I always knew what high school I was going to attend. My cousins, Sam and Jerome, and then my brother, Stewart, went to City. I knew I would too. On Saturday, I walked among the nearly 15,000 parents and children at the Middle and High School Choice Fair at Camden Yards. Sixty-four public schools made …more >
“I didn’t need to talk about putting in a bill.” I had just completed a meeting with top Department of Human Resources officials. The topic was a pilot program to involve the non-custodial or absent father in the pregnant mother’s application for public benefits. I’m still interested in welfare reform, even though it’s been nine …more >
I spent the morning speed dating. My fellow speedsters were Baltimore City department heads and their top staff. I stayed at the same table while the bureaucrats rotated among the legislators in the six districts in the City delegation to Annapolis. If nothing concentrates the mind like a hanging – or in Annapolis, a bill …more >
I try to practice what I preach. “When you testify in Annapolis, don’t read your written remarks. Know your subject well enough that you don’t use that piece of paper as a crutch. You’re better off stumbling a bit but always keeping eye contact.” That’s my mantra for advocates during the 90-day session and for …more >
99% of the time, it’s the little guy who wants to change the law. The consumer who needs protection, the employee who’s been discriminated against in the workplace, or the tenant who’s living in unsafe housing. The business community tries to kill the legislation or to weaken it with amendments. Those roles will be reversed …more >
How is a gas tax different from all other taxes? The business community supports it. That’s not my great insight. The witness from the Washington Board of Trade said so when testifying before our committee. “That’s well and good,” one of my colleagues stated, “but how do we persuade the people we represent that they …more >
“I don’t think the number of Democrats or Republicans who would be elected to Congress is the issue.” I forget who said that at today’s hearing. It doesn’t matter. It’s not true. Redistricting is all about politics. The lines on the maps drawn by Republicans in states where they control the executive and legislative branches …more >
I get ideas for bills from lots of places – community meetings, advocacy groups, newspapers and magazines. Yesterday, the New York Times ran a story that failed to mention a bill that I’ve already passed. “States Adding Drug Test as Hurdle for Welfare” read the front-page headline. Legislation requiring applicants for welfare to take a …more >
“First-year teachers are pretty much useless. To me, the ideal teacher is a third-year Teach for America teacher.” The principal of a South Bronx public middle school, Ramon Gonzalez, said this in a New York Times magazine article this past spring. I reread it this week for the Legislation course I co-teach at the University …more >
