Maryland's media sleuths are agog at what TIME Magazine found when examining real estate mogul Larry Hogan's votes -- as governor -- for projects in which he had apparent conflicts of interest. We have the roundup here, as well as potential vulnerabilities of the Bay Bridge, an opinion that some judges shouldn't be on the ballot in Maryland, and a slow post-Pandemic recovery of school enrollment in the state. All that plus news about the other 49 states and the federal government. No news about Congress, though; they're on break till after the general election. Should we feel anger or relief?
More Developments, New Ethics Law Possible In Light Of Hogan Story: There could be further developments related to a revealing story published by Time Magazine, claiming that decisions made by former Gov. Larry Hogan while he was in office improperly benefited clients of his Annapolis real estate brokerage firm. “I think Hogan was legitimately quite surprised to have had this drop right at the minute that it did,” said Ian Anson, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. WTOP-FM.
>>While he was governor, Hogan voted five times in favor of state aid for affordable housing projects undertaken by developers that were listed, at one point, on a website for the Hogan Cos. as partners the firm had worked with, Time magazine reported on Thursday. Baltimore Banner.
>>Maryland Democrats aiming to keep Republican Larry Hogan from winning Maryland’s heated U.S. Senate race said Friday that both more investigations and more robust state ethics laws are needed in light of new reporting indicating the former governor did not recuse himself on votes that financially benefited companies he was associated with. Baltimore Sun.
>> Maryland Democrats to Seek Tighter Ethics Rules For Future Governors
In a long-simmering proposal gaining traction after new reporting about former governor Larry Hogan’s company caused a stir in his Senate campaign, Maryland Democrats plan to push for new ethics rules during the next state legislative session that would require future governors with business interests to put their assets in a blind trust. WaPo
Chesapeake Bay Bridge Pier Protection Has Deteriorated: The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in March launched national probes into reinforcing the country’s infrastructure, but one need not look far to find an essential span recently in need of pier protection improvements. In multiple locations on the eastbound span of the iconic Chesapeake Bay Bridge — the original of the structure’s two spans, which opened in 1952 — the “pier protection is deteriorated, detached, and missing,” according to the most recent official inspection of the bridge. Baltimore Sun via Maryland Reporter
Workgroup Recommends Jettisoning Contested Races For Circuit Judges: After years of study, a judicial workgroup is recommending that Maryland do away with contested elections for its 175 circuit court judges, saying the process presents ethical problems and poses a risk to judges’ safety in the current political atmosphere. Instead of standing for reelection every 15 years in a campaign in which they could face challengers, the workgroup said that circuit judges should face voters every 10 years in a retention election, where voters get a simple yes-or-no choice of whether to keep the judge on the bench. Maryland Matters via Maryland Reporter
Enrollment Relatively Flat in Some D.C.-Area School Districts, Data Show
Enrollment numbers in D.C. area suburban schools remained steady this fall, reflecting a slow recovery from pandemic losses. Montgomery County Public Schools reported 159,687 students as of Oct. 6, a decrease of about 1,000 students compared with last school year. A spokeswoman for Montgomery County Public Schools, said administrators anticipated their enrollment would remain around the same number and that appears to be what happened. In recent years, people have moved away from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties — and subsequently, driven up enrollment in Calvert, Charles and Frederick counties. Meanwhile, neighboring Prince George’s County saw an increase of almost 1,500 students this fall, recording 132,854 students, according to an unofficial figure on the school system’s website. A spokeswoman for the district said an official report would probably be posted in November.
THE OTHER 49
School choice goes before voters in 3 states, faces pushback in others
This November, voters in three states will be asked to decide whether public money should go to support private education. Thirty-three states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have at least one kind of school choice program.
