PRESS RELEASE FROM: Delegate McDermott Introduces a Bill To Help Retirees & Maryland’s Economy

February 5, 2014

“Delegate McDermott Introduces a Bill To Help Retirees & Maryland’s Economy”

 

ANNAPOLIS - “Maryland needs to become a state that people want to retire in if we want to see our economy grow.  In order to do this, Maryland needs to become more tax friendly and this bill is just one piece of the puzzle to help us do it” stated Delegate Mike McDermott (R- Worcester & Wicomico Counties) in the House of Delegates hearing on House Bill 75, entitled “Income Tax - Income Modification - Retirement Income.”

 

House Bill 75 will allow retirees to exempt the first $50,000 from their pensions from the state’s income tax.  Under current law, Maryland already provides a pension exclusion for retirees who are at least 65 years old or who are completely disabled. “The Tax Foundation makes it quite clear that there is a migration, an exodus, if you will, of money and people leaving the state of Maryland… Maryland needs to move in a more competitive direction if we want to actually compete with other states in the region.  If not, we will continue to see an exodus of individuals, small business, and Fortune 500 Companies” continued Delegate McDermott.  

 

“This bill helps people who have grown up in, worked in, raised kids in, and made a life for themselves in Maryland;  this bill bets on those people.  If the Maryland legislature exempts the first $50,000 of retirement income from the income tax, not only will retirees stay in Maryland, rather than go to more tax friendly states such as Florida or Texas, but we will see that money invested back into the communities here. We will see those people by another car here.  We will see those people help their kids buy a house here. The benefits and the economy growth that Maryland will see from this bill substantially outweighs the costs” concluded Delegate McDermott, before the House Ways and Means Committee.

House Bill 75 is still awaiting a vote by the Ways and Means Committee.  If passed by the House and Senate, this bill will take effect for the 2014 tax year.

 

 

AUTOPSY COMPLETED IN DEATH OF DELAWARE FUGITIVE

Maryland State Police

AUTOPSY COMPLETED IN DEATH OF DELAWARE FUGITIVE

(SALISBURY, MD) – An autopsy of the armed fugitive fatally wounded as police attempted to arrest him in Salisbury two days ago has been completed. 

The autopsy was conducted on the body of James L. Norris, 25, of Wilmington, Delaware, who was fatally wounded on the afternoon of February 4, 2014. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore has concluded Norris died of a single gunshot wound to the head. He sustained no other injuries.

Examination of the wound, clothing, and other evidence by pathologists, crime scene technicians and investigators has led them to conclude Norris did fire the gun held in his right hand jacket pocket, but he was not struck by that round. Investigators believe the round that struck Norris was fired from the police officer’s gun.

Investigators believe one round was fired by Norris and one round was fired by the officer. One projectile was recovered from the car Norris was in. The other round has not yet been located. Ballistic examination of the recovered round will be conducted in an attempt to determine whose gun it was fired from.

The investigation is continuing. 

Delegate Mike McDermott ~ 2nd Amendment Rally 2014

2014 2nd Amendment Rally

Delegate Mike McDermott

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

 

 In his STRONG voice for our freedoms yesterday Delegate Mike McDermott hit the nail on the head!!  Speaking to a group of Marylanders in Annapolis, Delegate McDermott not only seemed to be speaking to those in ONE state but to ALL Americans in ALL of America!

 

Here is what he had to say....

 

Drugs and Assault Weapons Recovered During Search & Seizure Warrants

From:   The Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County & The Office of The Sheriff For Worcester County, MD.
            
February 4, 2014

Drugs and Assault Weapons Recovered During

Search & Seizure Warrants

 

 

SNOW HILL – Members of the Criminal Enforcement Team, a highly specialized drug enforcement unit of the Office of the Sheriff for Worcester County executed four coordinated search and seizure warrants in Worcester County during the days of January 30th and 31st resulting in the seizure of marijuana, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and assault weapons.
 

Working together with local, state and federal partners, two months of investigation led to three simultaneously executed warrants in Pocomoke and one separately executed warrant in Bishopville, MD.

