When you have your case won, sit down and shut up. I learned that in law school. When the person following you to the witness stand is an expert with an extraordinary commitment to educating every child, regardless of the skills or limitations the student brings to the classroom, sit down and shut up. …more >
“Wouldn’t this bill would help both the left and the right?” the Minority Leader asked. “Yes it does. That was my intent,” I responded. My bill would prohibit force, deceit and intimidation by those gathering signatures to have a referendum on a bill passed by the General Assembly. The same prohibitions would also …more >
Who’s copied on an email can be as important as the content of the message. A House staffer sent me his evaluation of the amendments to a bill that I’m very interested in. A Senate staffer was also copied on the message. I asked the House staffer the significance. As I thought, …more >
“Strong, responsible unions are essential to industrial fair play. Without them the labor bargain is wholly one-sided,” declared Justice Brandeis. Organized labor does need to adjust to changed circumstances. The auto industry bailouts, for example, forced changes that were clearly overdue. However, when labor unions set decent working conditions and benefit levels for their members, there is …more >
I did not expect this delegate would be flattered by my attention. During the House floor session, a colleague told me that a member of his committee had raised concerns about my bill to allow used car dealers to be open on Sunday if Saturday was their Sabbath. I walked over to that delegate, discussed …more >
You can touch the lives of many people in this job. Twenty three years ago, Maryland became the first state to help students enter public service by providing loan repayments to assist them in repaying their academic debt. That was my bill. We heard testimony today on legislation to allow people with …more >
He has a vote, and I want it. One of my bills has been referred to a subcommittee. A freshman delegate asked a question about the legislation at a meeting last week. The General Assembly research staff found a relevant court case. I gave the delegate a copy of the decision before …more >
I wasn’t sure if people would understand the reference. I was about to speak to a labor rally protesting the attempted union busting by Wisconsin’s governor. Yesterday, I had been reminded of a major event in labor history – the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In 1911, 146 workers …more >
I had visions of John Belushi. We were trying to find a professor who had taught a certain freshman delegate, thinking that relationship would be very effective for lobbying. We knew where the legislator had gone to school but not who had taught him. I thought of Belushi rummaging through the …more >
You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get more than what you need. It’s the exception when your bill passes without amendments the first time it’s introduced, but sometimes developments exceed your expectations. Since my bill allowing used car dealers to remain open on Sunday and close on Saturday affects only Baltimore …more >
