Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for April 24-30

Our national umbrella organization People's Action, newly consolidated, is having a founding convention early this week right in DC and our attention is on that. Plus upcoming events and the most recent blog posts with links.

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"March for Science" reaffirms our human respect for facts and inquiry

March for Science? We have to, because the facts of our world are being hijacked and falsified by those who have a vested interest in ignorance, the precondition of exploitation.

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UMD Social Justice Day aims to coordinate on-campus activism

"Social Justice Day" event at College Park flagship campus this week (April 18) shows potential for change in campus action, plus need for more coordination and concrete steps. A thorough Diamondback report outlined the day's events.

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People's Action founding convention is next progressive step

This weekend, the founding convention of People's Action -- next door in Washington DC -- represents the forging of state organizations like Progressive Maryland and 50 other groups in 29 states into a refreshed force for resistance and for creation of positive change. Read more about the event and sign up for a call Thursday night (April 20) to answer questions and prepare for Progressive Maryland's major role in the shaping of this effort.

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Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for April 17-23

Introducing a new staffer, plus events for your calendar from our expanding roster of county chapters. And recent blog posts. Note that the founding convention of People's Action is coming up in DC at week's end; be in on it.

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Progressive Maryland celebrates Assembly wins due to hard work by activists

In a busy three months, Maryland's Assembly session showed lots of progress for progressives, but with much more to do to fight the agendas of Larry Hogan and Donald Trump. PM legislative coordinator Jennifer Dwyer puts up the tote board, and the tasks ahead.

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Hogan's Assembly session: He's probably glad it's over

With the major newspapers burbling about Larry Hogan's wonderful Assembly session (because he got two bills on the last day), a cooler voice comes from veteran observer Barry Rascovar in Maryland Reporter, who opines that Hogan had a rough session and is probably glad he's about to get Annapolis back to himself to start spinning up his 2018 re-election mirage...

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Five-year struggle ends with passage of paid sick leave bill

Maybe even sweeter because of the five years it took to get here, progressives celebrated one of the top victories of the 2017 Assembly session -- the passage of paid sick leave for about three quarters of a million Maryland workers and their famillies, many in low-paid jobs and struggling to survive. As noted at the bottom of this blog post from our allies at Working Matters Maryland, Gov. Hogan still needs to be persuaded to accept the inevitable -- passed with veto-proof margins -- and make it law now. This post, first made on April 7, has been updated.

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Progressive Maryland's Weekly Memo for April 10-16

As the General Assembly drops the balloons and goes home on Sine Die today, we pat ourselves on the back for a quite successful session and note that our work continues all over the state. Plus recent blog posts you may have missed.

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Bail Bond Industry Tries to Head Off Court Ruling

Maryland's highest court has ruled that cash bail as applied in the state is unconstitutionally discriminatory -- on racial and economic grounds. The bail bond industry, built on the lucrative supplying of emergency funds to the desperate, sees economic ruin in the ruling and is trying to head it off in the General Assembly with a last-minute bill. Progressive Maryland argues before the House Judiciary Committee that undermining the court's ruling is against the public interest.

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