In total, Nine-hundred and twenty-six grams of Marijuana, twelve grams of crack cocaine, twenty-seven individual bags of heroin and two tablets of ecstasy were recovered. In addition, one Intra Tec Tec 9 Assault Pistol one Smith & Wesson .38 Caliber Revolver and one Hi Point .40 Caliber Carbine were also recovered.

Sheriff Mason applauded the efforts of law enforcement by saying, “Thanks to the members of the Criminal Enforcement Team and our allied partners, the streets of Worcester County are both cleaner and safer today”.

 

State’s Attorney for Worcester County, Beau Oglesby added, “Drugs and guns go hand in hand, and when our law enforcement officers risk their lives to make our communities safer you can rest assured that our Office will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law”.

 

The following individuals were arrested as a result of these investigations:

 

Davonte Lamont Purnell (Age 22) Pocomoke, Maryland
Possession of Marijuana
Possession with intent to distribute Marijuana
Possess of Crack Cocaine
Possession with intent to distribute Crack Cocaine
Possession of Assault Pistol
Possession of a high capacity magazine
Illegal Possession of a regulated firearm
Illegal possession of ammunition
Felon in possession of a firearm
Committed to Worcester County Jail on a $100,000.00 Bond

 

Marcus Shaquille Cropper (Age 20) Pocomoke, Maryland
Possession of Marijuana
Possession with intent to distribute Marijuana
Possess of Crack Cocaine
Possession with intent to distribute Crack Cocaine
Committed to the Worcester County Jail on a $50,000.00 Bond

 

Eric Aaron Cropper (Age 46) Pocomoke, Maryland
Possession of Marijuana
Possession with intent to distribute Marijuana
Possess of Crack Cocaine
Possession with intent to distribute Crack Cocaine
Committed to the Worcester County Jail on a $50,000.00 Bond

 

Clement Lee Johnson (Age 31) Bishopville, Maryland
Possession of Marijuana
Possess of Crack Cocaine
Possession with intent to distribute Crack Cocaine
Possession of Heroin
Possession with intent to distribute Heroin
Possession of Ecstasy / MDMA
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime (2Cts.)
Possession of a stolen firearm
Committed to the Worcester County Jail on a $125,000.00

 

The following agencies assisted the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team during this investigation and the execution of these search and seizure warrants.

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office
Worcester County Bureau of Investigation
Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office
Ocean City Police Department Narcotics Unit
Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force
Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office SERT Team
Berlin Police Department SWAT Team
Maryland State Police – Berlin Barrack
Pocomoke City Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations – RAC Ocean City

Great job! bw

Worcester Co. State's Attorney Beau Oglesby To Meet With Top Officials To Discuss Heroin Issue

 

The Office of The State’s Attorney
Date: February 4, 2014

 

 

SNOW HILL – On Wednesday, February 5th, 2014 State’s Attorney for Worcester County, Beau Oglesby, announced that he would be traveling to Baltimore on Friday, February 7th, to meet with U.S. Attorney, Rod Rosenstein and other top officials to discuss the issue of fentanyl laced heroin which has already caused 37 deaths across the state of Maryland.

 

Oglesby stated, “We need to be as informed as possible, meeting with officials from across the State as well as our federal partners will ensure that we address this issue before it becomes a problem for the Eastern Shore.”

In recent weeks newspapers from across the country have been reporting on this deadly epidemic. Heroin overdoses have spiked dramatically because this new heroine is mixed with the powerful pain killer, fetanyl. Fetanyl is estimated to be 80 times more powerful than morphine according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This is a real problem that’s very dangerous. No one should die from an overdose, and there are resources within the community designed to help those with addictions find a pathway to recovery. It is important to send a reminder to those who might bring these poisons to our shores that there will be no leniency from this Office, and they will be held accountable for their actions”, Oglesby said.

 

Snow Hill Area Chamber of Commerce ~ 4th Annual Oyster Roast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tickets are also available online on the Chamber website at www.snowhillareachamber.com - tickets are limited and sell out quickly so don't delay!

