By Stacey Axler
A bill which increases the penalties for drivers who are convicted repeat offenders of driving under the influence of drugs and/ or alcohol reached the House and the Senate in the Maryland General Assembly and received unanimous support from both chambers.
Delegate Geraldine Valentino-Smith sponsors the Impaired Driving- Repeat Offender- Penalties Bill, titled HB 0957 in the House.
“Delegate Valentino-Smith, as the lead sponsor of the bill, naturally sees it as having a positive effect on the societal scourge of drunk and drugged driving,” Legislative Director for Delegate Valentino- Smith Scott Schuette said.
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A bill sponsored by Baltimore City delegate Frank M. Conaway that would authorize the use of Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) for law enforcement officers was killed in the Maryland General Assembly 2014 Regular Session.
Maryland Senate’s Judiciary Committee produced an unfavorable report on April 3 after passing through the House with amendments.
Outlined in the bill, “certain law enforcement” officers would be required to use BWCs that record audio and video footage and agencies would be required to keep recordings at least 30 calendar days and create policies for the camera use.
The bill included a very detailed list as to who would be considered a “certain law enforcement officer” outlined in the bill. Those officers range from any state police officer and any county sheriff’s department officer, to members of specific enforcement groups and university campus police squads.
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A bill under review in the House of Representatives would allow recent high school graduates, no more than two years post-graduation, the opportunity to attend Maryland community colleges for free.
If passed in both the House and Senate, the Maryland Education Act of 2014 is designed to give high school graduates greater access to higher education. Students would have to pursue an Associate’s Degree and apply for federal and state aid but all remaining fees: tuition, lab fees, registrations would be covered under the bill.
If enacted, the community colleges would receive funds from the Education Trust Fund, the money being made from the recent gambling establishments put in Maryland set aside for state educational use.
Delegate Nathan Haynes, democrat and Baltimore City representative, is the primary supporter of the bill and believes strongly in increased access to higher education for young Americans.
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By Samantha Helmold
Delegates introduce a bill to get community colleges to start thinking about having to pay for students who don’t receive a “C” grade or better in developmental education courses.
This bill required that local community colleges, including Baltimore City Community College, to receive only half of the State funding through their funding formulas for the contact hours of students who do not receive a grade of “C” or better in the developmental education courses.
Developmental education courses are defined as a noncredit course that must be completed successfully before or concurrent with a student enrolling in a credit-bearing course.
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A Calvert County Republican delegate has proposed legislation that would allow community colleges in Maryland to offer bachelor’s degrees.
The legislation has been unsuccessful in the general assembly and has not moved forward. However, 21 states already have four-year community college degrees or similar baccalaureate degree programs, according to Sean McNew, legal aide to Del. Mark Fisher, the delegate who proposed the bill.
Fisher said that the purpose of the bill is “to allow citizens to have easier access to college at a much lower price” than traditional four-year colleges. He mentioned accessibility and affordability as key benefits of the bill. A 21st century reality that would make bachelor’s degrees in community colleges appropriate is the widespread use of technology in education, such as online courses, he said.
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The legalization of an experimental study concerning the growing of industrial hemp in the state of Maryland is becoming a real possibility as HB1472 works its way through the legal system.
The Agriculture Industrial Hemp Study, as it is now called, is sponsored by Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo. The bill passed its third reading on March 28 and is now headed to the Senate for consideration.
On March 26, The House Environmental Matters Committee voted 23-1 in favor of the bill.
According to the bill’s, Fiscal and Policy Note, HB1472 “would establish a pilot program to study the growth and marketing” of hemp plants for industrial purposes on Maryland State agricultural property.
Implementation of this program is estimated to cost $279,100.
The goal of the program is to assess the feasibility of growing hemp in the area as well as the extent to which this industry could be used for commercial purposes.
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