When we arrived at the baseball complex, my taxi driver asked, “Are you a trainer?” “No,” I replied, “I’m a catcher.” Over the next four days, I tagged two runners out at the plate. The second time, I caught a one-hop relay throw from shallow right field from former Oriole pitcher Dave Johnson, turned, and …more >

“When your employer decides to discriminate against you, he or she does not send you an email.” That’s how I began my testimony on the Lilly Ledbetter bill. The Supreme Court said that the law required you to sue within 180 days of the first illegal act, whether or not you knew or should have …more >

I haven’t lost one in 27 years, but I had my doubts this morning. To introduce a bill, a member must take it to the House Clerk’s office. One copy of your proposed legislation is stapled to a sheet of blue paper. It’s called the blue back. Two days ago, I took a blue back …more >

The Second Amendment Sisters were absent. Mayor Dixon was testifying on her bill to increase the amount of prison time served for the illegal possession of a regulated firearm. But where was the opposition? One thing I’ve learned during my five years on the Judiciary Committee: the Second Amendment Sisters and other gun owners have …more >

Two of my most important bills this session will have public hearings this week. The Voter’s Rights Protection Act passed the House last year but not the Senate. The opposite was the case for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. Preparing for this week’s testimony, however, entails a lot more than just changing the …more >

Sometimes your bill may be an idea whose time has come. Governor O’Malley will deliver remarks at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference this Friday. At the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force, the focus will be on “green jobs, those jobs that pay well, can’t be outsourced and will help us …more >

It’s the rare bill that gets enacted the first time it’s introduced. This is the third year I’ve introduced legislation to repeal the death penalty. It’s the first year that Governor O’Malley has also sponsored the bill. In his State of the State Address, the Governor asked the General Assembly to “follow me in abolishing …more >

The first mention of Barack Obama generated loud, sustained, and genuine applause. Early in his State of the State address, Governor O’Malley declared, “With the inspired leadership of our new President, Barack Obama, we finally have a federal partner who shares our commitment to progress.” I turned to the delegate sitting next to me and …more >

Tomorrow, I will do something I’ve never done before. On the same day that a bill is signed into law by the President of the United States, I will introduce legislation to make Maryland law identical to that new federal statute. Congress just enacted the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, overturning a much criticized Supreme …more >

“Is $350 million in federal stimulus dollars a lowball estimate?” My question dealt with the amount Governor O’Malley had included in his budget. I posed it a meeting yesterday afternoon. Based on what I knew about President Obama’s proposal, I expected the answer to be yes. Indeed it is. “O’Malley postpones plans as $3.5 billion …more >