 

Snow Hill Area Chamber of Commerce

Facebook

 

NASA / Kepler Finds a Very Wobbly Planet

Kepler Finds a Very Wobbly Planet

NASA Photo
 

This illustration shows the unusual orbit of planet Kepler-413b around a close pair of orange and red dwarf stars. The planet's 66-day orbit is tilted 2.5 degrees with respect to the plane of the binary star's orbit. The orbit of the planet wobbles around the central stars over 11 years, an effect called precession. This planet is also very unusual in that it can potentially precess wildly on its spin axis, much like a child's top.


Imagine living on a planet with seasons so erratic you would hardly know whether to wear Bermuda shorts or a heavy overcoat. That is the situation on a weird, wobbly world found by NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope.

The planet, designated Kepler-413b, precesses, or wobbles, wildly on its spin axis, much like a child's top. The tilt of the planet's spin axis can vary by as much as 30 degrees over 11 years, leading to rapid and erratic changes in seasons. In contrast, Earth's rotational precession is 23.5 degrees over 26,000 years. Researchers are amazed that this far-off planet is precessing on a human timescale.

Kepler 413-b is located 2,300 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. It circles a close pair of orange and red dwarf stars every 66 days. The planet's orbit around the binary stars appears to wobble, too, because the plane of its orbit is tilted 2.5 degrees with respect to the plane of the star pair's orbit. As seen from Earth, the wobbling orbit moves up and down continuously.

Kepler finds planets by noticing the dimming of a star or stars when a planet transits, or travels in front of them. Normally, planets transit like clockwork. Astronomers using Kepler discovered the wobbling when they found an unusual pattern of transiting for Kepler-413b.

"Looking at the Kepler data over the course of 1,500 days, we saw three transits in the first 180 days -- one transit every 66 days -- then we had 800 days with no transits at all. After that, we saw five more transits in a row," said Veselin Kostov, the principal investigator on the observation. Kostov is affiliated with the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. The next transit visible from Earth's point of view is not predicted to occur until 2020. This is because the orbit moves up and down, a result of the wobbling, in such a great degree that it sometimes does not transit the stars as viewed from Earth.

Astronomers are still trying to explain why this planet is out of alignment with its stars. There could be other planetary bodies in the system that tilted the orbit. Or, it could be that a third star nearby that is a visual companion may actually be gravitationally bound to the system and exerting an influence.

"Presumably there are planets out there like this one that we're not seeing because we're in the unfavorable period," said Peter McCullough, a team member with the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University. "And that's one of the things that Veselin is researching: Is there a silent majority of things that we're not seeing?"

Even with its changing seasons, Kepler-413b is too warm for life as we know it. Because it orbits so close to the stars, its temperatures are too high for liquid water to exist, making it inhabitable. It also is a super Neptune -- a giant gas planet with a mass about 65 times that of Earth -- so there is no surface on which to stand.

NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., is responsible for the Kepler mission concept, ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., managed Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., developed the Kepler flight system and supports mission operations with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore archives, hosts and distributes Kepler science data. Kepler is NASA's 10th Discovery mission and was funded by the agency's Science Mission Directorate.

For images and more information about Kepler-413b, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/news/2014/12

For more information about the Kepler space telescope, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

 

Source:

DRIVER CHARGED IN CRASH THAT INJURED STATE TROOPER

Maryland State Police Press Release

DRIVER CHARGED IN ANNE ARUNDEL CO. CRASH THAT INJURED STATE TROOPER

(GLEN BURNIE, MD) – Maryland State Police today issued traffic charges to an Anne Arundel County driver involved in a crash four months ago that critically injured a state trooper on a traffic stop.

The driver is identified as Enrique Guzman, Jr., 21, of Pasadena, Md. He was issued two traffic citations this morning at his home by a Maryland State Police Crash Team investigator. He is charged with a violation of Maryland’s ‘move over’ law, which carries a fine of $750. He is also charged with negligent driving, which carries a fine of $280. The penalty for each charge also includes three points if the violation contributed to a traffic crash. Acceptance of the citations is not an admission of guilt. Guzman has a right to stand trial on the charges or pay the fines prior to trial.

The charges were placed after a detailed crash reconstruction and investigation was conducted by the Maryland State Police Crash Team. The investigation was reviewed by the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office. After the review, prosecutors determined the two charges listed above should be issued to the driver.