But the measures have sparked controversy. Teachers unions and other public school professionals generally oppose the school choice plans, while many conservative politicians, religious institutions and private educational groups are in favor, along with some people of color in districts with underperforming public schools. In Iowa, state Democrats argued that the state’s Education Savings Account program is linked with 16 public school closures in the past two years, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. But the governor’s office disputed the claims. The ESA program gives taxpayer dollars to Iowa families to use for private school tuition and associated costs for K-12 students. Compilation from Stateline
Hurricane recovery officials in N.C. relocated amid report of ‘armed militia,’ email shows
LAKE LURE, N.C. — Federal emergency response personnel directed employees operating Saturday in hard-hit Rutherford County, N.C., to stop working and move to a different area because of concerns over “armed militia” threatening government workers in the region, according to an email sent to federal agencies helping with hurricane response in the state. A US Forest Service official’s email announced “an urgent message to numerous federal agencies warning that ‘FEMA has advised all federal responders Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately.’ The message stated that National Guard troops ‘had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying they were out hunting FEMA.’ ” In the weeks since [Helene’s devastation], misinformation and rumors have made the recovery more difficult, targeting multiple federal agencies operating as part of the recovery. Stateline Daily
North Carolina and Florida are changing administrative rules and, in some cases, issuing emergency funding that is intended to make it easier for people in areas damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton to vote. The recovery in both states is expected to extend far beyond the November 2024 election period. Read this interview in The Conversation with an expert on voting behavior after a disaster.
Garage apartments, in-law suites win support in rural communities
For generations, some homes included extra units, sometimes called granny flats or in-law suites. Now state lawmakers and city planners across the country are easing restrictions on how and where they can be built as a way to increase the housing supply in rural communities. Stateline Daily
Abortion Ballot Amendment in Florida Clouds Election: The Florida Supreme Court denied a petition from a South Florida attorney who alleged that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials interfered with the campaign for the state’s proposed abortion-rights amendment, the Florida Phoenix reports. [Stateline] – at this writing ten states have abortion rights amendments on their Nov. 5 ballot. The AP reports continuing friction over DeSantis and his administration’s attempt to use official state resources to fight the amendment in Florida.
Fighting Collusion in Rental Housing: Two New Jersey lawmakers have introduced legislation to bar algorithmic tools used by landlords to set rents and keep housing supply off the market. The measure comes after a ProPublica investigation found the website RealPage, which uses algorithms and data provided by member landlords, is helping drive up rents nationwide. (New Jersey Monitor)
Leaked Docs from Far-Right Militias Show History of Voter Intimidation Plans
“All the state leaders should be getting their people out … to watch for ballot stuffing,” wrote the leader of the American Patriots Three Percent militia. “Our nation depends on this." Wired
NATIONAL AND THE FEDS/WORLD, TOO...
National and federal info from Megan E, federal affairs director for our national affiliate People's Action:
Last week, Vice President Harris proposed that Medicare cover home care costs to help the sandwich generation. We applaud this policy but note that as long as we continue to allow Medicare to be privatized, people won’t actually be able to get their insurance companies to pay for home care.
Today, Unitedhealth Group reported $6 billion in 3rd quarter earnings. Unitedhealth Group has grown its profits rapidly by denying care, profiting off of our tax dollars by fraud and gaming of the system in Medicare and Medicaid and by creating a vertical monopoly by buying up hospitals, doctors offices, pharmacy benefit managers, etc. Medicare privatization is a big part of their business. People's Action organized and delivered two organizational sign-on letters last week to President Biden and Vice President Harris and democratic leadership with policy recommendations to stop overpaying these plans in improve benefits and lower up front and out of pocket costs for people on traditional Medicare so people will choose it.
As a reminder, the GOP blueprint Project 2025 seeks to make privatized plans, so-called Medicare Advantage the default option in Medicare enrollment.
From our partners at Health Care-uncovered on Medicare privatization: “Something is starting today that once again will set off an enormous transfer of money from U.S. taxpayers to a handful of the world’s largest corporations – the ones that are the intrusive middlemen in our health care system. It is something that does not even need to exist, but because it does, an untold number of seniors and people with disabilities will learn when it’s too late that they were sold a bill of goods, that what they were told was an advantage came with many hidden, life-threatening disadvantages.
