It’s been a while since people walked to a house of worship in the Howard Park community at sunset on a Friday evening. Last night, the purpose was a community meeting about the grocery store for the vacant lot at Liberty Heights and Hillsdale Avenues. The place was All Saints Roman Catholic church. For more …more >
I spoke about two bills at my fundraiser last night. The first was the law requiring any bidder for the MARC commuter rail contract to disclose its involvement in transporting people to Nazi death camps during World War II. Leo Bretholz was the prime mover of that legislation. He leapt from the train transporting him …more >
I flunked Civil Procedure. My law school professor called me into his office to discuss how I could overcome my failing grade. He all but gave me a subway token so that I could get to Penn Station and take the train home from New York. But before he reached …more >
I want to share with you two very special moments from this legislative session. Leo Bretholz was on a train taking him to a certain death. It was World War II, and the French railroad company was transporting thousands of Jews and others in cattle cars to Nazi concentration camps. Leo, then 22, escaped by …more >
“I hate to say this, but I don’t think we have much choice. At this late hour, we have to accept the Senate amendments. That being said, what do the amendments do?” I emailed our committee counsel on election law. I had just read the changes that a Senate committee had made to …more >
I’ve been trying to prevent lead poisoning of children since my first year in the legislature. From day one, the landlords have said, “If you require us to do preventive measures, the cost will put us out business.” We’ve imposed reasonable requirements that reduce the risk to kids, and the landlords are …more >
Never before have I had difficulty responding to a roll call. I knew how I was going to vote all along. I didn’t know if my emotions would allow me to say “yes.” Senate Bill 167 would allow students whose parents are not American citizens to pay the lower in-state tuition at …more >
It’s a House of Delegates tradition for me to give the opening prayer for the floor session the day of the Orioles home opener: “Spring training and the post season are the best times of year. It’s the purity of the game. It’s teaching,” said Buck Showalter this spring. “Don’t just practice. …more >
Many games will be played between now and midnight on April 11, when the session ends. And I don’t mean baseball games. A senator may delay action on your bill because the committee you serve on hasn’t voted favorably on the senator’s bill. In response, the House committee can amend your bill …more >
I got most of my work done today by running into people. Just before the Senate went into session, I walked into that chamber, looking for a senator who had delayed a vote on one of my bills in committee yesterday. I didn’t find that person but did run into the chair …more >