Guzman is charged in connection with a crash that occurred at about 1:00 a.m. on October 6, 2013, on eastbound Rt. 100, prior to the Catherine Avenue exit. Trooper Jacqueline Kline, assigned to the Glen Burnie Barrack, had just stopped on the shoulder of the highway to back-up a K-9 trooper on a traffic stop. The investigation revealed that as Trooper Kline walked along the highway shoulder toward the patrol car in front of her, the car driven by Guzman struck her.

Trooper Kline was thrown onto the hood of the striking vehicle, a 2007 Nissan Versa. She was then propelled into the back of the State Police K-9 car, where she struck the back windshield and metal K-9 cage inside the car.

Trooper Kline was hospitalized for several weeks, but is now out of the hospital. She continues to improve with a speed that amazes her medical team and her fellow troopers. 

Community Crime Watch Meeting

Weather Permitting:

Stockton area Communtiy Crime Watch  meeting  will be held Friday, February 7, 2014 at 6:00 PM at the Stockton Vol. Fire Dept.

Ms.  Janet Tull of the Worcester County Health Department will have a special presentation.

The Kickoff Party for Relay for Life Rescheduled

  From:  CITY OF POCOMOKE (facebook page)

The Kickoff Party for Relay for Life of South Worcester County has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 11th at 6pm at the MAR-VA Theater. All are welcome to attend!

Postponement - Trooper 4 Ribbon Cutting

Trooper 4 Ribbon Cutting POSTPONED
From: Maryland State Police Aviation Command

Due to the forecasted weather statewide tonight into tomorrow, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command is postponing the Ribbon Cutting ceremony scheduled for tomorrow to celebrate the new AW139 multi mission helicopter assigned to Trooper 4 in Salisbury. A number of guests and speakers would have to travel through areas forecasted to receive ice and freezing rain.

 

A new date has not been selected. A new press release will be sent out when a date is selected.

 

 I sincerely hope you will be able to attend.

 

Sgt. Michael Mann
Maryland State Police Aviation Command
Salisbury Section - Trooper 4

FUGITIVE FATALLY WOUNDED IN WICOMICO CO. IDENTIFIED

Maryland State Police Press Release

(SALISBURY, MD) – After locating and notifying family in Delaware, Maryland State Police are identifying the armed man fatally wounded yesterday in Wicomico County during an encounter with police officers attempting to arrest him.

The man is identified as James L. Norris, 25, whose last known address was in the 400-block of North Franklin Street, Wilmington, Delaware. He was pronounced dead at Peninsula Regional Medical Center shortly after 7:30 p.m. yesterday.

Norris was a passenger in a car stopped about 4:30 p.m. yesterday on Rt. 13 at Philadelphia Avenue, in Salisbury. Norris was wanted on handgun charges by the Wilmington Police Department. Police were attempting to take him into custody when he was fatally wounded.

Investigators with the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit remain uncertain at this time if the fugitive was wounded by a self-inflicted gunshot or by the police officer from the Salisbury Police Department who was a member of the Maryland State Apprehension Team. Police found the fugitive had his hands clenched around revolvers in both jacket pockets.

The investigation is continuing. 

Heart N Home ~ "Popcorn Family With Popcorn Machine"

Website ~ www.heartnhomegifts.com
Facebook ~  HEART N HOME

Worcester County Canned Food Drive Is Underway

Worcester County seeks public participation with food drive

Worcester County Volunteer Services and Liquor Control are hosting a canned food drive for the Maryland Food Bank (MFB) from Jan. 31 through Feb. 7.

All county employees and the public are invited to participate.

Canned food items can be deposited in specially-marked Maryland Food Bank barrels at these participating locations:

The Office of the State's Attorney for Worcester County
(see message on facebook page)

Worcester County Jail in Snow Hill

 Worcester County Branch Libraries: Ocean City, Ocean Pines, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke

All Department of Liquor Control (DLC) Shore Spirit Retail Liquor Store locations

Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill

Central Landfill storage building in Newark

Cape Isle of White Offices in Bishopville
 

Heroin Epidemic - Maryland Medical Examiner Releases Report On Over-Dose Related Deaths

WORCESTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

ALERT!

