Maryland Episcopal Public Policy Network

April 11, 2008

2008 General Assembly 8th Legislative Update

Governor O'Malley has had two signing sessions thus far.  At the first, on April 3, 2008, he signed:
SB 217/HB 360 - Mortgage Fraud Protection
SB 218/HB 361 - Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure
SB 270/HB 363 - Mortgage Lending
SB 216/HB 365 - Recordation of Instruments Securing Mortgage Loans and Foreclosures.

On April 8, he signed 111 bills including
HB 231 - Rental Assistance Programs
HB 510 - Health Care dscision Act - Advance Directives, Electronic Documents and Signatures
HB 977 - Controlled Hazardous Substnaces - Discharge or Release - Reporting Requirements
HB 1079 - Consumer Protection - Halal Food Products

There will be additional bill signings including the Kids First Act.  The final date for signings in June 1.

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March 26, 2008

2008 General Assembly 7th Legislative Update

Over Easter weekend Maryland lawmakers worked to meet deadlines on key legislation as the session heads towards its April 7 sine die adjournment.  Most of the bills have amendments that will require the Senate and House to work out differences before passages and the Governor's signature.  Much of the debate has centered on the deteriorating national and state economy and the impact on current and projected state revenues.  Any bill with financial impact has had a difficult time in committee.
Here is the status of some of the bills we have followed:

SB 844/HB 1253 - Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas - passed in the house, pending in Senate.  Contact your Senator.
SB 309/HB 712 - Global Warming - passed in the Senate, pending in House.  Contact your Delegates

SB 959 - Phase out of Electronic Gambling Devices - passed in Senate, will pass in House
SB 83 - Compulsive Gambling Commission - unfavorable report in committee

SB 302/HB 512 - Affordable Housing Investment Trust - House bill referred to summer interim study

HB 1331 - Earned Income Tax Credit for Non-Custodial Parents - failed in committee
SB 344/HB 20 - Flexible Leave - passed both House and Senate. Contact your legislators.

SB 392 - Domestic Violence - passed Senate and heading to House Judiciary Committee. Contact your Delegates and members of the Committee.

SB 645/HB 1328 - Repeal of Death Penalty - no action taken by committees
SB 614 - Commission to Study Capital Punishment - will pass both Houses

HB 1391 - Kids First Act - passed House. Contact your Senator.
HB 1125 - Maryland Universal Health Care Plan - failed in committee

SB 446 - Correctional Facilities - Released Inmate ID Cards - no action

HB 555 - Mobile Home Park - Reimbursement for Displacement - unfavorable report in committee
HB 1382 - Howard County Mobile Home Parks Right of 1st Refusal - in House

HB 1079 - Halal Food Products - passed House. Contact your Senator.

The following bills have passed the House and are in the Senate:
SB 217/HB 360 - Mortgage Fraud Protection
SB 218/HB 361 - Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure
SB 270/HB 363 - Mortgage Lending
SB 216/HB 365 - Recordation of Instruments Securing Mortgage Loans and Foreclosures

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March 13, 2008

2008 General Assembly 6th Legislative Update

The House of Delegates and the Senate deadline date for reporting out bills is March 18.  March 24 is the Opposite Chamber Crossover Date when each Chamber sends to the other the bills it intends to pass favorably.  This means that those bills MEPPN has alerted you to must be acted on by those dates or else they fail.

Bills heard this week include:
HB 468 - Legalize Slots - Center for the Prevention of Compulsive Gambling - March 13, House Ways and Means
HB 947 - Credit Regulation - Debt Management - March 12, House Economic Matters
HB 1125 - MD Universal Health Care Plan - March 13, House Health and Government Operations Committee
HB 1261 - Housing - Discrimination Based on Source of Income - March 13, House Environmental Matters Committee
HB 1328 - Repeal of the Death Penalty - March 14, House Judiciary Committee
HB 792 and SB 115 - Newborn Community Center Grant - March 18, House Appropriations and Senate Budget Taxation Committees

