Sunday, April 14, 2013
The Reasonable School Discipline Act of 2013 was introduced in the Maryland Legislature.
A 7-year-old boy at Park Elementary School in Anne Arundel County recently was disciplined after he reportedly made his food look like a gun, according to a teacher. Glen Burnie Patch reported about the incident in March, quoting Assistant Principal Myrna Phillips' letter to parents that said the student "used food to make inappropriate gestures that disrupted the class." The Washington Post and a number of other national media outlets reported the incident as a student shaping a strawberry-filled pastry into a gun, and it captured national attention with political commentator George Will naming the child the "Pop-Tart Terrorist." The Post also reported that in the almost three months since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, two …
Monday, April 8, 2013
Gun control, a repeal of the death penalty and a budget deal were among the victories for Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.
The last 90 days have been good to Gov. Martin O'Malley and the state lawmakers who supported his vision for a more progressive Maryland. The 2013 session of the Maryland General Assembly was contentious, but productive and, according to at least one Republican staffer, "the most liberal," maybe ever. See what lawmakers and their staff are saying about "Sine Die," a Latin phrase meaning "without day" that signifies the last day of the legislative session, in the collection of tweets above. Among the bills that passed this year: Unsuccessful bills:
Monday, April 1, 2013
Greater Greater Washington: Even with a tax increase, driving in Maryland is “a bargain.”
The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill recently that would increase the state gas tax by more than 20 cents—to 43.7 cents—in July 2016. The news angered and frustrated Maryland residents—including commenters on Patch. One small business owner wrote that he fears the increase could hurt the growth of his business. While a 20-cents-per-gallon increase may seem enormous, a writer on the Greater Greater Washington blog claimed that overall, “The taxes the government collects on gas will still remain very near their historical low.” Between 1933 and 1973, the “inflation-adjusted” Maryland gas tax per mile was $0.03 per gallon or more, peaking at $0.04684 in the late 1930s, David C. wrote. Claims by Del. Justin Ready (R-Dist. 5A) of …
The ban is expected to pass in the Maryland General Assembly.
Drivers in Maryland still using hand-held mobile devices on the road should be prepared to either make the move to hands-free devices or simply keep their cell phones put away. The Maryland Senate voted 40-6 last week to approve a bill that makes the use of hand-held electronic devices while behind the wheel a "primary offense," The Baltimore Sun reported. Currently, drivers in Maryland can be cited for using a cell phone only if an officer pulls them over for committing another offense—such as speeding. If the proposed ban is approved—which, according to reports, is likely—drivers could be pulled over for using their mobile phones without committing another offense. Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz said he could see where it makes sense …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The General Assembly is considering bills in the House and Senate that would require consumers to pay a refundable deposit on all cans and bottles.
- GOING GREEN
-
Sunday, March 10
By Caroline Woodall, Capital News Service In an effort to reduce trash and increase recycling, the General Assembly is considering bills in the Maryland House and Senate that would require consumers to pay a refundable deposit on all cans and bottles.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Bill would force gun owners to carry a minimum of $250,000 of coverage.
A number of gun control measures recently have been introduced into the Maryland General Assembly, including one that would require anyone who owns a firearm to have a minimum of $250,000 liability insurance. Sens. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County) and Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) are the sponsors of Senate Bill 577, which would require anyone who owns a firearm to have a minimum of $250,000 of liability insurance. The bill is similar to legislation being proposed in Pennsylvania, California and Massachusetts. The Baltimore Sun views the legislation as being “designed to harness market forces to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people the same way the cost of car insurance can keep bad drivers off the road.” How the mandated …
Friday, February 1, 2013
What's going on in Annapolis that affects Montgomery County?
'Tis the season, when dozens of legislators from Montgomery County file into Annapolis to create and pass (or shut down) a bevy of new laws that may or may not change our daily lives. The Maryland General Assembly convened Jan. 9, 2013 and it won't adjourn until April. Since you can't be there, keeping an eye on lawmakers from your town, we'll be rounding up some of their more important deeds each week. Here's what our local legislators did recently: Takoma Park Delegate Heather Mizeur, a Democrat who everyone says is running for governor next year, is doing something that only a person interested in state office would do—leave her district to give a speech. She's talking to the Queen Anne's County Democratic Club next month about "major …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The measure will make Maryland the eighth state to legalize gay marriage.
Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign Maryland's same-sex marriage bill Thursday, the Washington Post reported, and many of the bill's supporters expect the issue to go to referendum in November. O'Malley has supported the bill throughout the legislative session, and it lands on his desk after clearing the House and Senate. However, opponents of the bill will likely take the issue to a referendum, and an October poll found that Marylanders were about evenly split on same-sex marriage. What do you think? Vote in our poll and share your views in the comments.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Kensington senator is profiled in this month's issue of The Washingtonian.
The debate over same-sex marriage is a personal one for Sen. Rich Madaleno. The Kensington resident is Maryland's first openly gay senator, and he told The Washingtonian that discussions about equality in the Assembly often hit close to home. "As respectful and dignified as the debate on the floor was, it was still difficult to sit and listen to your life being debated," he told the magazine. "... this idea of the slippery slope to societal breakdown — even if no one is saying 'you,' you don't appreciate being told your life is leading to the downfall of American civilization — especially from people who are already on their second marriages." Madaleno is profiled in this month's issue of the magazine, and some of his colleagues say the …
Friday, January 13, 2012
District 18 is well-represented in the General Assembly's leadership.
As the General Assembly session opens in Annapolis, Montgomery County lawmakers have increased their clout. And District 18—which includes Kensington, Wheaton and Chevy Chase—is well-represented in the House and Senate leadership. Sen. Rich Madaleno, of Kensington, chairs the Education, Business and Administration Subcommittee of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, which manages appropriations and tax matters. Del. Jeff Waldstreicher, also of Kensington, serves as the chairman of the Estates and Trusts Subcommittee, which falls under the House Judiciary Committee. Del. Ana Sol Gutiérrez, of Chevy Chase, is the House chairwoman of the Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds, which oversees the state treasurer's handling of …
Jacob Smith
10:25 am on Monday, April 15, 2013
From a child's infancy we celebrate gun violence on TV and in movies and then punish them if they imitate it with a sugar-filled pastry. more ›