9 minute read
Prince George's County
William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
As the Biden administration continues to pursue a COVID-19 relief package for millions of Americans, lawmakers in Maryland crossed the finish line on behalf of residents and business owners Friday.
Both members in the House and Senate approved the more than $1 billion stimulus and economic legislation slated to provide tax relief for small businesses and support for nonprofit organizations.
Most important, low-income residents have been promised to receive stimulus checks from the state this month.
“We provided relief that Marylanders need to make it through the rest of this unbelievable crisis so that 2021 can be the year of true recovery and rebuilding,” Senate President Bill Ferguson said during a virtual press briefing. “It was a lot work. Compromise is always hard but where we landed is a place where we are targeting resources for Maryland’s most vulnerable.”
The compromise nearly failed when the House of Delegates sought to add a controversial provision for the inclusion of immigrant workers which several senators vigorously opposed. But Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones agreed to drop it from the legislation, the RELIEF Act first presented by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. The House voted in favor of the legislation, 128-1, while the Senate approved it unanimously, 45-0.
“This is a clear message to Mary-
5 Members of the House of Delegates nearly voted unanimously Feb. 12 on a more than $1 billion COVID-19 relief package Feb. 12. The emergency bill will allow some Marylanders to receive stimulus checks this month. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informers)
Maryland Legislators Scheduled to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Data in the Coming Days
William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
Maryland lawmakers plan to receive vaccine distribution data among all 24 jurisdictions this week to assess how many are provided to health departments, pharmacies and other providers.
More importantly, if vaccines
5 Robert Gaskin, 73, received a COVID-19 vaccine in his right arm at a vaccination clinic Feb. 12 at Reid Temple AME Church in Glenn Dale. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer) are allocated equally.
A Senate vaccine work group received a sneak peek Monday, Feb. 15 from at least jurisdictions during a weekly presentation from acting Health Secretary Dennis Schrader.
“How long will it take to get the rest of the jurisdictions?” said Sen. Clarence Lam, a Democrat who represents parts of Baltimore and Howard counties.
By the end of the week, Schrader said.
In the meantime, the senators received a two-week summary in Baltimore City and Prince George’s, Montgomery and Howard counties. Some of the breakdown Schrader said based on the needs of each jurisdiction are as follows: • Montgomery County: 22,875 (11,375 to local hospitals; 9,000 to the health department; 2,000 pharmacies). • Prince George’s County: 19,600 (7,300 health department; 3,900 local hospitals; 4,000 pharmacies; 3,400 Kaiser Permanente; 1,000 to mass vaccination site at Six Flags America). • Baltimore City: 10,350 (4,000 health department; 3,050 local hospitals; 2,000 pharmacies; 1,300 federally qualified health center and health care provider). • Howard County: 5,200 (3,400 health department; 1,200 pharmacies; 600 hospital).
The summary notes the number of vaccines distributed to each pharmacy and hospital. With the exception of the 1,000 vaccines from Pfizer at the Six Flags and 975 to Holy Cross hospitals in Silver Spring and Germantown, the rest came from Moderna.
Prince George’s accounts for the highest number of confirmed cases in the state, but with the lowest vaccine distribution of first doses at only 7 percent. The majority Black jurisdiction of 909,000 account for 15 percent of the state’s overall population. SCHEDULE Page 51
landers everywhere . . . relief is on its way,” said Sen. Craig Zucker (D-Montgomery County). “Not next year. Not in the next month but now. We put partisanship aside.”
Senate Minority Whip Michael J. Hough agreed.
“It’s good to come together in a bipartisan moment,” said the Republican senator who represents portions of Frederick and Carroll counties. “There was some haggling in the House chamber. It’s not a perfect bill. Compromises are never perfect. This is a good bill overall.”
Del. Rick Impallaria, a Republican who represents portions of Baltimore and Harford counties, represented the only no vote.
The legislation goes into effect when the governor signs it into law. A Hogan spokesman did not respond to an email for comment.
The emergency legislation would provide stimulus checks up to $450 for individuals, up to $750 for families benefiting an estimated 400,000 people. It would be based on those who qualified for earned income tax credit in 2019 and those eligible in 2020.
About $300 million would come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to help cover the lion’s share of the disbursed funds. The rest of the money would come from other reserves such as a local income tax and retirement program in the fiscal year budgets for 2021 and 2022. An estimated 55,000 businesses would receive a sales tax credit of up to $3,000 for
RELIEF Page 51
Ben and Jerry’s Co-Founders Join the Call of Officials, Advocates’ to End Police Immunity
William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, helped launch a national campaign last month to allow Americans to sue police officers who kill, shoot or abuse someone in the line of duty.
The co-founders brought that message Monday, Feb. 15 during a virtual press conference to support legislation sponsored by Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery County) to end qualified immunity, a U.S. Supreme Court doctrine to ensure officers aren’t held liable unless another officer has been found guilty in a similar situation.
