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2019 Session:
Delegate Trent Kittleman - District 9A
Week Eleven-B
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Please forward this email to your family and friends, and encourage them to sign up to receive the weekly News from Annapolis by sending me an email at TrentKittleman@verizon.net.
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Update on Bills:
The Good and the Bad
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| "A review of the bills introduced by Democratic legislators in Annapolis this Session suggests that their party is not out to spread love and affection, but are on a mission of revenge. It is evident that the Democrats are looking for retribution for not only losing the Presidential race in 2016, but for also losing the 2018 Governor's race in our very blue state. Unfortunately, many of these bills are more dangerous and deadlier than any of Cupid's arrows."
by Christopher Tomlinson, Carroll County Times, Feb. 18, 2019
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Making Maryland a Sanctuary State
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House Bill 913/Senate Bill 817. Correctional Facilities and Police Office- Procedures-Immigration Status.
This bill would prohibit correctional facility employees from detaining a person beyond their release date, and from notifying federal immigration authorities about an individual's release date, location or address for immigration enforcement purposes. The bill also prohibits the police from asking about an individual's immigration or citizenship status during a stop, search or arrest.
STATUS: No action has been taken on either of these bills in the last month. At this point, it is very unlikely that they will pass. |
House Bill 1165/Senate Bill 718: Government Agents - Requests for and Use of Immigration Status Information.
This bill prohibits a government agent from requesting or coercing information relating to the immigration or citizenship status of a person, a person's family, or a person's acquaintances, unless required by law.
The bill also prohibits a government agent from detaining or questioning a person based on the actual or presumed immigration or citizenship status of that person or any other person.
An aggrieved person may seek redress by means of any appropriate legal remedy and recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
STATUS:
The House approved the bill 91-48 and sent it to the Senate on March 18. The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee has not yet acted on the House or Senate bills. It is unlikely, but possible, that this bill will pass both chambers.
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Changes in Voting Laws
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SB 385: Primary Elections - Voting by Unaffiliated Voters. This bill would create open primaries. Voters not affiliated with a party could choose to vote in either the Democrat primary or the Republican primary - but not both. They would be prohibited, however, from voting for candidates running for a strictly party position, such as Central Committee, or delegate to a presidential convention.
STATUS:
The bill received an Unfavorable vote in the Senate.
(There was no cross-filed bill in the House.)
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SB 449: Same Day Voting. This is a bad bill made worse by amendment. Originally, it allowed an individual to register to vote on election day at his or her home precinct. It now allows any resident of Maryland to go to any precinct in his or her county on election day, and register to vote. The only documentation required is proof of residence.
This needless bill is projected to cost local governments, collectively, $2 million annually for the first three years, and $597,000 annually thereafter. With the advent of early voting, absentee ballots and the actual election day, there is no valid reason for someone to have to register on election day.
STATUS:
This bill passed the Senate on 3/13/19 and has passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee.
(Likely to become law)
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HB 286: Registration and Voting at Precinct Polling Places. Although this bill is not technically a cross-file of SB 449, it is virtually identical. The Revised Fiscal Note for both bills appears above.
STATUS:
This Bill passed the House (98 - 41) and the Senate (32 - 15). It is likely to become law.
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HB 1124: Regulations Impacting Small Businesses - Economic Impact Analyses. This bi-partisan bill requires State agencies to give specific consideration to
the effects of new laws on small businesses, provides more transparency in the rule-making process, and provides certain mitigation measures in assessing monetary fines:
* waive penalty if violator corrects the violation within 30 days
* assess violator's financial capacity and impose a lesser penalty
* credit the cost of the remedy against the penalty assessed.
STATUS:
The bill passed the House on 3/13 by a vote of 139--0 and had a hearing in the Senate on 3/26. Hard to assess its chances of passing because the same bill was introduced in 2018, passed the House, but died in the Senate.
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HB 149: Retirement Tax Fairness Act of 2019. This bill is part of Governor Hogan's package of bills aimed at lessening the tax burden on our retirees. I am a co-sponsor.
STATUS:
Unfortunately, the Governor's bills have been rejected by the Senate Budget and Tax Committee.
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HB 793: Johns Hopkins University Police Force.
This bill has had an interesting history this year. It authorizes the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to establish a police department. Many universities have their own police departments, but the idea met with great resistance from many Baltimore delegates. In order to gather enough votes to pass the bill, the sponsors had to establish permanent financial mandates for the Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund, the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, the Baltimore City YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program, and the Cadet Program, creating a fiscal note of more than $15 million a year.
STATUS:
Although the bill still faces a floor vote in the Senate, the likelihood of its passing is high.
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Delegate Kittleman Scholarship
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College students
and college-bound seniors
(and/or parents thereof)
If you live in Legislative District 9-A
(
western Howard County and southern Carroll County)
I Invite you to apply for one of my legislative scholarships.
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District 9-A Residents:
Current high school seniors and full-time or part-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students, graduate students and students attending a private career school may apply.
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For questions regardi
ng the a
pplication process, call my Annapolis office and speak with Chelsea Leigh Murphy at 410-841-3556.
Please be sure to have your completed application postmarked by April 5, 2019.
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Delegate Trent Kittleman
District 9A, Western Howard County and Southern Carroll County (Sykesville)
Room 202, Lowe House Office Building
6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Interim Office
3000 Kittleman Lane, West Friendship, MD 21794
Administrative Aide: Chelsea Leigh Murphy
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