The Maryland Medical Examiner recently released a report indicating that there has been 37 over-dose related deaths since September 2013. It appears the source of these deaths has been heroin that was tainted/treated with fentanyl.

These deaths represent about 12 percent of the over 318 overdose deaths during this period.

While these deaths have been sporadic, the heroin epidemic is one that we take very seriously.

Sheriff Mason has made it a priority to go after those who import this drug into our county. Our area has seen an increase in arrests by our Criminal Enforcement Team and by local Law Enforcement Agencies.

Fentanyl is a synthetic morphine substitute that is roughly 100 times more powerful and deadly than that of Morphine it is supposed to resemble. Combined with Heroin, this deadly combination is devastating our area and families.

 The Sheriff's Office along with our partners in Law Enforcement take this very serious and are ramping up our efforts to identify those who use, deal, and distribute this drug.

#####

 

 

MD. Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene

 Warns of Potent and Deadly Drug Combination

 

 

Baltimore, MD (January 31, 2014)  --- Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) reports an increase in the number of deaths linked to a potent and deadly batch of heroin that is tainted with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, DHMH announced today.

 

According to OCME data, between September 2013 and today, at least 37 Maryland deaths were caused by the lethal drug combination.  The fentanyl/heroin deaths represent approximately 12 percent of 318 overdose deaths during the same time period. This represents the preliminary total of overdose deaths for the period between September 2013 and January 2014.  

"DHMH is reaching out to local behavioral health providers to ensure that they are fully informed about this dangerous and deadly trend,” said Dr. Gayle Jordan Randolph, Deputy Secretary for DHMH Behavioral Health Services. “We will support the local authorities as they adapt their overdose prevention plans in response to this deadly trend."

 

 

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl is estimated to be 80 times more powerful than morphine and hundreds of times more potent than heroin.  The presence of fentanyl dramatically increases the risk of an overdose death.

 

“Deaths due to the deadly heroin mixture appear to be widespread in Maryland and not localized to any specific area,” says Dr. David Fowler, Chief Medical Examiner for the State. “We have also seen overdose deaths due to fentanyl mixed with cocaine.”

 

Fentanyl-related deaths have been reported from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, and throughout Central Maryland. Recent reports indicate that heroin-fentanyl overdose deaths have also been seen in Washington State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and along the I-95 corridor. The location of an overdose death does not necessarily indicate the source of a drug.

 

 

County	Number of Deaths
Anne Arundel	4
Baltimore City	10
Baltimore County	5
Calvert	2
Carroll	1
Charles	1
Frederick	2
Howard	2
Prince George’s	5
Queen Anne’s	1
Somerset	1
Washington	2
Wicomico	1
Total	37

 

The State’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Plan is available at

http://adaa.dhmh.maryland.gov/Documents/content_documents/OverdosePrevention/MarylandOpioidOverdosePreventionPlan2013.pdf

Source:

Fugitive Fatally Wounded During Traffic Stop

Maryland State Police
02/03/2014

 FUGITIVE FATALLY WOUNDED DURING TRAFFIC STOP

 

(SALISBURY, MD) – A man armed with two handguns who was wanted by Delaware police was fatally wounded after police stopped the car he was in this afternoon in Wicomico County.

The man is not being identified at this time because his family has not yet been located and notified by police. He was a 25-year-old, whose last known address was in Wilmington, Delaware. He was wanted by the Wilmington (DE) Police Department on handgun charges.

A search for the fugitive began in the Wicomico County area after Maryland State Apprehension Team investigators were contacted by Wilmington Police Department officials on January 30, 2014. Wilmington officers reported the man was wanted for handgun violations.

Maryland State Apprehension Team (MSAT) investigators developed information that led them to conduct a surveillance this afternoon at a residence in Delmar. A person matching the description of the wanted man was seen getting into a car and being driven south on Rt. 13 into Salisbury. Investigators requested a uniformed trooper in a marked car stop the vehicle and identify the occupants.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m. today, a uniform trooper stopped the car on southbound Rt. 13 at Philadelphia Avenue. Investigators from MSAT were also on the scene observing the occupants. The uniform trooper contacted the female driver. The male passenger, later identified as the fugitive, was seen by police holding his face down, apparently trying to avoid being seen by the trooper.

