Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Jordan Cooper may be young, but he's not inexperienced, and he's running to be a delegate in the Maryland General Assembly.
Jordan Cooper may not have reached his 30th birthday yet, but he already has a vision of how he can help Montgomery County. Last month, Cooper—a Democrat—announced that he is running in the November 2014 election for the position of District 16 delegate to the Maryland General Assembly. Cooper, 28, is 2003 graduate of Walter Johnson High School. Born and raised in the Bethesda area, he served as a page for the Maryland General Assembly in high school, taught high school civics in DC, worked in Baltimore as a legislative aid for two years, earned a master's degree in health policy from Johhs Hopkins University and has been volunteering in the community since he was a child. He's also worked on about a dozen campaigns, but this is his first…
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The ban is expected to pass 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 or simply keep their cell phones put away. The Maryland Senate voted 40-6 Monday 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 only be cited for using a cell phone 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 to …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
O’Malley proposed the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013, which would decrease the gas tax on consumers and, in its place, tack on a wholesale gas tax of 4 percent to be phased in over the next two years.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, March 20
By Amber Larkins for Capital News Service It’s not just anti-tax Republicans who are opposed to Gov. Martin O'Malley’s recently unveiled gas tax plan. The governor also faces opposition from some rural Democrats who say their constituents would pay more and not get many benefits. The gas tax is the largest source of revenue for the Transportation Trust Fund, which is used for transportation infrastructure projects. The fund does not have enough money to continue supporting existing infrastructure, let alone new roads, bridges and mass transit systems. O’Malley proposed the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013, which would decrease the gas tax on consumers by 5 cents to 18.5 cents per gallon July 1. In its place, O’Malley’…
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
New Goucher College poll finds the public is almost evenly split on the job performance of both Gov. Martin O'Malley and the Maryland General Assembly.
A narrow majority of Marylanders believe the state is headed in the wrong direction and most are split on the job performance of Gov. Martin O'Malley and the General Assembly. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed in a poll conducted by the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College believe the state is on the wrong track compared to 44 percent who think it is going in the right direction. The same poll gave mixed reviews on the job performance of the governor and state legislators. Forty-six percent of Marylanders polled said they held a favorable view of O’Malley compared to 45 percent who said they held an unfavorable view. When asked O’Malley's job performance as governor, 47 percent approved and 43 percent disapproved. …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Debate over the lodging facility Lockheed operates for its Bethesda training center has emerged once again, The Washington Post reports.
The Maryland Senate has advanced a bill that would exempt Lockheed Martin from paying taxes on its Bethesda training center, The Washington Post reports. If the measure is approved, Lockheed would be exempted from about $450,000 a year in taxes and the county could owe the Bethesda-based defense giant a $1.4 million refund, according to the report. The bill would apply to Maryland companies that operate lodging facilities used only to support training or conference centers – a description Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Montgomery) said applied only to Lockheed, but for which other facilities may qualify in the future, The Post reported. Sen. Bryan W. Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel) called the bill a “carve-out” for Lockheed Martin, according to the …
A movement is growing in Maryland to support later school start times for children.
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 …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
A Montgomery County state senator is opposing a bill that would allow gas companies to update old pipelines at a faster pace.
Would you pay more each month for gas utility service in exchange for updated gas pipelines? A bill that easily passed both houses of the Maryland General Assembly would increase Marylanders' gas bills by $2 and allow gas companies to more quickly upgrade old pipelines that are near schools and neighborhoods, the Washington Post reports. Two senators, one from Anne Arundel County and another from Charles County, sponsored the measure, which is different from the current law because it allows companies to charge for upgrades before they are complete. This pre-payment, which has been proposed five times in the past four sessions, according to the Post, is akin to deregulating the utility system, say some opponents. “This is about ending …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The county's delegation of senators will spend the afternoon discussing where and how businesses can sell beer and wine.
It is unclear what the rules are regarding state legislators drinking on the job, but this afternoon's agenda for the Montgomery County Senate Delegation may be enough to make anyone reach for the nearest glass of vino. Here's what county senators will be discussing and possibly voting on today: 1) Winery Special Event Permits - Farmers' Markets, sponsored by Del. Eric Luedtke (D-Dist 14). Essentially, farmers' markets need permits to host special wine tasting events. With all of the markets in Montgomery County, legislators want to amend the law to allow them to be able to get a permit. Read more here. The House delegation already voted yes on this. 2) Montgomery County - Alcoholic Beverages - Refillable Beer Containers, sponsored by …
Monday, February 4, 2013
"People are suffering every day" and need medical marijuana, delegate says.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, February 4
By Ethan Rosenberg Capital News Service Despite coming up short the last two years, several House legislators are trying again to legalize medical marijuana, while others are attempting to tighten restrictions on its synthetic counterparts. Delegate Cheryl Glenn, D-Baltimore, plans to reintroduce the Maryland Medical Marijuana Act to the House Judiciary Committee. The bill would allow the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to regulate the distribution of medical marijuana through compassion centers for patients who have an ongoing relationship with a physician. “People are suffering every day in the state of Maryland, and they are being subjected to going out on the streets to get the relief we should be providing,” Glenn said. The …
Ralph Bennett
12:57 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Will you post it? You deleted my last one. I said stop whining about the gas tax - rural Maryland needs to pay to move, just like we do. Ralph Bennett more ›