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! 

In solidarity, 

The Progressive Maryland Team

Here’s what’s in today’s memo:

• Legislative updates: upcoming hearings and testimony due dates
• PM Events
• PM task forces & issue campaigns: healthcare & environmental justice 
• Local chapter updates: Harford County, Prince George’s County, &LSPC
• State & National news

Legislative Updates:

Click here to visit the MGA website and keep track of all active Maryland bills, their action status, top sponsors, and top committees. 

We encourage you to have a voice in the process by submitting written testimony and signing up to give in-person or virtual testimony. In the Senate, testimony is due between 8am-3pm the business day before a hearing is scheduled (if scheduled on a Monday, testimony is due on the Friday prior). In the House, testimony is due within the same parameters but TWO business days before the date of the hearing.

This week, we are collecting testimony for three very important bills ahead of bill hearing dates: 

1. Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2023 (HB718) on Economic Matters Committee, cross-filed with SB590, has an upcoming hearing date on March 9; the Witness Testimony on the Maryland General Assembly website will open up March 7th and the deadline to register to submit testimony is March 8th by 3pm. Testimony can also be sent to Sirjames.
   
2. Cannabis Reform (SB516) on the Finance, Budget & Taxation Committee has an upcoming hearing date on March 9 at 1:00 pm. Testimony is due March 8 at 3:00pm. Please reach out to Max, if you would like to submit testimony for this bill.

PM Events:

Join us next Monday, March 13th in Annapolis for the Healthcare Justice Rally! Speak out and tell lawmakers to open  the health exchange to Maryland’s immigrant residents, to set  upper payment limits on prescription drug costs, to make hospitals refund the millions of dollars they owe to those wrongfully billed, and to work for  greater gender and racial equity in the healthcare system. Register here!

Updates: PM Task Forces & Issue Campaigns 

Environmental Justice Task Force

Last week, SirJames (Environmental Justice Organizer) testified on Senate Bill 590 that would remove trash incineration, and factory farm waste from the states renewable energy bracket. Here's the link and time stamp to the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee streaming session where SirJames testified for the RREA bill.

You can take action by emailing our legislators to urge them to support this bill with this quick and easy email tool we created.

Healthcare For All:

Updates: The Prescription Drug Affordability Board-this legislation funds and extends the term of the Board and advances its work on Upper Payment Limits to rein in how much we spend on the prescription drugs we purchase. The bill is moving forward so we’re pushing for a yes vote in the House and Senate and a signature from Gov. Moore. The Hospital Patient Refund Act-this measure has bi-partisan support. It’s a priority for us since it will ensure that  patients wrongfully billed by hospitals can finally start receiving their money back. Much more needs to be done when it comes to medical debt and this is a good start. On March 16th, the HGO Committee will hold a hearing on HB 329, Commission on Universal Health Care-this bill sets up a Commission to study the implementation of universal healthcare in light of all the problems with our private health insurance system. Join us to support these bills and a healthcare agenda for everyday Marylanders: Attend the Rally on March 13th in Annapolis! (virtual option, too.) RSVP today To learn more or get involved in this grassroots campaign, please contact Patty.

Local Chapter Updates:

Progressive Harford County 

Join Progressive Harford for its March monthly meeting. The meeting will be on March 20 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. We'll review the chapter's platform, and the latest events and initiatives to get involved. Register here.

The Harford County Democratic Central Committee is seeking to fill the Harford Council vacancy in District F. Interested candidates should submit the application materials to the HCDCC by email as a single PDF by March 20, 2023 to [email protected]. Learn more about the application requirements in their newsletter.

Check out Progressive Harford's platform. It centers racial, social, economic and environmental justice. One part of the chapter's platform focuses on chartering Edgewood as a municipality. Edgewood has the largest population in Harford County, yet it doesn't have a City Council. This isn't right. Progressive Harford wants to charter Edgewood as its own municipality so the residents can determine their own destiny and allocate resources as they see fit. Check out the rest of the chapter's platform on its website.

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

One of LSPC’s leaders, Tyler Jones Sr. has a guest op-ed in today’s Maryland Matters. Opinion: Lawmakers should tie minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index to help narrow the income gap

Progressive Prince George's

AROS: We are starting to reorganize our Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools [AROS] and education work at the chapter level in Prince George’s. Interested in learning more or getting involved? Do you have an organization that is interested in signing on to the statewide or local Prince George’s AROS coalitions? Please contact Dev, the Prince George’s County organizer, and reference AROS or education in the subject line and she will reach out to you directly.

State and National News:

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 this fast-moving time. Don’t miss it.

Progressive Maryland BlogSpace:

We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc. to be published on our website to the blog moderator Woody.

• New Today –  Moore's minions, Assembly crossover day sharpen the timeline
• School roofs provide baseline for solar energy solutions
• Calling for the passage of the 2023 Reclaim Renewable Energy Act
• Testimony on Maryland Senate Bill 803
• Session looks too short for all the bills -- whose fault is that?

>>Read more on the homepage of progressivemaryland.org

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Progressive Maryland
P.O. Box 6988
Largo, MD 20792