The people, the stories, the chants, the energy! We brought it Monday to Annapolis at our healthcare justice rally on Lawyer’s Mall. Thanks to you and our coalition partners we showed our strength as patients, organizers, and everyday community members who want healthcare for all. Thanks to EVERYONE who helped make this speak out so successful! On the virtual side Mike was our camera man, live streaming the event.  Bee, Erica, and Ashley created a  welcoming space for the virtual participants.  

At the State House PM’s Healthcare Task Force leaders shared their stories, talked to the press, bonded with other attendees, and led our lobby visits with our lawmakers before the event. Thank you Crystal, David, Syl, Peter and Susan. 

Crossover Day is one week away, and it's a crucial day in the Maryland Legislature. Crossover Day is the deadline by which bills introduced in one chamber of the legislature must cross over to the other chamber in order to remain eligible for consideration during the current legislative session. In other words, if a bill doesn't make it through one chamber and into the other by the end of Crossover Day, it's unlikely to become law this year. We have 7 days to ensure progressive legislation continues moving forward this session! 

We’ll be working hard this week to urge lawmakers to support bills that will benefit working Marylanders and we want you to join us! Today, we’re hosting a Healthcare Justice Rally in Annapolis and virtually. Check out our event’s section for more information.

Now is the time to make your voice heard! Contact your elected representatives and let them know which bills matter most to you, and urge them to support these bills before Crossover Day arrives. You can find easy tools to contact your representatives and more calls to actions in our task forces and local chapters sections of the memo.  

Let's make sure that the most important issues facing our state get the attention and consideration they deserve during this year's legislative session. 

The bill pileup in the Assembly, House and Senate both, is getting kind of outrageous as "Crossover Day" approaches. Sure, the legislators are trying to hold on to their perks and power as having a Dem governor seems to make everything smoother, maybe too much smoother. If some bills are being held hostage for other purposes, well, it will be hard to get an admission on that for the record.

We are prioritizing bills on Healthcare, the minimum wage, environmental action to match the climate crisis, and others. Read more below, in News You Can Use.

Happy Monday and Happy Women's History Month! This month is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women, femmes and non-binary people throughout history and recognize their ongoing struggles for equality. Presently, women are still fighting for basic rights such as equal pay, reproductive justice, and an end to gender-based violence. However, we must also celebrate the powerful grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts that have led to progress and continue to pave the way for change. Let's honor the women who have paved the way before us and commit to continuing the fight for a more just and equitable world.

Read on for important upcoming events, hearings in the legislative session and updates on all of our issue campaigns and taskforce work! 

New Governor Wes Moore swore in a remarkably diverse cabinet last week. What's really remarkable, observers say, is he has not picked people who are experts on navigating Annapolis. This could be interesting.

"Crossover Day" is a sorta-deadline for bills to get out of at least one Assembly chamber by March 20 to stay alive (unless the leadership is totally down for the bills, in which case anything can happen). So progressives who need to nurse these bills across the finish line are nervously pushing the noodle. What bills are teetering? We have some info.

It's News You Can Use for the all of us. Read on.

As Maryland pushes for a cleaner energy regime, some solutions look obvious in retrospect. Imagination has been slow to catch up. In this deeply reported article, Maryland Matters founding editor Josh Kurtz checks out the slow growth of a great idea.

"As officials at the state and local level scramble to meet Maryland’s ambitious goals for combating climate change, expanding the use of solar energy is clearly a key part of the solution. But emotional and politically charged debates abound over where to place large solar arrays.

"Schools can be part of the solution. With expansive rooftops and situated in areas that are often largely devoid of trees, school buildings in many ways seem like the ideal locations for placing solar panels."

See what's being done and what more could be done.

Environmentally overburdened communities call for the passage of Reclaim Renewable Energy Act Bill:

Maryland is fighting for the environment in a way that many states have been unable to match. Maryland Legislators announced the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act (RREA) of 2023 (SB590/HB718), which seeks to fix environmental injustices caused by fossil fuel companies and make renewable energy more accessible.

The goal of RREA is to clean up Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by removing factory farm gas and trash incineration from being listed as “renewable.” This will help reduce the negative effects of air pollution, improve public health outcomes, and address the climate crisis.

Notably, the bill seeks to repair long-standing environmental injustices that have disproportionately burdened communities of color with support for the vulnerable communities. 

This announcement was met with deserved enthusiasm from local residents who have long suffered from air pollution caused by nearby facilities that burn fossil fuels and dump pollutants into the surrounding environment. 

“As a child I never considered that a tall smoke stack that welcomed me to Baltimore, spewed so many dangerous chemicals into the air and contiguous to the community I live in. This particulate matter, even emitted at low levels, can cause neurological dysfunctions, preterm births, and lung cancer. My community should no longer be a “dumping ground” and suffer at the hands of power holders who pander to “greenwashing” utility companies. At its core, this is environmental exploitation, and it's time for decision-makers to pass the RREA.” Said Godwin Kennedy, a 35-year-old black resident of Cherry Hill in South Baltimore.

Progressive Maryland remains committed to helping those affected most by environmental racism. Low-income black communities are often situated in “sacrifice zones'' due to racist worldviews of inferiority as they are seen as less politically viable. The reality is, on a monthly basis, these communities are paying Baltimore Gas and Electric to one day give their children cancer. Trash incineration is not clean, it's a slow death and power holders should pass the RREA bill NOW.

With this act, Maryland sets a powerful example for other states around the country in how they can begin healing environmental injustice and transitioning away from dirty fossil fuels towards a more sustainable future powered by renewable energy sources so that our communities can thrive.

- SirJames Weaver, Progressive Maryland's Environmental Justice Organizer

Testimony on Maryland Senate Bill 803

Labor and Employment - Payment of Minimum Wage - Tipped Employees

Thank you for the opportunity to offer testimony in support of SB 803. Progressive Maryland is a grassroots nonprofit organization with regional chapters from Frederick to the Lower Shore and more than 100,000 members and supporters who live in nearly every legislative district in the state. In addition, there are dozens of affiliated community, faith, and labor organizations across the state that stand behind our work. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families in Maryland. Please note our strong support for SB 803.

Why Senate Bill 803 is Groundbreaking Legislation for Financial Equity

By: Jennifer Mendes Dwyer, Deputy Executive Director at Progressive Maryland

The phase out of the subminimum wage for tipped workers is an important step in ending a legacy of slavery and achieving economic equality for low-income and women workers. This legislation is essential to improving living standards for these individuals, as it eliminates their dependence on tips to make ends meet.

The Subminimum Wage and its Roots in Slavery

By: Christianne Marguerite, Director of Communications at Progressive Maryland

The issue of the subminimum wage has a deep and complicated history that dates back to the early days of slavery. This system has evolved over time, but its roots in slavery remain even to this day. In recent years, efforts have been made to end this legacy by raising the minimum wage for certain groups of workers.