Bills heard last week include:
HB 94 - Task Force, Study Charitable*Commercial Gambling
SB 959 - Phase Out of Electronic Gambling Devices
HB 1079 - Consumer Protections - Halal Food Products
HB 1253 - Critical Area Protection Program

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March 4 , 2008

2008 General Assembly 5th Legislative Update

Please contact your Delegates and urge them to support HB 1079 - Consumer Protection Halal Food Products.  This legislation will establish an important consumer protection by requiring anyone who proports to sell food that conforms to the Muslim halal standard must disclose exactly why they make that claim.  It does not set the halal standard but allows the consumer to make that determination. Additional information about this legislation can be found at  http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/hb1079.htm.

HB 1079 is modeled after the 1997 legislation concerning the sale of food advertised as "kosher" and reflects that 1995 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling.  Don and I urge you to ask your legislators to support and co-sponsor this bill.  This is an opportunity to work together with the Muslim community on legislation they have asked requested.  It also is an opportunity for express our desire that all people be allowed to practice their faiths without being subjected to consumer deception and does so in a way that does not force the government to interfere in the practice of religion.

Housing bills under consideration include HB 1182/SB 653 Sales Agents for Non-profit Home Builders would give exemption to non-profit builders who construct affordable housing using special financing (i.e., Habitat) allowing them to sell homes without using a real estate agent.  As we know affordable non-profit built housing has special requirements including length of occupancy (often 15 years), equity sharing and recapture, and sweat equity.   Most real estate agents are not familiar with the requirements of this type of housing.  The Maryland ABCD Network urges us to contact our legislators.

HB 1253 Critical Area Reform bill. Its purpose is to update and improve the Critical Area Act that was passed when Harry Hughes was governor. The critical area law established a setback from the shoreline of the Bay and its tidal tributaries in which the land should be left in a natural state, with bushes and trees to help filter the water flowing into the waterways. Enforcement has grown lax and there has been a lot of illegal development along the edges of the Bay. Individual building projects are small, but the cumulative effect is large. Destroying the natural land along the edge of the bay not only leads to poorer water quality but it also destroys the habitat of many native animals. This year's bill will set consistent standards, tighten variance provisions, give regulatory authority to the Critical Area Commission, strengthen penalties for violations, and establish an advocate to speak on behalf of the Bay at development hearings.
You can read the entire bill at: http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/HB1253.htm  
The Diocese supports this bill as stewardship of God's creation.
The hearing will be Thursday March 6 In the House Environmental Matters Committee. Contact the chair, Maggie McIntosh   If you live in her district (Homeland, Guilford, Charles Village, Tuscany Canterbury) please say so. If you live in Towson, Timonium or Lutherville, please contact your delegate, Steve Lafferty who is also on the Environmental Matters Committee

Additional Housing Legislation (the Governor's package):
HB 360 – Mortgage Fraud Remedy – This will cover many of the instances of fraud and deception. It allows for a criminal charge, as well as a private right of action – with attorney’s fees and up to triple damages.
HB 361 – Revisions to the Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act – This bans what are known as “reconveyances” – a transfer of title with some kind of promise that the homeowner can stay in the house and get it back. It extends all the protections of the bill to homeowners who are at least 60 days behind (when amended) in payments. It puts strong ethical requirements and limitations on those who approach homeowners and offer to help them. Homeowners in default will have the the right to rescind a sales contract within five days of signing. There are also further limits on the “we pay immediate cash for your house” kind of transactions that are now the preferred method of scamming homeowners in trouble.
HB 363 – Credit Regulation – This reforms the way mortgages are issued. It bans prepayment penalties and institutes a lot of other changes to the lending process, including positive changes for underwriting and verification.
HB 365 – Foreclosure Process – This reforms the process for foreclosure. Foreclosure petitions cannot be filed until the homeowner is at least 90 days behind and has received a special notice with information on the foreclosure and counseling at least 45 days before. There must be personal service of the petition in most cases. No sale can occur until 30 days have gone by after service. The homeowner can redeem up to one day before with no questions and lenders must give them information in a reasonable time. There are also other notice requirements, including a requirement that homeowners be given a loss mitigation number to call by the lender.
A final housing bill is HB 682. This would protect condominium associations and home owner associations when there is a foreclosure by ensuring that up to six months of unpaid fees and assessments remain attached to the property and are not wiped out in a foreclosure sale. Otherwise, the unpaid fees will have to be absorbed by all the other homeowners in the association.