“This is not just a Black problem. This is a white problem and for too long, too many white people have sat on their hands while Black people are beating and killed by bad cops,” Cohen said. “Today is a new day. We, white people, the people who authorized the police to use lethal force in our name. Either we are racist by tacitly allowing this travesty to continue, or we can be anti-racist and use our power to put an end to it.”
The “Police Qualified Immunity and Accountability Act,” which can be viewed at https:// bit.ly/3qoQIyC, would allow civil suits against police officers by a victim or a victim’s family, as well as for jurisdictions to recoup officer’s pensions.
A person may not file a suit if the “physical or mental injury… did not rise above ordinary negligence, was not outside the scope of law enforcement training and standards, or did not constitute misconduct.”
Three victims of police brutality spoke in support of the legislation. One was Marion Gray-Hopkins, mother of Gary Hopkins Jr. who was killed by Prince George’s County police in 1999.
“Law enforcement should be made to pay civil law suits filed against them, versus us using our taxpayer dollars,” said Hopkins, co-founder and president of the Coalition of Concerned Mothers. “They should also lose pensions when they make egregious acts against civilians.”
Larry Cosme, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, wrote in a June 24 article why qualified immunity remains necessary.
“Law enforcement need qualified immunity in order to carry out their jobs. Law enforcement is required to make split-second decisions,” he wrote. “Without qualified immunity they may be hesitant to act when it is most needed.”
House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson introduced social and economic justice agendas with several police reforms such as repealing the controversial Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, eliminating no-knock warrants and making documents public related to police investigations and previous complaints made against an officer.
The House Judiciary and Senate Judicial Proceedings committees reviewed other police reform legis-
5 Marion Gray-Hopkins mother of Gary Hopkins, Jr. who was killed by Prince George’s County police in 2019, speaks during a virtual press conference Feb. 15. (Screen grab: Courtesy of Del. Jheanelle Wilkins)
PGCPS
BRIEFS
Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer
BILINGUAL EVENT
Students are encouraged to register for Estudios Universitarios (A College Education is Within Your Reach) on Saturday, Feb. 20.
This bilingual event caters to students in grades 6-12 and their families, providing them with more information about the college admission process. For more information about the program, visit: http://go.umd.edu/ estudios21
WISE ATHLETICS
This year three former Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School athletes Ryan Smith @OhLawwwdy, Zach Pascal @ ZachPascal6 and Marcus Allen @Chico_Hndrxx participated in the NFL Playoffs. The event culminated with Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning this year’s Superbowl.
VACCINATIONS FOR SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF
PGCPS is working with the County Health Department and Kaiser Permanente on employee vaccinations. Support staff are receiving vaccinations by appointment only at Kaiser Permanente Lanham Rehabilitation Center in Lanham. This includes employees in building services, food and nutrition services, transportation and designated information technology staff.
Appointments are held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Please note the following clinic location: lation this week such as procedures on use of force, state attorneys create a database of law enforcement officers committed or accused of wrongdoing, and ensure drivers stopped by police at a traffic stop know their rights.
Wilkins said ending police immunity can serve as a nucleus to incorporate criminal justice reform.
“I view this issue as a very specific, critical and missing piece of the conversation in terms of ensuring accountability,” she said. “If we do anything else…but we don’t include this piece that is the specific liability and accountability for officers, we really would be missing out on ensuring comprehensive police reform this legislative session.”
WI @jabariwill
Kaiser Permanente Lanham Rehabilitation Center 4400 Forbes Blvd. Lanham, MD 20706
ALTERNATIVE ONSTRUCTION PROGRAM
Schools CEO Monica Goldson and the Prince George’s County Education & Community Partners have announced the creation of a $1 million endowed fund to support students and educators, along with student internships, mentoring opportunities and apprenticeships valued at $4.7 million as part of the school system’s Alternative Construction Finance Program.
The project, which was finalized in mid-December, will build six new schools by July 2023 through an innovative approach to address aging schools that include Drew-Freeman, Hyattsville, Kenmoor and Walker Mill middle schools, as well as a new middle school and K-8 school in the Adelphi and southern areas of the county. Currently, more than half of the 208 schools are over 50 years old.
“It is vital that we continuously invest in our students’ future,” Goldson said. “Throughout this process, Prince George’s County Public Schools has remained committed to our goal of supporting our students at every stage of their educational experience, ensuring they have every tool needed for success.”
MEALS
Students ineligible for free and reduced-priced meals will have to pay for breakfast and lunch. Food and Nutrition Services strongly encourages cashless transactions and encourages all households to deposit funds into their student account.
All schools, with the exception of Fort Foote, Glassmanor and Tayac elementary schools and Robert Goddard Montessori will serve as meal distribution sites.
Meals will be pre-packaged and distributed two days per week between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at school locations.
For more information, please call the Department of Transportation support telephone number at 301952-6570. WI
5 PGCPS staff participated in a recent party where they read 100 words, counted to 100 and danced. ( PGCPS Photo)
