SAVE THE DATE – SATURDAY, DEC. 29 FOR PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND’S STATEWIDE MEETING because we build power locally but exercise it statewide. So we’ll have a statewide gathering before the New Year to consolidate what we’ve learned and build on the power we have built. Save that date, Saturday, December 29 for our statewide meeting in Annapolis.

SAVE THE DATE – SATURDAY, DEC. 29 FOR PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND’S STATEWIDE MEETING

Throughout the grueling election process, when it seems as though everything else is set aside for knocking doors and GOTV, Progressive Maryland has stuck steadfastly to our goal – to build power for working families, not just at election time but between elections, when every aspect of our civil society in Maryland – and every level of governance – must be kept accountable.

And because we build power locally but exercise it statewide, we’ll have a statewide gathering before the New Year to consolidate what we’ve learned and build on the power we have built – save that date, Saturday, December 29 for our statewide meeting in Annapolis. Members from around all our chapters will set the stage for our next set of tasks, including the upcoming General Assembly session that begins Jan. 9.

There will be more news about the meeting, and an agenda in formation, coming up in future editions of the Memo, so don’t miss them.

We have included this message in every Memo this year – but in case you missed it, here it is up front:

 It all happens for free… right? Not exactly. Organizing for change in our society and our high-maintenance politics requires both people and money. Keep change moving with a quick, secure impulse-buy contribution here. You know you meant to do it last week and now here you are again...

OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE

Progressive Prince George's

Saturday, Dec 1 Participatory Defense Community Meeting at 01:00 PM -- Oakcrest Community Center rsvp

And every Saturday through December – see our events calendar

PMD Montgomery

Frederick County Progressives

Take Action Anne Arundel County

Take Action AAC Events

 Monthly Chapter Meeting

Thursday, November 29 at 7 pm at Edgewater Community Library

Doug Prouty, Vice President of Maryland State Education Association, will be our speaker. 

He will be speaking about the new education budgeting allocation formula that will be created during the 2019 State Legislative Session and actions we can take to advocate for funding of Anne Arundel Public Schools before and during the session. Share Facebook event  RSVP link

Other Anne Arundel Events

Environment and Health Briefings

The Maryland Environmental Health Network is hosting a series of briefings from October through December prior to the 2018-2019 legislative session.  You can register for these webinars by clicking here.  

Monday, December 3rd Inauguration of Steuart Pittman, County Executive-elect- 11 AM at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts  RSVP for free tickets here.

Other Maryland Events

Sunday, December 2 - 10 am  - 5 pm,  Maryland Pre-Legislative Session Summit

Hosted by Maryland Legislative Coalition.  The morning session will include training on how to lobby for or against legislation during the General Assembly. Late morning and afternoon sessions will include presentations about priority bills for the 2019 legislative session. Facebook event Tickets

Progressive Howard County

Talbot Rising

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

Join us! Our next meeting is December 5th 6:00-7:30 PM at the Wicomico Public Library. RSVP HERE  And read the Caucus chair’s post-election letter on the website.

PMD Baltimore

EVENTS FROM OUR ALLIES:

SUNDAY, December 2, Maryland Legislative Coalition Pre-Legislative Summit -- 10am to 5pm
UMBC Engineering Building-Lecture Hall. Sponsors Maryland NOW, presenters Indivisible Towson and Montgomery, Takoma Park Mobilization,Together We Will Baltimore Area, WISE (Women Indivisible Strong Energetic) -- Register here . For more information contact Maryland Legislative Coalition at [email protected]

Wed, Dec. 5 GCAN Dec Lobby Training with CCAN 7-9 PM Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Rd, Room 114

Join us Wed, Dec. 5 at 7pm when Greenbelter Emily Frias of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will present two new pieces of environmental policy (“Pathway to 100% Renewables” and “No New Fossil Fuels”) and will also give advice and training on how to lobby your state delegation.  Become the most effective climate advocate you can be in the new Maryland Legislature and learn about two exciting pieces of climate legislation coming next session (Clean Energy Jobs Act and new pipeline safety legislation)

As always, we will use the last portion of the evening for announcements and updates on local and national issues we are following.

         For more info, contact Lore Rosenthal, Greenbelt Climate Action Network, [email protected], 301-345-2234

Baltimore comrades, Check in on Max Obuszewski’s highly useful activist calendar and tip sheet at http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

OUR BLOG POSTS IN THE PAST WEEK

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 blog posts:

November 20, 2018 Lawmakers Redoubling Effort to Pass Health Care Downpayment

A return of the “individual mandate” -- softened Maryland-style -- may be in synch with a public opinion swing in favor of the Affordable Care Act and the salience of health care as an issue in the midterms. Our goal is a form of Medicare for All (yes, still with for-profit providers in the mix) leading toward a single-payer system that can keep the providers honest, patient-oriented and without a profit motive.

A good start for the Assembly’s tilt against Hogan; we’ll see if he sees the light.

Maryland Matters senior reporter Bruce DePuyt has the story; it also appeared in the Maryland Reporter today (Nov. 20).

November 19, 2018 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, November 19, 2018

Recognizing that this week, and probably the next month, is going to be light on activist events and meetings, there is nevertheless an important focus for us coming up sooner than we might think.

The General Assembly convenes January 9th for what has to be an interesting session, with a lame-duck Larry Hogan free to be GOP and a modestly more progressive Assembly ready to rumble. Let's start getting ready now.

>>REMEMBER – these blog posts are expressions of political opinion from our wide-ranging membership and circle of allies. They are not expressions of opinion by Progressive Maryland. Don’t be surprised if they sometimes vary in their political content. You might even disagree with them – a good reason to contribute a blog of your own. Send it to the moderator, Woody Woodruff, at [email protected].

>>Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace from June 2015 through December 2016 are all available with descriptions and links here. You can follow blogs for 2017-18 starting from here