The Pew Forum on Religion and the Public Life's Politics and the Pulpit is a guide to IRS restrictions on political activity by religious institutions.  The Religious Landscape Survey is available online at http://religions.pewforum.org/reports

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February 29 , 2008

2008 General Assembly 4th Legislative Update

The 2008 Faith Night in Annapolis was a great success.  This program is put on by the Public Policy Offices of the Lutheran and Episcopal Churches.  At the February 25 meeting at St. Anne's Parish House attendees heard presentations on global warming, immigration and energy conservation legislation.  They also learned more about the November election referendum on legalizing slot machines.  The event was co-chaired by Lee Hudson, director of the Lutheran Office on Public Policy and Don Schroeder, the Bishop's Deputy for Public Policy.  The Rev. Bob Wickizer, acting rector of St. Anne's, hosted and spoke on how church members should become involved in social and economic issues.

On March 5 at 10 a.m. at Lawyers' Mall (across from the State House) there will be a "Rally with O'Malley" in support of the global warming legislation, which the Governor supports, now before the Assembly.

Legislative activity in the Assembly is picking up.  Don Schroeder testified on affordable housing bills (SB 303 and HB 512), correctional services - ID cards for ex-offenders (SB 446), and compulsive gambling grants (SB 82) and submitted written testimony on a variety of other legislation.

Coming up in the next few weeks will be hearings on legislation to repeal the death penalty, on the expansion of gambling and the phase out of electronic gambling devices, the earned income credit for non-custodial parents, domestic violence protective orders, and on universal health care.  Of particular interest to Maryland Episcopalians are the funding grants for the Episcopal Housing Corporation - Newborn Community Center Project. 

February 16 , 2008

2008 General Assembly 3rd Legislative Update

We are now moving into the 7th week of the 2008 MD General Assembly session and many bills have been introduced or will be introduced next week.  Please contact your Delegates and Senators on these bills.

Affordable Housing Investment Trust Fund - SB 203 (assigned to Senate Education Health & Environment - EHE and Budget and Taxation Committees, to be heard on February 27 at 1 pm) and HB 512 (assigned to Environmental Matters and Ways and Means Committees to be heard on February 28 at 1 pm).  We strongly support both but would like to see them amended to help low income families.

We are also supporting HR 1382 giving residents of mobile home parks in Howard Co the right of first refusal if/when these properties come on the market.  Additional information on this bill is in the February 16, 2008 Washington Post article, "Grasping for roots"

We do not support and will work to defeat the following two anti-immigration bills: HB 735 and HB 885, both of which prohibit local communities from adopting "sanctuary laws".  Hearings on both will be March 11 in Judiciary. We also oppose SB 40 which prohibited illegal aliens from receiving in-state tuition at MD state colleges and universities.  This will be heard on February 21 in EEH Committee.

HB 1392 - Wage and Hour Laws Civil Penalties will increase the penalties on employers who fail to pay their workers the State's minimum wage ($6.15/hour).  The penalties, designed in HB 1393, will be $2500 and up to 90 days in jail for first time offending employers and $5000 and up to 180 days in jail for repeat offenders.  These were heard on February 14 in the Economics Matters Committee.

HB 1125 Maryland Universal Health Care will be heard March 13 at 1 pm in the House Government and Operations Committee.  The Diocese of MD adopted a resolution supporting universal health care and we strongly support this legislation.

SB 309 Global Warming Solutions - Reduction in Greenhouse Gases will be heard February 19 in the Senate EHE Committee.  We strongly support this legislation.