The preliminary investigation indicates Officer Milton Rodriguez, an 18-year-veteran of the Salisbury Police Department and a member of MSAT, was part of the surveillance team and approached the passenger side of the car. The officer was wearing identification clearly identifying him as a police officer and was verbally identifying himself as he walked to the passenger side of the car and contacted the fugitive.

The investigation indicates Officer Rodriguez asked the fugitive for his name, at which time the fugitive put both hands in his jacket pockets. The officer gave verbal orders telling the man not to put his hands in his pockets. The fugitive refused and told the officer one of them was going to die. The preliminary investigation indicates the officer was in fear for his safety and pulled his weapon.

More than one shot was heard by police on the scene. At this time, investigators are not sure if the fugitive was wounded by a self-inflicted gunshot or by the police officer. Police found the fugitive had his hands clenched around revolvers in both jacket pockets. He was also in possession of suspected cocaine. Crime scene technicians continue to collect and process evidence from the scene.

Emergency medical personnel were summoned to the scene to treat the wounded man. He was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 7:30 p.m. His body will be taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. No one else was injured in the incident.

The Wicomico County State’s Attorney and Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan responded to the scene. Chief Duncan requested the investigation be conducted by the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, which regularly investigates police-involved shootings.

The investigation is continuing.   

Week 4: Field Notes By Delegate Michael A. McDermott

Week 4: Field Notes

Observations and Reflections on Legislative Activities

By Delegate Michael A. McDermott

Week 4 January 27-31, 2014

 

Monday Evening Session:

 

Bills offered on First Reader

 

There were some of the first bills crossing over from the Senate on First Reader in the House. One of particular interest for farmers dealing with manure transport issues is SB-127. The bill appears to give greater latitude to the Dept.of Agriculture in determining price caps.

 

Tuesday Morning Session:

 

I offered the Morning Prayer to begin session. I recited the prayer offered by President George Washington as his first act upon taking office. Whenever I have the opportunity, I try and remind the members of our rich history and our country’s focus on God. It is always a good reminder.

 

There were no bills on First Reader.

 

SB-134  Maryland Health Insurance Plan-Access for Bridge Eligible Individuals

was on Third Reader. This bill would require the state to cover all of the medical expenses for individuals who tried, or say they tried, to sign up for Maryland-Obamacare if they were unable to actually receive coverage under any plan. The O’Malley-Brown administration made this request but can provide no budget number or even identify the number of persons that we may need to cover. Essentially, the democrats want to provide a blank check to cover the failures of Maryland-Obamacare that could easily exceed $100 million. This concern was expressed by many delegates from the floor. In spite of these concerns and the failure of the democrats to provide answers, the bill was passed along a party line vote. Here’s what I said on the House Floor.

 

Tuesday Afternoon Judiciary Hearings:

 

HB-17 seeks to make the use of an interactive computer service to bully or harass people a misdemeanor. This bill would expand the provisions provided in the cyber bullying bill that was adopted last year (Grace’s Law) and make it apply to adults as well. There was quite a bit of debate over the expansion and the impact on the 1st Amendment rights of individuals.

 

HB-21 would make it a crime to disobey an order given by a 911 operator. This was, perhaps, a well intended bill, but it has so many pitfalls so as to render it misguided at best.

 

HB-27 seeks to place certain requirements and protocols in place for incarcerated prisoners who are pregnant. It specifically seeks to mandate the method and form in the use of shackles, and other physical restraints often utilized when transporting pregnant prisoners.

 

HB-33 referred to as “Lynette’s Law”, this bill seeks to make it a crime for a licensed therapist to have sexual contact with a patient within two years of the victim being a patient of the therapist.

 

HB-43 would make it a misdemeanor for a person to disclose sexual images, etc. of another person without the consent of that person. This is one of the so called, “Revenge Porn” bills that the committee is hearing this year. This bill would make it a misdemeanor. This bill does not address the extortion issues that I seek to address in HB-204.

 

HB-64 is a very similar bill to HB-43 except that it makes the crime a felony as opposed to a misdemeanor.

