The Weekly Memo: action in Annapolis and organizing throughout the state. The resistance grows and learns.

Welcome to the Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for February 13-19

Progressive Maryland staff and activists have spent the week making a difference.

Keep-the-heat-on action in Annapolis at the General Assembly and organizing action in new locations – Frederick County, Charles County, the Eastern Shore – distinguished this past week’s activity. Progressive Maryland and allies attended and testified at committee hearings on earned paid sick leave for all Marylanders, and a bill that forbids local governments from going their own way on minimum wage and similar issues. Our blogs for the past week (below) have details on our activity at the State House.

Spontaneous groups organizing for our statewide reach in new counties held meetings and attended leadership training.

Our growing chapters in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties will have quarterly membership get-togethers in March; watch this space for details.

ON THE CALENDAR

Wednesday, February 15, Montgomery County Education Forum at 6:30 p.m. ; Northwestern High School in Germantown, MD. With the appointment of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education–her first job in public education–taking action locally to ensure adequate funding and services in our schools is critical. Montgomery County is hosting a series of public forums to address the funding needs for Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College including economic policies like raising the minimum wage to address student poverty and the achievement gap. We need to pack the room to show Montgomery County officials we will not stand for cuts to education or complicity in the Trump-DeVos agenda to weaken our public education systems. Are you ready to speak out for Montgomery County public schools? rsvp

Coming up this week at the General Assembly: Equal Pay for Equal Work and Pregnancy Protection bills, Tuesday Feb. 14th at 1 in House; Both bills lowering the cost of prescription drugs, Wednesday Feb. 15th at 1 in the Senate, news conference at 12; Equal Pay for Equal Work bill, Thursday Feb. 16th at 1 in the Senate

 Thursday, Feb. 23 -- Mark your calendar for this, too: Feb 23 our Prince George’s students will be at the School Board meeting to demonstrate their dismay that the system plans to discontinue support for free Advanced Placement tests for qualifying students. More details in future editions of the Weekly Memo.

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Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our blogs for the previous week 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:

 February 10, 2017  Senate Committee hears sick leave bill, including Progressive Maryland testimony

Media accounts of a Senate committee hearing on this year's paid sick leave bill varied widely from objective to blatantly pro-business, we find, but the picture is steadied by Progressive Maryland staffer Jennifer Dwyer's testimony at the hearing.

 February 09, 2017  PM member's testimony refutes rationale for pre-emption bill

Del. Dereck Davis's bill HB 317, which would prohibit local governments from raising the minimum wage higher than the state's, had a rough time at yesterday's (Feb. 8) House hearing. Progressive Maryland member Bobby Bartlett's testimony enraged Davis, as the video indicates.

February 08, 2017  Howard County passes immigrant safety bill; exec promises veto

Howard County Council members passed a bill assuring safety for the county's vulnerable groups in the face of the Trump threat, but the Republican county executive, with a history of discriminatory moves, promises a veto.

 February 07, 2017  NIMBY Wins, Cheverly Loses: Proposed Halfway House Blocked

Two voices from under one roof lament Cheverly's recent, quiet rejection of a halfway house for returning citizens, and examine the still-rampant fear of The Other that makes positive change so difficult.

 February 06, 2017  Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Feb. 6-13

Is it Larry Trump or Donald Hogan... protesters urge the Gov. to separate himself from the Prez but he doesn't come out of his mansion to see his shadow. Also lots of info on Assembly action in Annapolis, and links to the most recent blog posts.

Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace since June 2015 are all available with descriptions and links here.