THE GAZETTE
Page A-4
Wednesday, August 13, 2014 b
Lee seeks move from House to Senate n
Bethesda Democrat focusing on cyber issues, crime BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
With 12 years of experience under her belt, Del. Susan C. Lee thinks it’s the right time to represent her district in the Senate. Lee, a Bethesda Democrat who has served in the House since 2002, said she can use the relationships she has in the House and the work she has done to advance policy goals in the Senate. “I wanted to use my experience and accomplishments that I’ve gotten over the last 12 years ... to build on that track record and do even more in the Senate for my constituents,” she said. Lee got her chance to run for an open Senate seat in District 16 this year when Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D) of Chevy Chase ran for attorney general. Lee is the deputy majority whip, serves on the House Judiciary Committee, and chairs the Family Law Committee. She counts among her top accomplishments her work with the women’s legislative caucus to de-
PHOTO FROM SUSAN C. LEE
Del. Susan C. Lee (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda.
vote funding to rape crisis centers; pass a law to keep people from using mistaken age a defense in child sex crimes; and make kidnapping a child for the purpose of human trafficking a felony. “This will help prosecutors prosecute” human trafficking, she said. Lee has also led commissions and task forces on cybersecurity, telemedicine and nanobiotechnology. She said
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she is considered a leader in passing laws to fight cybercrime and identity theft. As more health records are stored electronically, she said, large-scale identity theft is a greater risk. “It’s so easy now with technology to hack into a computer and steal” health records,” she said, adding that stolen health records could lead to misdiagnoses and incorrect drug charges. Cyber innovation also holds promise, however, and Lee said she wants to propose legislation to keep bioscience entrepreneurs in the state. Maryland could give innovators help commercializing their inventions, she said, or by giving tax credits to industries, or simply streamlining state processes that are cumbersome. Like many legislative hopefuls, Lee expects education funding to continue to be a priority. She said the state can ensure kindergarten through 12thgrade funding and expand prekindergarten funding, as well as keep college affordable. “We’ve made our tax system fairer, more progressive,” she said. “... We need to cut waste and duplication so that we can streamline processes” in
the government, while balancing the budget. Maryland has an opportunity to build on the innovation already happening in the state as the home to numerous federal agencies as well as science companies and colleges, Lee said, and legislators should prioritize support for those industries. “We could be the epicenter of cybersecurity, as well as life sciences,” she said. “We could create all sorts of different jobs.” Lee said she thinks she can do more in the Senate, which is smaller than the House, and forge bipartisan coalitions. “I’ve worked with [the senators] before, and I know that now that I will be over there, I can work with them even more,” she said. Lee is running against Republican Meyer Marks to represent District 16, which covers Bethesda, Chevy Chase and part of Potomac. More about Lee and other candidates is in The Gazette’s 2014 voters guide at www.gazette.net/section/ vg2014gz. ewaibel@gazette.net
Montgomery police officer indicted on perjury charge Allegation is related to testimony at trial in February n
BY
GAZETTE STAFF
A grand jury on Thursday indicted a Montgomery County police officer on one count of perjury, the police department said. The charge is related to Officer Colin W. O’Brien’s testimony in a drug paraphernalia trial on Feb. 3. Police said in a news release that they received a complaint about the accuracy of O’Brien’s testimony. Detectives from the 1st District Investigative Section were assigned
to look into the allegation. Perjury is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. O’Brien has been suspended with pay since June 5 and will remain suspended while the case is adjudicated, the department said. He was hired on July 14, 2008, and is assigned to the 3rd District in Silver Spring, according to the department. Maryland’s online court record system lists O’Brien as 30 years old and living in Columbia. A scheduling hearing in the case is set for Aug. 22.
InBrief AARP offering driving class at Davis Library AARP will present its Smart Driver course from 2 to 6 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Davis Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda. Participants can tune up their driving skills, learn safe driving strategies and update their knowledge of the rules of the road. The instructor will provide information about normal age-related physical changes and how to compensate for these changes, according to a news release from the library. Each student completing the class will receive a certificate; some insurance companies charge cheaper premiums for drivers with the certificate. Space is limited and registration is required at tinyurl.com/myvale7. The fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for nonmembers. The fee will be collected at the class. AARP members should bring their membership cards, and each student should bring a check payable to AARP and a pen. To request a sign language interpreter, email Montgomery County Public Libraries at DeafAccess@montgomerycountymd.gov, at least three business days before the class. For more information, call 240-7770922
Bethesda archaeological site on Maryland Public Television A PBS show Tuesday is sheduled to highlight a North Bethesda archaeological site. An episode of “Time Team America” about archaeological excavations at Josiah Henson Park is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. on MPT2. A documentary team and archaeologists visited the park about two years ago, The Gazette reported at the time. The team looked for evidence of what the Riley Farm would have looked like when it was a slave plantation in the 1800s. The Rev. Josiah Henson was a slave there from 1795 to 1830, when he escaped to Canada. Henson’s autobiography became an inspiration for the abolitionist novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”