 

HB-65 would increase the penalty for Harassment and specifically names members of any Neighborhood Watch group as being persons who can be charged with Harassment. It has been crafted in response to the Martin case in Florida. I do not believe that singling out Neighborhood Watch folks is appropriate and it would probably make people reluctant to get involved in protecting their own neighborhoods.

 

HB-116 would require police officers throughout the state to wear an active video camera on their person to record all of their activities. The bill would have a significant fiscal impact on local agencies.

 

Hearing on HB-204:

 

The hearing in Judiciary went well. It was easy to use the other “Revenge Porn” bills that others had testified to earlier as a segway for HB-204. This bill simply expands the current Extortion law to include using sexually explicit images, video, etc. as a means of blackmail against an individual. Currently the law seems unclear that this would be applicable. Click here to listen to the hearing. 

 

Hearing on HB-32:

 

I had a hearing in Environmental Matters Committee on my Tinted Window exception for law enforcement. It was well received and there was no opposition. The bill simply would allow law enforcement vehicles to use window tinting on their vehicles to provide some degree of temperature protection for equipment, K-9’s, etc. It would also provide some protection for victims who are transported to the scene of an apprehension for a potential identification. Click here to listen to the hearing. 

 

Hearing on HB-34:

 

This bill was heard in Ways and Means and seeks to eliminate the Statute of Limitations on the crime of Income Tax Preparation Fraud. Often these cases are not uncovered until well after the current 3-year time that is in place. The Maryland State’s Attorney’s Association weighed in on the bill in full support. Click here to listen to the hearing. 

 

 

Hearing on HB-199:

 

This bill was also heard in Ways and Means. If passed, it would lower the Corporate Tax Rate in Maryland from the current 8.25% to 6% in a graduated step down over the next 5-years. There was an interesting dialogue with some of the democrats on the committee who alluded to a work group formed by the committee to make recommendations on making Maryland better for business. It appeared quite clear that they are not considering our tax code as an area that needs to be lowered. In fact, it seems their approach will be to cherry pick certain businesses that they wish to bless while not doing anything unilaterally. I testified that the Corporate Rate is simply one part of what should be a holistic approach to solving our decline in the area of business revenues. While I believe cutting the rate would create jobs and increase revenues over time, the democrats on the committee do not make that connection and only see the lost revenue from the tax cut. I told them they needed to first consider why Maryland has lost 7 of 11 Fortune 500 companies over the past 7-years and move to fix this breach. Click here to listen to the hearing.

 

Wednesday Morning Session: Bills presented on First Reader.

 

Judiciary Committee Budget Briefing

 

Judiciary Committee Afternoon Hearings:

 

HB-181 seeks to increase the fees charged to lawyers for docketing the appearance of Council in the Circuit Court for Carroll County. In a committee of many trial lawyers…what odds would you give this bill?

 

HB-183 seeks to limit the liability of the Industrial Development Authority of Carroll County by including them under the definition of “local government”. This is a local bill and these types of para-governmental agencies are often provided this type of protection.

 

HB-201 would add to the costs of our District Court fees $5.00 designated to a fund to provide for defray the costs of law enforcement agencies utilizing electronic citations and their equipment needs. This bill has been introduced previously and there is reluctance to increase these costs.

 

HB-211 is a Delegation Bill from Carroll County that would raise the salaries of the Orphans Court Judges from $10,000 to $15,000 per year. It would also provide the Chief Judge with an additional stipend of $1500.

 

HB-239 this bill would simply allow an applicant to the Bar or any lawyer to simply use a credit or debit card to pay certain fees of the of the court. It was hard to understand why this is not already being done.

 

HB-243 the bill would make the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle a civil matter as opposed to a criminal act. This would significantly impact the rental car folks. It was said that many who rent vehicles allow others to drive them without the permission of the rental company which violates their contracts. When these folks are stopped, they are often issued a citation for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. This process allows for the immediate recovery of the vehicle by the rental carrier as the unlawful operator is generally detained by police and charged with a misdemeanor. I am afraid that if this law is decriminalized, there will be very limited recovery of these rental vehicles.

