PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY MD Lawmakers Prepare for Upcoming Session William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
When the 442nd Maryland General Assembly convenes Wednesday, Jan. 13, it will be the first time in history lawmakers convene remotely. With the exception to vote on the budget and other piece of legislation, lawmakers will not interact in Annapolis with constituents, lobbyists, interns and even some staff. Committee meetings and public hearings will be held virtually.
“I think it will be a very different session,” said Del. Jazz Lewis (D-District 24) of Glenarden. “This is new for all of us. Just like in life, it will throw an audible. I’m urging everyone to be flexible and patient.” The coronavirus pandemic has forced students to receive instruction at home, restricted indoor dining in some jurisdictions and caused some businesses to close. On the last day of 2020, the state’s Health Department reported about 276,662 confirmed cases and 5,727
deaths. During that time, Maryland ranked 25th and 18th in the nation, respectively. according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 data tracker. During the 90-day General Assembly session, a possible change may be scheduling hearings on Saturday “because we expect more people to participate in the process, which is good,” Lewis said. One of the first bills members in the House of Delegates will present deals with police reform slated to come before the House Judiciary and Senate Judicial Proceedings committees. A major recommendation would be to repeal the controversial Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights. Part of the state statute currently allows officers five days to receive counsel and be interrogated for an alleged offense. Other reforms include banning chokeholds and requiring officers to take mental health and behavioral assessments from a licensed mental health professional before being hired. Another proposal may be to incorporate a use-of-force statute. An officer who violates it could face up to five years in prison for recklessness and up to 10 years in prison if committed “knowingly and willfully.”
5 Marion Gray-Hopkins, center, and mother of Gary Hopkins, Jr., speaks at a police reform rally Oct. 17 in Forestville. Gray-Hopkins stands alongside other mothers whose children died from police-involved shootings. (File: Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Lawmakers also plan to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto issued in May on the $3.8 billion annual Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education plan. Hogan rejected it saying the state cannot afford additional spending on new programs while spending money to fight a pandemic. However, Democrats and education advocates say the comprehensive plan provides money to hire guidance counselors, offer mental health and behav-
ioral services for students and expand early childhood. House Speaker Adrienne Jones will reintroduce the bill to provide nearly $577 million for the state’s historically Black colleges and universities, according to the legislation filed on the General Assembly website. Lawmakers approved the bill this year to settle a 14-year-old lawsuit
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State Lawmakers to Focus on Alcohol Sales, School Board Representation in Prince George’s County William J. Ford WI Staff Writer During the annual Maryland General Assembly, state lawmakers review legislation for its re-
spective jurisdictions and hope for approval from their colleagues in the House and Senate chambers. The usual in-person meetings, public hearings, negotiations and handshakes with lobbyists and ac-
5 Various types of wine sold at Food Lion supermarkets. (Photo courtesy of Food Lion)
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tivists during the 90-day session won’t happen this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to proposed legislation from the Prince George’s County House Delegation, lawmakers from the majority Black jurisdiction have begun online discussions on items such as vehicle height monitoring systems, to require the livestreaming of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission meetings and regulation of concrete batching plants. A few bills that may receive a little more discussion include alcohol-related bills such as one to entice grocery stores to sell beer and “light wine” with at least three liquor stores within a square mile. One of the strategies seeks to open supermarkets within food deserts. “[The bill] can help address the issue of food desserts that have been pervasive in the county,” said Del. Jazz Lewis (D-District 24) of Glenarden, who plans to sponsor the bill. “Here’s what our community needs. Let’s work this out.” The 24th legislative district houses three municipalities in the 20743
zip code with poverty rates above the county average of 8.7 percent. According to 2018 U.S. Census data, those locales are Capitol Heights (10.7 percent), Fairmount Heights (13.6 percent) and Seat Pleasant (17.8). These municipalities are located inside the Beltway that border the District. Del. Wanika Fisher (D-District 47B) of Hyattsville has a similar bill grant class A licenses to grocery stores permitting the sale of beer and light wine, but prohibit consumption on the store premises. The county’s Board of License Commissioners would grant approval for no more than three supermarkets to occupy a license within a legislative district. Beer and wine are already sold at two Food Lion stores, one in Upper Marlboro and the other in Laurel. Both grocery stores are located outside the Beltway. Prince George’s lawmakers with the delegation’s education committee reviewed two proposed bills Dec. 30. One focused on a previous bill
submitted last year by Del. Jay Walker (D-District 26) of Fort Washington to incorporate 150 minutes of physical activity, including includes 90 minutes of physical education, into the daily curriculum for elementary students. The other measure would reconfigure school board members to convert all members to at-large representatives in the county. Del. Ron Watson (D-District 23B) of Upper Marlboro said he contacted officials in neighboring Montgomery County. According to that county’s website, its board has a hybrid structure with two members who serve at-large, five who represent districts and one student member. “The intent of that piece of the legislation was to remove parochialism and ensure that each member of the school board was properly bedded by the entirety of Prince George’s County residents,” Watson said. “It is not
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