I doubt if I’ll be in the class picture of legislators at yesterday’s signing of the marriage equality bill. I was in the back of the group and caught only a bare glimpse of the camera lenses and cell phones. Right afterwards, however, Delegate Keiffer Mitchell introduced me to Wade Henderson, President …more >
The testimony had ended on my bill creating a task force to study how to assist seniors of limited means with home repairs, safety improvements, and energy saving renovations. I was thanking our witnesses when we were joined by a representative of the Cabinet agency that would be responsible for coordinating that …more >
Another vote on the death penalty. An Anne Arundel County jury has rejected a death sentence for an inmate who had been convicted of murdering a prison officer. The jury of his peers felt that life without the possibility of parole was the appropriate punishment. This is the second time in …more >
I start my workday with a list and a question. My bills are on a spreadsheet, from the first one that had a public hearing to the one scheduled for March 21. As I work my way through the list, I ask this question: What do I need to do today to …more >
Perhaps his stomach discomfort prevented Senator Santorum from reading beyond the semicolon. The third paragraph of then-Senator Kennedy’s speech to the Houston Ministerial Association in 1960 begins with the words that upset Mr. Santorum. I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute; The full paragraph …more >
I don’t claim to be a 4th Amendment scholar. What I remember from law school: if a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, the police must get a warrant before searching that person’s home or car. But does that mean the police need to have a judge’s approval to learn a …more >
No one was in the room, but progress was made. My bill to protect the instructional, creative, or scholarly work product of professors was first on the list for the Government Operations subcommittee. Before it was taken up, however, there was a request to leave the room from the lobbyist for the …more >
A rare day without a hearing on any of my bills but action on several. Housing Secretary Ray Skinner emailed that his department will support my bill creating a task force to study providing home improvements for senior citizens. Since his agency would implement the recommendations of the task force, that is …more >
I won’t be in the room, but others will be. On Thursday, a subcommittee is scheduled to discuss my bill broadening the exemption from the Public Information Act for the academic work done by professors at state colleges and universities. The sponsor is not present when his or her bill is voted …more >
Pimlico Race Course, repeal of the death penalty, and stem cell research were on my list of issues to deal with when the day began. It’s premature to discuss the substance of my power breakfast, meetings, and emails. But I can say that the commitment made, the contacts planned, and the drafting initiated were what …more >
