public housing – Sandy Rosenberg

I don’t think I’ve ever said this before.

“I’m not sure which is the lion and which is the lamb.”

I was testifying between a supporter and an opponent of my legislation.

House Bill 1098 would protect the rights of elderly and disabled tenants when their public housing units are sold to private developers.

Before the bill hearing, a lawyer from the Maryland Disability Law Center and a Deputy Commissioner of Housing for Baltimore City met with me and the chair of the subcommittee that would review my bill.

They didn’t reach a final agreement on tenant protections, but they’re close.

I asked them to meet again. They will.

I asked them to testify beside me to let the committee know a compromise was near. They did.

Two of my guiding principles for the legislative process:

Co-sponsorship is the biggest waste of time in Annapolis.

2. You always want an advocate in the room when decisions are being made about your bill.

The number of cosponsors on a bill has little impact on a committee’s decision making.

But if your only co-sponsor is the chair of the subcommittee that will consider your legislation, that individual will most definitely be present when your legislation is debated and voted on.

I introduced two bills today with the relevant subcommittee chair as my only co-sponsor.

They did so after reading a two-page summary of the bill in one instance and discussing the issue at a 20-minute meeting in the other case.

Co-sponsorship too often results from a 15-second conversation on the House floor.

The subjects of my two bills: a plan to train pre-k teachers and protections for tenants when their public housing rental unit is transferred to a for-profit developer.

Favorable action is not guaranteed, but I will have eyes and ears and a voice – where and when it matters.

My Key Issues:

Tag: public housing

Between the Lion and the Lamb

Guiding principles

My Key Issues: