Lots still going on in the Annapolis session heading toward Crossover deadline for bills to move in both chambers. Here are good pro-people bills that need to stay viable this session and need progressive Marylanders' help.

Annapolis session annex to Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, March 9, 2020

FROM THE MARYLAND LEGISLATIVE COALITION

This is the final week before Crossover on March 16th.  If a bill doesn't get a floor vote before Crossover, it does not move to the other house to continue its path to final passage.  To get to a floor vote, it has to get a committee vote first.  So, it's all about getting committee votes on bills that have not had votes yet.
There are also bills that have hearings this week: THIS IS THE LAST WEEK OF TESTIMONY BEFORE CROSSOVER.  There are not many bills that have hearings, but there are some good ones to support.

You will be able to submit testimony electronically in Annapolis if you plan to testify in person, and the instructions are available on our website. Be sure to reserve parking.  See instructions at http://mdlegislative.com.   Go to - Legislative Info/Submit Testimony.

MARCH 9th
HB1563 - Public Health - Maryland Infant Lifetime Care Trust Funded by HSCRC and Maryland Patient Safety Center Duties

MARCH 10th
HB1370 - State-Funded Construction and Major Renovation Projects - Solar Panels - Requirement
HB1405 - State Budget - Transportation
HB1532 - Human Services - Food Supplement Program - Eligibility (Protect Against Hunger Act)
HB1579 - Public Safety - Crime Plan and Law Enforcement Councils (Maryland State Crime Plan)
SB0848 - Public Safety - DNA Collection, Records, Analysis, and Reporting

MARCH 11th
SB0841 - Water Pollution Control - Discharge Permits - Industrial Poultry Operations 
SB0857 - Facial Recognition Services - Moratorium
HB1543 - Environment - Climate Crisis and Education Act

MARCH 12th
HB1543 - Environment - Climate Crisis and Education Act

UPCOMING LOBBY DAYS - 
Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - 9:00 am - Strong Schools Maryland
March 9th - 1:00 pm - Fair Elections Check In
March 10th - 9:00 am - Compassion and Choices Lobby Day for End of Life Option Act
March 12th - 9:00 am - Compassion and Choices Lobby Day for End of Life Option Act

To know which committee your legislators are on, click on http://mdlegislative.com/committees.and.members.  If you need to find your legislators, go to tp://mdlegislative.com/legislators and click on the link at the top of the page.  Then click on LOOKUP at the top of the map and type in your address. 

To find out more about individual bills put the bill number in the search box at the top right on this page

FOR YOUR SENATOR – Bill that progressives should want to see stay viable in the session – tell your Senator to move for a vote in committee so the bill can get a floor vote and stay viable.

Budget and Taxation Committee.

SB0105 - Southern Maryland Rapid Transit Project - Requirements and Funding
SB0424 - Maryland Transit Administration - Funding (Transit Safety and Investment Act)
SB0452 - Family Investment Program - Temporary Cash Assistance - Funding
SB0902 - Coal - Tax Credits Exemption - Repeal

Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee.

SB0087 - Campaign Finance - Contributions, Expenditures, or Donations by Foreign-Influenced Corporations or Foreign Principals
SB0091 - Election Law - Individuals Released from Correctional Facilities - Voter Registration
SB0372 - Election Law - Correctional Facilities - Voter Registration and Voting
SB0423 - Maryland Transit Administration - Conversion to Electric Buses (Electric Bus Transition Act)
SB0592 - State-Funded Construction and Major Renovation Projects - Solar Panels - Requirement
SB0947 - Public Financing Act - State Senate and House of Delegates Candidates Matching Fund

Finance Committee.

SB0017 - Motor Vehicle Insurance - Use of Credit History in Rating Policies
SB0168 - Electricity - Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard - Qualifying Biomass
SB0228 - Public Health - Commission on Universal Health Care
SB0229 - Toll Roads, Highways, and Bridges - County Government Consent Requirement - Expansion
SB0539 - Labor and Employment - Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program - Establishment
SB0547 - Health Care Facilities - Hospitals and Related Institutions - Discrimination Protections
SB0548 - Transportation - I-270 Commuter Bus Study
SB0560 - Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard - Eligible Sources
SB0623 - Health Insurance - Out-of-Pocket Maximums and Cost-Sharing Requirements - Calculation
SB0669 - Public Health - Prescription Drug Affordability Board and Fund
SB0738 - Health Care Providers and Health Benefit Plans - Discrimination in Provision of Services
SB0872 - Health Insurance - Consumer Protections
SB0879 - Public Health - Maryland Infant Lifetime Care Trust Funded by HSCRC and Maryland Patient Safety Center Duties

Judicial Proceedings Committee.

