One of the many things Pete Rawlings taught me when he was chair of the Appropriations Committee:

“You have to learn how to say ‘no’ to people.”

No doesn’t always mean nothing.

In the give and take of the fiscal limits of the budget, of the differing views on an issue, compromise is needed.

What does that mean today?

Speaker Jones has created a Work Group To Address Police Reform

and Accountability.

Senator Will Smith, chair of the committee that considers such legislation in his body, has outlined the reforms that the bill he’s introducing.

This means that legislation making major changes is certain to be enacted.

The Speaker has appointed me to the work group.

I am concentrating on applicant screening so that biased people are not accepted, a duty to intervene when another officer is violating the law, and how best for police to work with mental health and social workers in crisis situations.

Governor Hogan has suspended evictions until later this month. If he does not extend that prohibition, there could be a flood of homeless people.

I am drafting legislation that would protect the rights of tenants to a lead-safe home and working with Attorney General Frosh on funding for lawyers for tenants so that the laws we pass are put into effect.

“We will support locally-driven economic development and commit to directing a significant portion of clean energy and sustainable infrastructure investments to historically marginalized communities to help create local jobs and reduce energy poverty.”

That’s not part of the Green New Deal. It’s a policy statement resulting from negotiations between the Biden and Sanders campaigns.

It’s the basis for legislation that I have requested.

Some believe we should go further in the changes we make in the three areas I’ve discussed today.

My goal is to make serious progress.