I’m talking about Medicare “open enrollment” an eight-week period when Americans eligible for Medicare benefits can choose to enroll – or stay enrolled – in original or traditional Medicare or choose among a bewildering array of private health plans that the federal government allows Big Insurance to market as “Medicare Advantage.” What those seniors and people with disabilities are never told is that all those plans come with hidden landmines, and most of them are owned by just three huge New York Stock Exchange mega-corporations – UnitedHealth Group, CVS/Aetna and Humana…
Those three giants pulled this off because the federal government continues to allow them and other big insurers to spend billions of our money on misleading advertising campaigns that intentionally omit crucial information.”
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The Fall 2024 Issue of NCRP’s online journal, Responsive Philanthropy is titled, “Leaders Urge Philanthropy to Provide Sustainable Support Before, During and After Election Years.” In it, NCRP confronts philanthropy’s role in getting us to the tumultuous times we live in and what is needed now to move forward well beyond this election year to secure a safe and just democracy for all. Sulma coauthored this article: “5 lessons learned about trust-based philanthropy.”
Here's what's in this email today....
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ISSUE UPDATES:
- ELECTIONS
- CLIMATE:
- HEALTHCARE:
- HOUSING:
What You Can Do This Week
ISSUE UPDATE: ELECTIONS
Down Home’s co-ED Dreama Caldwell is featured on this Downballot Banter podcast on/for rural voters.
More Perfect Union on Trump voters:
In Wisconsin, Democrats Hope Competing Down Ballot Helps Harris, Too For the first time in 13 years, Wisconsin Democrats are contesting a number of local races. Even a few thousand voters energized by the candidates at their door could make a difference in a tight presidential contest…
Media Specialists Argue that Mainstream Media Are Getting Kamala Harris and Her Campaign Very Wrong
Mainstream media are complaining that Harris is not “sitting down” to endure MSM grilling. She is talking instead with the media that voters she needs will pay attention to. The Nation [and see this column from James Fallows’ “Breaking the News”].
ISSUE UPDATE: CLIMATE
Climate Impacts Put Insurance Commissioner Races in the Spotlight - Inside Climate News
As premiums skyrocket, voters are starting to pay attention to one of the most obscure positions on the ballot.
An Election for a Little-Known Agency Could Dictate the Future of Renewables in Arizona - Inside Climate News. State residents are voting for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, which has come under scrutiny for its continued support of fossil fuels and resistance to supporting more solar in the state.
Land Absorption of CO2 suddenly declines
The Earth’s ocean, forests, soils and other natural carbon sinks together absorb about half of all human emissions – but last year, in an unexpected and alarming development, land and trees emitted almost as much CO2 as they removed from the atmosphere, scientists have said. Preliminary findings by a global team of researchers found that in 2023 – the hottest year on record – the volume of carbon absorbed by land temporarily collapsed. Just one major tropical rainforest, the Congo basin, remained a powerful sink that removed more carbon than it released, as deforestation and global heating harmed the carbon storage capacity of other rainforests. The Guardian (UK)
ISSUE UPDATE: HEALTHCARE
How and when can I switch from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare? Is there a form I need to fill out? Can I make that change during the Medicare Open Enrollment period? | KFF
ISSUE UPDATE: HOUSING
Climate Impacts Put Insurance Commissioner Races in the Spotlight - Inside Climate News
As premiums skyrocket, voters are starting to pay attention to one of the most obscure positions on the ballot.
How Hurricane Helene could have widespread consequences for homeowners
Although it is too early to know the full extent of Helene’s damage, experts said the storm could have major consequences for homeowners, the private insurance industry and the federal flood insurance program.
Survey: Americans think cities can't arrest their way out of the homelessness crisis
Supportive services and more government action is needed to reduce and prevent homelessness, according to a recent public opinion poll. Route Fifty
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