Getting Down to the Wire
McCray Messenger
March 2017
With just over a month left of this legislative session, now is the time to focus on working to pass the bills I submitted. This blog explains where those bills are in the legislative process, as well as provides some updates from around the district.
Session Updates
House Bill 9 – Baltimore City – Police Districts – Redistricting. Voted favorable out of committee and should be on its 2nd reading on Tuesday, March 7th. After the third reading the bill will be voted on by the House floor.
Councilman Brandon Scott requested this bill and we spent the summer working on the details. This bill will create a more efficient allocation of Baltimore City Police Department resources among the districts. This bill requires the Baltimore City Police Commissioner put forth a plan every 10 years to evaluate the boundaries, resources, population, response time, and service calls for all nine police districts.
House Bill 44 – Residential Property – Ground Lease Registration Forms – Contact Information Option. Approved by House of Delegates and waiting for a hearing in the Senate.
This bill will give ground rent holders the opportunity to provide email and phone number information on their ground rent registration form. It is strange that in 2017 this option is not available. Crystal Tang from the North Harford Road Community Association informed me of this deficiency and this bill is the means we are using to create a solution.
House Bill 76 – Baltimore City Public Schools – Capital Project Scoring System. This bill was approved by the House of Delegates and is awaiting a hearing in the Senate.
This bill will facilitate transparency by making public the allocation of school construction funding. The goal is to ensure that each dollar is spent in an equitable way. This bill will require the school system to score the condition of roofs, windows, heating, and all other major components of each school building and to make their findings public.
House Bill 167 – Counties and Municipalities – At will Supervisory Employees – Residency Requirements. This bill was passed by the House of Delegates and is currently in committee in the Senate.
This bill authorizes local jurisdictions to, at their discretion, create residency requirements for local government employees who serve in a supervisory capacity and are not represented by a collective bargaining agreement. Councilwoman Shannon Sneed suggested this bill and we collaborated to create the bill as proposed.
Making News
Comcast Newsmakers recently covered my efforts to strengthen Apprenticeships in Maryland. House Bill 465—468 each attempt to do just that. House Bill 465 requires contractors and subcontractors who work on construction projects on State-owned buildings or facilities to employ registered apprentices or to at least pay their non-registered apprentices journeyworker’s level wages. House Bill 468 requires contractors and subcontractors who do work on properties leased by the State or local government to pay their workers the prevailing wage.
Advocating for the General Assembly to move forward on Apprenticeship issues is not easy, that is why I am proud of the work that several young electrician’s apprentices have done on behalf of House Bill 465—468. Elaine Ebersole of the Hampden neighborhood in Baltimore City, James Peele of Northwest Baltimore and Jon McLaughlin of Anne Arundel County each found the time to come to Annapolis to advocate for better protections for workers in the City of Baltimore and around the State of Maryland.
“The Daily Record” highlighted House Bill 466 and the effort to install apprenticeship standards, good wages, healthcare benefits, and retirement benefits to all Tax Increment Financed projects (TIF) by requiring a prevailing wage. You can find that article here.
All told, I am the primary sponsor for 18 bills. At this time some of the hearings have not taken place or no action has been reported by the legislative committee. You can view the bills here.
A Successful District Night
Every year the 45th district delegation hosts a night in Annapolis. This year, we had a great turnout and fellowship with our neighbors.
Back in the District
The February installment of Conversations with Cory featured Deputy Commissioner Palmere. As always, our neighbors around the 45th district were able to voice their concerns and to have their questions about the legislative session answered.
The next Conversations with Cory will be at the Rita Church center on Saturday, March 25 from 10 until noon. I hope that you can join us.
Delegate Scholarship
The application process for the Delegate Scholarship has opened. If you are a resident of the 45th legislative district and you are currently enrolled, or will be enrolled, at an institution for higher education, please email us to request a scholarship application at cory.mccray@house.state.md.us.
Listening. Learning. Leading.
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