[RP TownTalk] FW: Senator Paul G. Pinsky's May Annapolis Advocate

Thu May 17 17:19:01 UTC 2007

FYI Town Talkers - Pinsky addresses cameras @ rail crossings - and mentions
Riverdale Park specifically.

  _____  

From: Senator Paul G. Pinsky [mailto:ppinsky at senatorpinsky.org] 
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 10:52 AM
To: update at senatorpinsky.org
Subject: Senator Paul G. Pinsky's May Annapolis Advocate

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Senator Paul G. Pinsky ... your Annapolis Advocate

In this issue:

*	Still <>  Running: Literally and Figuratively
*	Caution <>  in Annapolis, Chaos with P.G. Hospital: My Take on State
and Local Politics
*	Big <>  Wins, Losses in '07 Session
*	A <>  List of Pinsky-Sponsored bills
*	Loss <>  of a Friend to Us All
*	Upcoming <>  Events

...Your Annapolis Advocate

Dear Friends: 

The 2007 Maryland General Assembly session concluded early last month, and,
in the weeks since, I've had a chance to recharge and reflect on what this
session did and did not do. I'd like to share my thoughts on this - and more
- in this issue of my e-newsletter.

                               Paul

Still Running: Literally and Figuratively

The Azalea Classic isn't a type of plant. Rather, it's a series of races to
raise money for a local school that has hundreds of joggers running through
a community full of blooming azaleas. (Actually, to be candid, either the
blooms were late this year or the race was early.)

As a slow but steady jogger, I joined this fundraising effort. Now, moving
closer to the 60-and-over age group and further away from the 40-50 group, I
happily paid my entrance fee, got in my three-plus miles of running for the
day, and finished the race. Not fast but still proud. For those interested,
I almost broke 30 minutes.

I'm still running - and speaking out - on the political front, as well. In
an effort to meet supporters and constituents, as well as help raise funds
for my newsletters, I'll be holding a fundraiser Thursday, June 7 at the
Riversdale Mansion in Riverdale Park from 6-8 p.m. - and you're invited!

You should be receiving an invitation in the mail this week, but, in case
you don't, the details for the fundraiser can be found at this link:
http://senatorpinsky.org/june72007finalinvitation.pdf.
<http://senatorpinsky.org/june72007finalinvitation.pdf>   I'd love to meet
you. We'll have plenty of food and friends on hand.

Back to top <> 

Caution in Annapolis, Chaos with P.G. Hospital: My Take on State and Local
Politics

Caution won the day in Annapolis this past winter - some appropriate and
some not.

Gov. O'Malley moved slowly, and that's generally a good strategy in your
first year in office. He didn't want to come in and raise taxes his first
year, even though Maryland is facing a major budget shortfall. Instead, the
governor wanted to spend a year building a case - and consensus - for tax
increases. Not a bad plan. It just meant, in this year's session, no new
legislative initiatives which required new spending or raising revenue.

But the governor could have taken, in my view, bolder stances on several
non-budget policy issues. Whether the cautious approach went too far, or he
deferred to more conservative legislative leaders, is not clear. We could
have done more. We should have done more. I shared these views in an op-ed
article which appeared in the Baltimore Sun a few weeks ago. You can read it
at this link: 
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.assemblydem27apr27,1,1
328285.story?ctrack=1&cset=true> 
oped/bal-op.assemblydem27apr27,1,1328285.story.
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.assemblydem27apr27,1,1
328285.story?ctrack=1&cset=true> 

As I noted in that Baltimore Sun commentary, a bill I introduced to address
climate change and global warming was blocked from a floor vote, despite the
bill's widespread support among my fellow legislators. The reason? Industry
leaders, afraid of the cost to implement the necessary changes, heavily
lobbied the senate president to kill the bill.

The new O'Malley administration didn't come to the rescue of this Global
Warming Solutions legislation during the session. But the governor at least
did call for a global Warming Task force after the session to look into the
very same issues.

Another bill I sponsored this session, to create a public campaign financing
system for Maryland politics and end the domination of Big Money, also lost,
falling a vote short. And, needless to say, this session also made no
progress on another major concern of mine, the need to solve our health care
crisis.

We did have some important victories, however, most notably passage of the
first-in-the-country Living Wage bill. In this case, major credit should go
to the governor - and the labor unions and Progressive Maryland - that
pushed for the bill.

Which leads to my final point: Important policy change only happens when
large numbers of people speak out and legislative bodies, like Maryland's
state house or Congress, have no option but to legislate change. And even
then, grassroots pressure doesn't always bring immediate results, as we can
see from the broad opposition to the Iraq War and President Bush's
unwillingness to bring the troops home.

So what do we have to do? Organize more - in our neighborhoods, at work, and
in our churches, synagogues, and mosques.