SB0554 - Crimes - Mitigation - Sex, Gender Identify, or Sexual Orientation
SB0591 - Criminal Procedure - Petition to Modify or Reduce Sentence (Maryland Second Look Act)
SB0649 - Public Information Act - Motor Vehicle Administration - Warrant for Personal Information and Reporting
SB0682 - Correctional Services - Prerelease Unit for Women - Requirement to Operate
SB0684 - Correctional Services - Prerelease Unit for Women - Facilities and Services (Gender-Responsive Prerelease Act)
SB0701 - End-of-Life Option Act (Richard E. Israel and Roger 'Pip' Moyer Act)
SB0811 - Criminal Procedure - Automatic Expungement
SB0816 - Public Safety - Licensed Firearms Dealers (Firearms Dealers' Safety Act)
SB0848 - Public Safety - DNA Collection, Records, Analysis and Reporting
SB0900 - Criminal Records - Disclosure of Information - Prohibited Acts
SB0901 - State and Local Government - Participation in Federal Immigration Enforcement
SB0958 - Criminal Law - Untraceable Firearms
SB1029 - Public Information Act - Personnel and Investigatory Records - Complaints Against Law Enforcement Officers

Information at [email protected]

Still more at http://mdlegislative.com.

FROM THE JOB OPPORTUNITIES TASK FORCE – FOCUS ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE LEGISLATION, ESPECIALLY THAT WHICH WOULD EASE THE ACCESS TO GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT OF RETURNING CITIZENS.

Note that many of these bills have a hearing TOMORROW (Tuesday, March 10) and need support with calls

Senate Bill 589 / House Bill 1336: Criminal Procedure - Partial Expungement (Unit Rule Repeal)
Many workers are denied employment opportunities due to a criminal record, even if they were not found guilty. The proposed legislation would allow for the partial expungement of eligible non-conviction regardless of the other ineligible offenses. Read how: Click here to read JOTF's fact sheet.
House Bill 1336 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday March 10, at 1:00PM.
Senate Bill 589 was heard in Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Wednesday, February 19 and is awaiting a committee vote.

House Bill 1335:Criminal Procedure - Automatic Expungement  
This bill requires the automatic expungement of records that result in non-convictions. Currently, charges that do not result in a conviction remain on the record until a petition for expungement is pursued by the defendant.
House Bill 1335 will be heard on Tuesday, March 10th in the House Judiciary Committee.

House Bill 1343: Criminal Procedure - Expungement - Expansion (REDEEM)
This bill expands expungement eligibility for nonviolent misdemeanor and felony convictions after a three and five year waiting period, respectively. 
House Bill 1343 will be heard on Tuesday, March 10th in the House Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill 513 / House Bill 1377: Conditions of Pretrial Release - Home Detention Monitoring
Removes a monitoring fee for home detention under some circumstances. Click here to read JOTF's fact sheet.
House Bill 1377 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 10th at 1:00PM.
Senate Bill 513 was heard in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Wednesday, February 19th and voted favorably out of committee on Friday, March 6th - Thank you to those who expressed support and contacted the members of the committee.

House Bill 1566:  Maryland Correctional Enterprises - Workgroup on Vocational Training and Placement
Creates a vocational training and placement workgroup House Bill 1566 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Health and Government Operations on Tuesday, March 10th at 1:00PM.

Senate Bill 868: Apprenticeship Maryland 2030  opposed
This legislation would require that the first $8.5 million of EARN funds for FY2021-2030 must be diverted to instead only provide for: (1) EARN programs that support apprenticeship sponsors and their program development; and (2) the Registered Apprenticeship Tax credit. JOTF opposes this legislation as it would dismantle the original intent of the EARN Program.
Senate Bill 868 has been jointly assigned to the Budget & Taxation and Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committees and is scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, March 10th in the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee. 

Senate Bill 679: Criminal Procedure - Pretrial Release - Reimbursement of Special Condition Costs
This bill requires a county to reimburse a defendant for costs pre-assessed if the defendant is found not guilty in the issue. Senate Bill 679 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Tuesday, March 10th at 12:00PM.

Senate Bill 922 / House Bill 812: Correctional Services - Diminution Credits - Education
The proposed legislation would award a diminution credit of 90 days for inmates who have successfully obtained a certain educational certificate, diploma, or degree.
Click here to read JOTF's fact sheet.
Senate Bill 922 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Judicial Proceeding Committee on Thursday, March 12th at 12PM.
House Bill 812 was heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, February 25th and is awaiting a committee vote.

House Bill 1559: Child Care for Working Families Act
The proposed legislation alters the name of the Child Care Subsidy Program to be the Child Care Scholarship Program and requires the State Department of Education to determine a child's eligibility to receive certain subsidized child care in accordance with certain family income requirements.
House Bill 1559 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, March 10th at 1:00PM.

Senate Bill 906/ House Bill 1021: Maryland Healthy Working Families Act - Seasonal Temporary Workers oppose
The proposed legislation would increase the number of days from 106 to 120 during the period in which an employer is not required to allow an employee to use earned sick and safe leave. JOTF opposes this legislation as a means to ensure all eligible workers have access to paid sick and safe leave.
The Senate bill will be heard in the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, March 12th at 12:00PM.
The House bill was heard in the Economic Matters Committee on Tuesday, February 25th and is awaiting a committee vote.

Senate Bill 1006: Child Support - Suspension of Payments and Arrears for Incarcerated Obligors - Modifications
This bill reduces the eligibility period from 18 to 6 months for child support orders to be suspended for incarcerated obligors.
Senate Bill 1006 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Thursday, March 12th at 12:00PM.