There’s only one week left of the Legislative Session and while we’ve taken some big losses this year on our priority bills, we have made significant progress on others. As you know, we've been working hard to advocate for policies that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Marylanders, from affordable healthcare to criminal justice reform. 

With the session coming to a close on April 11, it's crucial that we continue to stay engaged and vocal about our priorities. We'll be closely monitoring the progress of some bills and working to build support among legislators and the public. We are proud of the work we have accomplished so far and remain committed to seeing these bills through to the end. We still need to push a few priority bills across the finish line and you can find quick actions you can take in our legislative updates section.

Your support is critical to our success, and we're grateful for everything you've done to help us push for a more progressive Maryland this session. Check out this week’s Memo for plenty of updates, events, actions to take, and news you can use!

In solidarity, 

The Progressive Maryland Team

Here’s what’s in today’s memo:

• Legislative updates: urgent actions to take
• PM task forces & issue campaigns: EJTF, & RCTF 
• Local chapter updates: Harford County, PG County & LSPC
• State & National news

Legislative Updates:

The Reproductive Health Equity Act of 2023, was recently passed in the General Assembly! It ensures that individuals have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion services, regardless of their income level, immigration status, or any other factor that might impede their ability to access care.

URGENT ACTION NEEDED:

The Senate has one week to take up and vote on the The Access to Care Act. This urgently needed bill expands healthcare to immigrants through the Maryland Health Exchange. We need this step to allow nearly 300,000 Marylanders the chance to buy health insurance policies for themselves and their families. Tell Senate President Bill Ferguson to do the right thing for these hardworking everyday community members. We all benefit when everyone in our state has a healthcare plan: Maryland will have better health outcomes and we’ll reduce the amount of money we spend as a state on emergency room care. Sen. Ferguson said at a press conference last week that our state is in a very healthy financial place and that we have resources to invest in our people. He has vowed to leave no one behind. In light of those sentiments this is the perfect time for him to give the Senate a chance to vote as the House overwhelmingly did to open the Exchange. Take action today! 

Use our easy email tool and call tool to email our Senators and ask them to support the Access to Care Act in Maryland! Every call and email counts. Please ask others to do the same! 

The General Assembly voted against including labor peace agreements (LPA) in the rollout of cannabis legalization bills. Read this article written by Hope Wiseman, co-founder of Mary & Main and PM member, to learn more about why the failure to include LPAs is a major disappointment and step back for racial justice in the cannabis industry!

Updates: PM Task Forces & Issue Campaigns 

Returning Citizens Taskforce

April is National Re-entry month, numerous initiatives and events will be held in Prince George’s, throughout Maryland, and across the country highlighting initiatives underway that address the unmet needs of people who have been incarcerated.

Antoin Quarles founder of Hope in Baltimore will address the next meeting of the Returning Citizens Task Force (RCTF). His presentation is part of our ongoing initiative to other organizations across Maryland advocating for the restoration of rights for people after release from prison and working to support individuals in need of jobs, housing and social services.

The meeting will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, April 4 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, on zoom. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Kurt.

Environmental Justice Task Force

South Baltimore community members, in Cherry Hill, will join forces with Progressive Maryland's Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) on Saturday April 15th, 3-4:30p, at the Enoch Pratt Library Brooklyn Park Branch for a discussion on the next strategy steps  to put an end to Baltimore's Trash incinerator once and for all--here is the registration link for the event.

Baltimore City Councilwoman Phylicia Porter, representing council District-10, will speak at this event.

Join us and take action to put an end to this ecological exploitation connected to environmental racism.

Local Chapter Updates:

Progressive Harford County 

Sign up for Progressive Harford County's monthly meeting. It will be on April 17 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. We'll finalize our plans for Progressive Harford's table at the Harford County Earth Day Festival. Then we'll discuss the next events and initiatives the chapter should pursue this year. 

Register today for the Harford County Democratic Mixer. It will be on April 23 from 1-4 p.m. at TB3 Bar & Grill. Come out and meet Democrats of all stripes in Harford County. This mixer is about Democrats coming together and getting to know each other. Anyone who wants to get active with Democratic politics in Harford is welcome to attend. The host organizations will give a short presentation at 2 p.m. on specific ways to get involved. The mixer is free to attend. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. 

Help confirm attendees to the Harford County Democratic Mixer. Progressive Harford is calling people who have signed up to remind them to attend the mixer. The confirmation phone bank will be on April 20 from 6-8 p.m. on Zoom. Phone bankers of all levels are encouraged to attend. Scripts and calling lists will be provided. Phone banking training will also be provided beforehand. 

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus (LSPC)

Congratulations to LSPC Chair Jared Schlabein for being named as one of 36 under 36 leaders to watch by the Maryland Democratic Party: some outstanding young talent across our beloved state. We’re glad to see recognition of Jared’s effective rural issue and electoral organizing on the Eastern Shore.

Progressive Prince George's

 AROS-PG CALLS TO ACTION: 

• JOIN US at our Progressive Prince George’s: AROS Community Meeting on the PGCPS CEO issue, tentatively scheduled for April 22nd via Zoom, from 4-6 p.m. Please REGISTER to receive the Zoom link and share the registration link with neighbors, family, coworkers and friends.

• REGISTER for Throwdown Thursday this week to share in the work of spreading the news to the community about the PGCPS CEO campaign and ways they can get involved. The more the merrier! We will be accomplishing phone and door knocking outreach on this very important issue and event several times a week for the next four weeks. Please register to phone bank by clicking the link above or contact Dev, the Prince George's County organizer, to learn more and get involved!

State and National News:

Time to ask what’s getting left undone in the General Assembly: Rent relief and access to care. Maryland’s leaders are looking the other way on the question of shelter affordability. Who benefits? Greedy landlords.  And Maryland's leaders are ignoring over a quarter-million Marylanders whose immigration status makes it hard-to-impossible for them to qualify for health care.

Find out about these holes in the process -- and more -- in News You Can Use from Progressive Maryland.

Progressive Maryland BlogSpace:

We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc. to be published on our website to the blog moderator Woody.

• New Today –  Time to ask what the Assembly is leaving undone: rent relief, access to care and more...
• "How's he doing?" Gov. Moore's over/under as Assembly close approaches
• Crossroads encounter for progressive bills. Who loses? News You Can Use
• Bill logjam demands opening -- citizens need to prod Assembly members
• Moore's minions, Assembly crossover day sharpen the timeline

>>Read more on the homepage of progressivemaryland.org

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Progressive Maryland
P.O. Box 6988
Largo, MD 20792