Info you need, including details on the "Stay at Home" statewide order issued this morning (March 30), the critical importance of the Census, and why Progressive Maryland and allies are backing the People's Bailout -- and what it means.
Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday March 30 2020
CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY – LATEST UPDATE TODAY (March 30)
 Gov. Larry Hogan has tightened restrictions on public movement with this “Stay-at-Home Order” announced this morning (March 30): “All persons living in the State of Maryland are hereby ordered, effective as of 8:00 p.m. on March 30, 2020, to stay in their homes or places of residence (“Homes”) except: to conduct or participate in Essential Activities” defined as getting food or medicine or seeking medical care. People employed in those businesses – grocery stores, drug stores, medical care providers – may go to work. See the details of the latest order here: https://governor.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gatherings-FOURTH-AMENDED-3.30.20.pdf
Access to fuller information from the state is here, including coping resources for families and individuals https://governor.maryland.gov/coronavirus/
AN ACCURATE CENSUS COUNT IS CRITICAL – BECAUSE WE ALL COUNT
Did you know that Census information can help predict the spread of diseases through communities? It's incredibly crucial, especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, that we put the health of safety of our communities first. This is why we at Progressive Maryland value the importance of the 2020 Census and are actively working to ensure that everyone is counted. When the “people map” of our state and its communities is accurate, there is better response to any emergency. The 2020 Census will also help determine the distribution of billions of dollars in state and federal funding to local communities for needs such as hospitals and school lunch programs so we need all residents to fill it out. We are encouraging our members and supporters to complete the 2020 Census online now. It only takes 10 minutes! Go to my2020census.gov to get started.Â
TELL CONGRESS – WE NEED A “PEOPLE’S BAILOUT” IN THIS CRISIS Progressive Maryland, our allies and our national affiliate People’s Action are endorsers and facilitators of the campaign for a People’s Bailout.
Five Principles for Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus
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Health is the top priority, for all people, with no exceptions
2. Economic relief must be provided directly to the people
3. Rescue workers and communities, not corporate executives
4. Make a downpayment on a regenerative economy while preventing future crises
5. Protect our democratic process while protecting each other
The COVID-19 pandemic demands swift and unprecedented action from the federal government. The depth of the crisis and the scope of the response mean that choices being made right now will shape our society for years, if not decades to come. The interrelated crises of wealth inequality, racism, and ecological decline in place long before COVID-19 now risk being intensified. This is a time to be decisive in saving lives, and bold in charting a path to a genuinely healthier and more equitable future through a just recovery. National and local leaders must move on these priorities – or get out of the way.
See the detailed explanation of how these five principles will get us to a better future here https://thepeoplesbailout.org/
Here is our updated information on access to necessities during this crisis: https://www.progressivemaryland.org/progressive_maryland_weekly_memo_health_emergency_services_annex_for_monday_march_23
PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND – OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE
Progressive Prince George’sÂ
MOCO Update March 30, 2020
We are trying to do our best across the state and across the organization to respond to the Coronavirus emergency.  We’re practicing social distancing and abiding by all the other recommendations from health and government officials including the restrictions on in-person gatherings.  Progressive Maryland is supporting mutual aid efforts for folks and communities in need. We continue to do outreach and organizing using on-line tools, phone calls, and social media.
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Along with our allies we’re monitoring the County’s response as well as the state and national response to the emergency; we’re pushing  for health and economic measures and action that will directly aid families, workers, renters, and low wealth residents.
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Local Update and Action Needed:
--Progressive Maryland supports the Montgomery County Education Association’s call to the School District and the County Council and Executive to fully fund our public schools. MCEA is in the midst of very important contract negotiations with MCPS. The bargaining sessions have been postponed but you can still support our teachers by signing the petition and sharing with other County residents.
        You can also support the teachers by sharing a short testimonial with us.
 Parents and people everywhere have a renewed appreciation for what teachers and other school personnel provide to our kids and communities.  Write a few sentences and send them to Josh, our lead MOCO organizer, at [email protected]. We’ll share them with MCEA.
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--We anticipate serious economic repercussions due to the financial fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic including an impact on the  County’s revenue. We’ll face challenging choices as a community about local budget priorities and spending. In our view the public school system should be considered central to any and all economic recovery efforts. Stay tuned here and on our Facebook page for information about the next steps on the County Executive’s budget proposal and the Council’s deliberations.
PRIMARY ELECTION UPDATE:
The April Primary date has been changed from April 28 to June 2. In addition to the Presidential contest important School Board and Judicial races are on the ballot. Please make a plan to vote! Contact us for more information. Check out our election resource guide at www.progressivemaryland.org.
 Thank you for taking action on these issues even during these challenging times.  Contact  Josh Raznick at [email protected] or Patty Snee at [email protected] if you want to learn more and get involved in the MOCO Chapter’s education, election, or other issue work.
Take Action Anne Arundel County
Lower Shore Progressive CaucusÂ
Join us! Our next meeting is on April 2! Due to concerns about COVID-19, we will be meeting via Zoom instead of face-to-face. Click here for info.
>>Baltimore progressives, Check in on the wide-ranging Baltimore Activist Alert calendar and tip sheet at http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
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Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our recent blogs are shown below, but if you want a handy way to keep track – and never miss a blog post – you can sign up to get this Weekly Memo by email. Remember this is your blogspace and your participation is heartily invited. See something going on that you don’t like – or that you do like and hope to see more of? Send us your thoughts; submit to the moderator at [email protected]
We recently published these blog posts:
March 27, 2020 Â Fear at Work
As the coronavirus emergency overtook Maryland, day by day and with new restrictions piling up, thousands have watched their jobs evaporate under their feet. Some workers, in food service and retail, can't telework the human contact they provided. The story of one restaurant's slow dissolution, and the impact -- physical and mental -- on workers, plays out here in Kurt Stand's personal account.
March 25, 2020 "Pay-to-play" gets second act in Prince George's via Assembly action
/PM BlogSpace Report/ Developer cash has long ruled the roost in Prince George’s County government. In the 2012 reform of “pay to play” electoral culture outlined here, Council members and the executive were barred from such campaign contributions from active applicants as posing a clear conflict of interest.
Now a powerful committee chair, Dereck E. Davis of Prince George’s, has engineered a reversal of that protection. Bad things may happen.
March 23, 2020 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, March 23, 2020
The Memo this week focuses again on how our lives have changed and how to get what we need in the worst health emergency most of us have ever gone through. We start with food for our kids and move on to other matters like health care access (Maryland has reopened enrollment) and justice for all. News of our Progressive Maryland chapters and our blog posts are, as always, on offer.
We have put the details of local enhanced services in an annex post you can find here (below).
March 23, 2020 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo Health Emergency Services Annex for Monday, March 23
UPDATED MARCH 30 – LOOK FOR GREEN TEXT Here are changes and new services from counties around Maryland to meet the emergency needs of the many who are sheltering in place. Today, March 23, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan ordered all businesses not deemed essential to shut down at 5 PM until further notice.
>REMEMBER – these blog posts are frequently expressions of political opinion from our wide-ranging membership and circle of allies. They are not expressions of opinion by Progressive Maryland. Don’t be surprised if they sometimes vary in their political content. You might even disagree with them – a good reason to contribute a blog of your own. Send it to the moderator, Woody Woodruff, at [email protected].
>>Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace from June 2015 through December 2016 are all available with descriptions and links here. You can follow blogs for 2017-18 starting from here
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