Enoch Pratt Library – Sandy Rosenberg

Outside Factors

January 17, 2024 | by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

You go to the hospital to get health care.

You go to school to get an education.

You go to the library to get a book.

In each instance, there are outside factors that affect how you benefit benefit from the service provided.

Preventive care will keep you out of the emergency room. And delay your return.

A pillar of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is to “clos[e] deeply entrenched opportunity and achievement gaps to ensure that all students, from advanced learners to those who are struggling and have been historically underserved, receive the necessary support in order to reach their full potential.”

In addition to books, Enoch Pratt Library branches provide a host of services, such as “Social Worker in the Library.”

Our committee hearing today was prompted by the fact that Maryland has the longest average time per visit to the emergency room among the 50 states.

What are the causes? High occupancy rates for inpatient beds, employee vacancies, patients with behavioral health needs, and the length of time needed for guardianship decisions by the courts.

The fancy term: social determinants of health.

I know that from my efforts to prevent lead poisoning.

It’s all local.

March 28, 2022 | by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

All politics is local.

So are budget appropriations.

Where state dollars are available, it’s my job to try to bring them to the 41st District.

The capital budget is for construction projects.

The Pimlico Race Course redevelopment, the Ambassador Theatre renovation, and a new Enoch Pratt Library branch in Park Heights will each get more than $1 million, thanks to the efforts of myself and my 41st District colleagues.

Governor Hogan and the General Assembly just reached agreement on tax cuts for retirees and working families.

Individuals 65 and older who make less than $100,000 in retirement income will receive a $1,000 tax credit. For couples earning less than $150,000 in retirement income, the credit is $1750.

In addition, certain medical, personal care, and child care products will be exempted from the sales tax.

Additional spending was also announced.

I’m aware of increases in public safety that could enhance police protection in Howard Park, scene of a triple homicide earlier this month, and other neighborhoods.

I’ll review the Governor’s supplemental budget to see if there are other programs where the benefits can be local.

Grievances and Openings

July 16, 2020 | by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

Perhaps you read the Baltimore Sun article about Governor Hogan’s memoir:

In the book, Hogan writes of hearing from Baltimore residents about what he refers to as “grievances”: a lack of jobs, poor schools and closed community centers. Hogan writes that he told people he would “keep working on the things you’re talking about that aren’t right. But first, we have to get the city back under control.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-pr-pol-hogan-memoir-2024-presidential-possibility-20200715-doh6bf7md5cj5o3ojkev2x7m6u-story.html

The disturbances after Freddie Gray’s funeral are the subject of the chapters released to the press.

The center of the confrontation between residents and the police was the intersection of North and Pennsylvania Avenues.

There’s a Pratt Library branch there. It stayed open, unlike the community centers Governor Hogan speaks of.

That decision was made by Carla Hayden, then the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, now the Librarian of Congress.

When the General Assembly reconvened, Speaker Mike Busch made a decision.

He had a bill introduced to increase state and local funding for Pratt branches throughout the City so that hours could be extended.

The bill passed the House and the Senate by wide margins.

The Governor let the bill become law without his signature.

My constituents – from one end of the 41st District to another, were enthusiastic.

The next year, however, the Governor introduced legislation to eliminate this funding.

The General Assembly restored the money.

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You can speak with City Council President Brandon Scott on our 41st District Town Hall Tuesday evening from 5:30-6:30. For details on this Zoom meeting, contact aswilliams@house.state.md.us.

Extended Hours at the Pratt Library

May 7, 2018 | by delsandy | Sandy's 2018 Legislative Diary | No Comments

The intersection of Pennsylvania and North Avenues was the focal point of the demonstrations and confrontations after the death of Freddie Gray.

The neighborhood branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library at that intersection stayed open.

That commitment to the library’s mission prompted the 2016 General Assembly to enact legislation providing state funds to extend the hours of all Pratt branches.

The bill became law without Governor Hogan’s signature because he opposes mandates that require him to put money in the state budget.

When we told neighborhood groups that their branch would be open longer, they were elated – from Edmondson Village to Roland Park, with branches in Walbrook, Forest Park, and Glen In between.

Delegate Angela Gibson and I wanted to learn about the impact of the longer hours first hand.

We toured the five branches in the 41st District last week.

Patronage and circulation are up.

The lesson I brought home, however, is that a library branch and the access it provides to computers is of great benefit to job seekers.

What they learn from the books they borrow will make them more skilled employees.

Take out a book

January 5, 2018 | by delsandy | Sandy's 2018 Legislative Diary | No Comments

Because one Pratt Library branch stayed open, all of the branches will now stay open longer.

The drug store at Pennsylvania and North Avenues had been burned. Protesters were confronting the police over the death of Freddie Gray. The Pratt library branch, however, stayed open.

The next year, the General Assembly passed legislation for the state to fund 75% of the cost of extending Pratt Library branch hours. The City would pay the rest of the cost.

Governor Hogan did not sign the bill into law because it mandated state spending. It took effect without his signature.

This coming Monday, every Pratt branch will be open until 8 pm.

In celebration, my District 41 colleagues and I will visit the five branches in our district.

5:00 PM – Edmondson Ave Branch, 4330 Edmondson Ave., 21229
5:30 PM – Walbrook Branch, 3203 W. North Ave., 21216
6:15 PM – Forest Park Branch, 3023 Garrison Blvd., 21216
7:00 PM – Reisterstown Road Branch, 6310 Reisterstown Rd., 21215
7:30 PM – Roland Park Branch, 5108 Roland Ave., 21210

Join us Monday night. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the vital role that our libraries play in our daily life. And to take out a book — or a CD.

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Tag: Enoch Pratt Library