 

Hearing on HB-213:

 

This bill will simply require local county permit offices to specify the reasons why they are denying permits to contractors, electricians, etc.  Right now, when a permit is denied, current law doesn’t mandate that a permit office specify why they are denying a permit.  Click here to listen to the hearing.

 

Thursday Afternoon Judiciary Committee Hearing:

 

HB-242 would allow Kent County to conduct a Truancy Reduction Program  which has already been implemented in several other counties in the state. The program seeks to provide alternatives to curb truancy and has been used successfully in other areas of the state.

 

HB-178 expands the services provided by the Department of Human Resources allowing them to make contact with relatives in “out of home” placement situations. It was said this bill would help with placement of juveniles in the least restrictive environment.

 

HB-179 would change the make-up of the Adult Public Guardianship Review Boards currently in place within every county. It would require that one of the members be a member of the medical community other than a psychiatrist. It would also allow a Registered Nurse be allowed to serve in place of one of the Doctor assigned positions.

 

HB-222 would place the crimes of 1st Degree Burglary and Animal Cruelty on the list of crimes that must be reported by law enforcement to local school boards.

 

HB-236 This bill is titled the Maryland Collaborative Reproduction Act. It seeks to address surrogate legal contracts and agreements made between individuals for the purpose of a woman providing gestation services to another person seeking to have a child through this process. This is really an area that needs some study before any action is taken. There seems to be a desire to move this through quickly and I cannot help but think the LGBT community is driving it.

 

Friday Morning Eastern Shore Delegation Meeting:

 

We heard from Secretary Murray from the Dept. of Business and Economic Development. He is always very enthusiastic (which I appreciate). He pointed out what he believed to be good progress by the administration in the area of business development while always avoiding the elephant in the room. I asked him about Beretta leaving Maryland for Tennessee and he said that was true. He said the company was expanding and was choosing to do so in another state. He also alluded to statements made by the company when the Gun Bill (SB-281) was passed last year indicating they were simply following through with what they had stated at that time. I’m sure Charles County would have appreciated the jobs and money of a major plant expansion. How long before Beretta moves out entirely we do not know. There is a smaller Benelli (part of the Beretta family) operation in Pocomoke City and we will have to wait and see how any future plans impact their Maryland operations.  

 

I pointed out to Sec. Murray that I had asked him for the past two years to get more involved with the poultry and agricultural businesses in the state to insure that they had a business advocate at the table when these new regulations and proposals come forward. He indicated that he tried to always remind his fellow cabinet members of the importance of these farming interests as business entities. Based upon the current state of affairs, it seems his voice does not carry very far in the room.

 

We heard a brief presentation from Secretary Hall of Planning. He spoke about trying to utilize additional funds from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to address additional septic concerns on the shore. I told him perhaps he could ask the governor to stop transferring tens of millions out of the trust fund to cover his General Fund expenditures. I also told him that it was beginning to look as though we did not need to double the Flush Tax since they keep taking so much money out of the fund for other expenses. He said he would pass that along (yeah, right). I also asked about the number of counties that had complied with the Tier Mapping. He stated that 14 counties had submitted maps. He said they were going back and forth with one particular county (probably Cecil) regarding issues with their proposal. Needless to say, it would seem many of our counties had opted to not comply or submit their plans. It was clear that the state is heavily embedded in local planning decisions based upon some of the discussions that took place between Sec. Hall and Delegate Arentz (R-Queen Anne) regarding a county growth area designation.

 

We heard from the Tourism Advisory Council and there were representatives from all of the local departments of tourism on the Eastern Shore. They were advocating to keep the governor’s proposed budget numbers for tourism in tact at $8.5 million as opposed to the budget review recommendations of the minimum mandated number of $6.5 million. The vast majority of this revenue is utilized for advertising and this is one area where the numbers can be seen in a very positive light when it comes to direct state revenues. This area of state spending is a big help to the Eastern Shore as we are quite dependant upon tourism to pay the bills.

Friday Morning Session:These bills were on First Reader.

 

Several Senate bills crossed over and were also on First Reader. Most were local bills. A couple of them were filed by Senator Colburn and would specifically impact Dorchester County(SB-76) and Cambridge (SB-152).

 

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