“Sandy, can we pull the two proposed bills, or slow roll them, while this side conversation takes place?” A constituent sent me that message today. I met with him and several colleagues in December to discuss how their businesses could benefit from changes in state law. That side conversation is taking place, I replied, because …more >
I didn’t speak on the House floor this morning, even though I sponsored the legislation we were debating. I didn’t need to speak. We had the votes to pass the resolution, 89-50. It authorizes the Maryland Attorney General to bring a lawsuit when action by the federal government harms state residents, without obtaining the approval …more >
“Whatever it is, I’m against it.” Groucho Marx sings that line in Horse Feathers. Sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, bureaucrats and lobbyists sing that line, instead of reading my bills. My bill in question would amend an existing grant program by authorizing – permitting but not requiring, that the money can be used to repay the academic …more >
Sweat the details. That applies to the language in a bill and, just as importantly, to government-funded construction projects back home. At meetings with neighborhoods in the Edmondson Village corridor about the Red Line, my 41st District colleagues and I made that promise. Today, the subject was school construction. Seven schools in our district will …more >
Which area of the state has the lowest percentage of residents 25 and older with a college degree? In what area of the state did Donald Trump get his highest percentage of the vote in the Republican primary last June ? The answer to both questions: Essex and Dundalk. I learned that this summer, which …more >
A fiscal note of $22.4 million and your bill is dead. But perhaps not dead dead. House Bill 435 would require data encryption by several state agencies. The projected cost of $22.4M in the first year, then $8.7M every year thereafter, normally lays a bill to rest. If an agency opposes a bill, it may …more >
Two ancient history lessons today. During the Cuban missile crisis, Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, sent President Kennedy two messages. One was belligerent, the other was not. Kennedy responded to the second. The crisis was solved without shots (or missiles) being fired. I met with an advocate this morning and attended a press conference on …more >
Legislating loves company. I will be testifying next to Attorney General Brian Frosh later this week. The subject: authorizing his office to bring a law suit to prevent arbitrary or unconstitutional federal actions from harming Maryland residents. Unlike his counterpart in Washington state, our AG cannot initiate a legal action regarding the travel ban or …more >
It helps to meet with the people affected by your bill before the public hearing. That way, you can learn about their concerns and, if they’re reasonable, address them with an amendment. That’s far better than their testifying against your bill before the committee. The public hearing for two of my election law bills is …more >
“Precisely because the problem is one of temperament and character, it will not get better. It will get worse, as power intoxicates Trump and those around him,” former Bush administration official Eliot Cohen wrote in The Atlantic. President Kennedy said the same thing – almost. “When power intoxicates, poetry restores sobriety,” read the draft of …more >