Bills repealing the Death Penalty HB 1328 and SB 645 have been introduced.  Again this year we strongly support this legislation and will work for its passage.  The House bill will be heard on March 13 at 1 pm in the Judiciary Committee and the Senate bill on March 6 at 1 pm in the Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Lastly, HB 41 which makes the Hanging or Placing of a Noose a Hate Crime is coming before the Judiciary Committee for consideration this coming week.

 February 3 , 2008
2008 General Assembly 2nd Legislative Update

MILC's priorities for the 2008 legislative session are:

Affordable Housing for those living in or near the poverty level. (Convention Resolutions: 1991-D078, 2007-D040)*

Additional funding for Energy Assistance Programs (MEAP, EUSP, and the Weatherization Assistance Program) and improved energy efficiencies in affordable housing (Convention Resolution: 2006-C018)*

Programs that ensure Safe and Just Communities including non-violent conflict resolution, legal due process, extension of domestic violence protective orders, gun control, an end to the death penalty and its inequities (Convention Resolutions: 1979-D0004, 1984-D021, 1991-D056, 1991-D073, 2000-A085, 2000-C022, 2000 -D073)*

Policies that help Immigrant Assimilation including increased funding for ESOL and resistance to efforts to limit immigrants' access to opportunities to build a better future (Convention Resolution: 2006-A017)*

Policies that promote Responsible Stewardship of Maryland's Environment including energy efficiency and sustainability, clean air and water, and the prudent use of natural resources.(Convention Resolutions: (2000-D005, 2003-D046, 2006-C018)*

*Episcopal Church Convention Resolutions can be found here.
MILC's detailed explanation of priorities can be found here.

January 17, 2008
2008 General Assembly 1st Legislative Update

The 90 day legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly kicked off last week on January 9 and will conclude sine die on April 7 in Annapolis. The November 2007 Special Session merely closed a good bite of the state budget deficit of $ 1.7 billion - based on anticipate tax revenues in FY 2009.

Fiscal committees in the Assembly will be quite hesitate to support bills with a large fiscal impact unless there is an acceptable source.that does not further irritate the public.
Governor O’Malley will give his State of the State Address 12 noon on January 23. From all indications it will be lean budget increase of about four percent - the smallest increase in 25 years and well within the state afford ability guidelines.

Republicans will attempt to repeal a number of tax increases that came out of the Special Session, and along with Montgomery county law makers try to repeal the tax on computer services which is estimated to rise $ 200 million.

The Episcopal public policy office will be finalizing its legislative priorities and soon let you know of our concerns and interest in the session. .Thus far several hundred bills have been introduced , but hearings are going slow with the major interest on state agency reports to the committees.

Dates of Interest - Mark Your Calendar:

Jan. 21- Holiday - Martin Luther King Day,
Jan. 22- Christian Unity Peace Forum, 7 p.m. St. Thomas Episcopal Church near Towson. (for more information click here)
Jan. 23 - Governor’s “ State of the State Address”, 12 noon at the State House.
Feb. 12- State Primary Election. Make sure to vote.
Feb. 18 - Annual Environmental Action Day. Miller State Office Bldg, noon to 8 pm. Additional information at http://www.cbf.org/site/Calendar/23070832?view=Detail&id=15241
Feb. 25.- Annual “ Faith Night in Annapolis”, joint undertaking of the Lutheran and Episcopal pubic policy offices. Topics include greenhouse gas reduction and energy policy, immigration and new Americans Additional information here.

2008 General Assembly Update

The 2008 General Assembly will convene at noon on Wednesday, January 9, 2008.  The Governor will introduce his budget by January 16.  Governor O'Malley will give the State of the State Address on January 30.  The Assembly will be in session through Monday, April 7, 2008. 

Thank you all for your participation in the work of the Maryland Episcopal Public Policy Network during the 2007 session of the Maryland General Assembly.

2007 Special Session Legislative Updates

The Updates from the 2007 Session can be found at 2007 Special SessionLegislative Updates

2007 Legislative Updates

The Updates from the 2007 Session can be found at 2007 Legislative Updates