“Who makes the final decision?” a colleague asked at the hearing on House Bill 712.

My legislation would amend the Public Information Act.

It would describe the circumstances where a private citizen could obtain information related to a government decision about financial incentives and benefits to a business.

My response: The state or local government would decide if the law required that the information be made public.  If you have the resources, you would appeal that decision to the court system.

That wasn’t the only question I was asked at our bill hearings this afternoon.

Delegate Tiffany Alston sits next to me.

She was about to testify on her “Sacred Places Safety Act.”

House Bill 547 would, in part, create a criminal offense for a crime of violence in a place of worship.

“Place of worship” is defined as “a nonresidential location where more than one individual assembles for purposes of religious or spiritual observance.”

Del. Alston showed me the testimony of the Baltimore Jewish Council.

“Several small congregations are places of worship within the home of the Rabbi and their family,” it read, “with the living room being used as the ‘synagogue’ for the community.”

“That is accurate,” I told her.

I’ll ask her tomorrow how the hearing went.