I withdrew two of my bills today. One because the executive branch wrote a letter. The other because it was the right idea but not yet in the right pew. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene “plans to continue to make Wraparound services available to youth with intensive needs,” Secretary Van Mitchell wrote me …more >
Sometimes, a summer study won’t do; my bill needs to be enacted. Two made it to the House floor today. The first dealt with the Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program. Last year, we extended the program from the summer to the fall and winter semesters. Since students will be attending classes, their …more >
A real person’s testimony can make the case for your legislation far better than the polished remarks of a lobbyist or a legislator. Myself included. That real person would be affected by the bill. A personal story is more effective or moving than an abstract analysis. I’m sponsoring a bill that would benefit blind parents …more >
“That’s a win,” Delegate Morales declared. She and I introduced House Bill 975. We did so after learning about Cesar Vargas, a 32-year-old Mexican immigrant without legal status who was recently admitted to the bar of New York. Under our bill, if someone qualifies for in-state tuition at the undergraduate level, a dreamer under the …more >
For the second year in a row, my bill won’t pass. That’s fine with me. My No Wrong Door legislation would create a one-stop shop for families in need seeking state benefits. Last year, House Bill 66 received an unfavorable report. However, the Appropriations Committee added language to the budget bill calling upon the Department …more >
When it comes to bill drafting, I’m very conservative. If another state has adopted a law on the same topic, use it. If that statute proves inadequate, you’ll have evidence to improve what we enacted. When you’re proposing changes to existing law, tinker with that language instead of replacing it. You don’t need to reenact …more >
I had never done this before. I had no written testimony for the hearing on my lynching bill. Instead, I distributed to the committee the chilling account of the lynching of George Armwood in Sherrilyn Ifill’s On the Courthouse Lawn. I pointed out that Clarence Mitchell, Jr. reported on the Armwood lynching for the Afro …more >
You can’t expect your opponents to share with you their tactics for killing your bill. But when you learn how they’re trying to do so, you need to respond. Over the last two days, I’ve learned of objections to my legislation creating a Commission on Solemn Remembrance of the Victims of Lynching that took place …more >
Earl Weaver might call it deep depth. I introduced legislation at the request of one of the Cabinet agencies. Since the bill hearing is this week, I met with the department’s lobbyist. “You need to show the committee chair that this bill is important to you,” I advised. “That means your Secretary should meet with …more >
Justice Scalia was one of my 81 closest friends. As an Orioles season ticket holder, I go to 81 home games with my friends. For over twenty years, I have gone to a game with the Justice. We met at a Johns Hopkins event in 1993. My cousin, Jerome Schnydman, was the Director of Alumni …more >
