s reproductive health services if the Congress and President …more >
I’m the floor leader for the legislation that gives our Attorney General the authority to bring a lawsuit when the rights of Marylanders are impaired by the federal government. The bill also requires the Governor to fund the staffing needed to bring these cases. It was scheduled to be debated today on the House floor …more >
I had some chance encounters today. My staff was snowed in. The responsibility for getting today’s testimony to the print shop fell to me at 8 a.m. That’s what happens when you do the final draft first thing in the morning. On my way to the print shop, I ran into a leadership staffer and …more >
“Are you sure of it?” I was not asking about tomorrow’s projected snowfall. We were talking about the vote count on a bill. My colleague said a majority of the committee would vote for our bill. “Are you sure of it?” I responded. I didn’t doubt or mistrust him. I asked because you should never …more >
The debate on House Bill 224 was lasting longer than normal. Extended debate means your bill could be in trouble. HB 224 would waive the residency requirement for in-State tuition purposes at a public post-secondary institution in the state for an individual who has completed an AmeriCorps Program in the state. Simply put, as the …more >
I sent this email to the lobbyist for Planned Parenthood on November 16. Subject: Our response if federal government defunds Planned Parenthood “I’ve just started to think about what we could do in Md. If this happens. We should talk.” Sandy Our conversation, joined by other legislators and key staffers, resulted in House Bill 1083, …more >