Closer to home, local state legislators and the governor proposed a solution
to solve the P.G. Hospital morass. The plan aimed to shift authority to the
state to stabilize the hospital's finances and then look for a buyer to come
in with new management.

The county executive, at first resistant to this idea, eventually came on
board, leaving only the county council opposing the effort. The chair and
vice chair of the council were able to maintain a tight grip on the council,
defeating the proposal on the last night of the session. That was truly
unfortunate, since the county hospital plays an important role in the health
of its citizens. Rest assured, we will continue to pressure the council
until a solution is achieved.

Back to top <> 

Big Wins, Losses in '07 Session

Wins

Living Wage. Legislation enacted in this year's session will require any
company that wins a state contract to pay their employees working on the
contract at least $11.30 an hour (in a metro area) and $8.50 in a rural area
(Eastern Shore, western mountains).

Freezing Tuition at the University of Maryland. Lawmakers passed a bill that
freezes the tuition for students attending USM institutions for the second
consecutive year.

Clean Cars Bill. In an effort to cut carbon dioxide, this new law requires
cars sold in Maryland, beginning in 2011, to meet higher emissions standards
similar those set by California.

Losses

Green Fund. This would have set an 'impervious surfaces' fee for builders,
with higher rates in more sensitive areas and lower rates in already
developed areas. The hope was to dissuade the building and paving over of
open space in less developed areas and drive it to already developed areas.

Death Penalty. Once again, efforts to prohibit the death penalty were killed
in committee. (Sorry for the choice of words.)

ICC. Efforts to derail the Inter-County Connector (ICC) were again rebuffed.
This toll road will do nothing to relieve traffic on the beltway or get
local workers to their jobs.

Back to top <> 

A List of Pinsky-Sponsored bills

A number of bills I introduced passed while, sadly, some very important ones
ran into roadblocks. Here's a quick recap of my key bills:

Improving Teacher Quality. Passed. My bill will increase state efforts to
support the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a rigorous
program that encourages and acknowledges outstanding teaching. Prince
George's County is recommending nearly 200 additional teachers to the state
program to pursue this national certification. At the request of Prince
George's County school superintendent Deasy, I also worked successfully to
expand the law allowing retired teachers to be rehired in high-needs
schools.

Expanding Energy Efficiency. Passed. Continuing my efforts to reduce energy
consumption, I introduced legislation this session that requires several new
consumer appliance products to reach higher energy-efficiency standards.
This bill also helps reduce energy consumption, with the intent of reducing
harmful emissions from these power plants, including greenhouse gases.

Cameras at Railroad Crossings. Passed. This allows Riverdale Park, or any
other affected town, to install cameras at at-grade railroad crossings to
catch drivers endangering others - and themselves - by going around barriers
and ignoring flashing lights during train crossings.

Protecting Hospital Workers and Patients. Passed. Requires safe patient
lifting policies in hospitals to reduce employee - and patient - injuries
associated with patient lifting. 

Local Grants: Latin American Youth Center in Riverdale and historic
Greenbelt Theater. Passed. I was able to acquire funds to renovate the
multi-purpose room at the newly opened youth center in Riverdale for
after-school and evening enrichment activities, as well as funds to help
complete necessary renovations at the historic Greenbelt Theater.

Global Warming Solutions Act. Not voted on. Patterned on action take by
California, the bill would reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by
2020. As mentioned above, despite widespread support, the Senate president
kept the bill locked in the committee drawer. We'll be back next year to try
again - with a lot of grassroots support.

Public Campaign Financing. Defeated on Senate floor. Despite heavy lobbying
against this legislation, I was able to get this bill onto the Senate floor
for a vote, where the legislation fell one vote short. Again, we're coming
back next year.

Universal Health Coverage: a Single Payer System. Not voted on.  No health
reform proposal was acted on this year in the Senate. We desperately need
more than band-aids for our deeply flawed health care system.

Combined Reporting. Not voted on.  This bill would have prevented big
companies from avoiding Maryland corporate taxes. Currently, large companies
create and incorporate subsidiaries in different states to sidestep Maryland
taxes. Loss of this tax revenue places a greater tax burden on you and me.

Back to top <> 

Loss of A Friend to Us All

Marc Amiel, a dedicated teacher and long-time Democratic Party activist,
died earlier this month of pancreatic cancer. I've known Marc for over 25
years, and he was one of the more selfless, caring people you'd ever want to
know.

A native of France with a rich accent, you always knew when Marc was asking
the question. He was not hesitant and would engage in conversation, but he
was also one of the first to pull up his sleeves and help when work was
called for.

Marc taught math and French in the public schools for 30 years and, for
enjoyment, refereed soccer games. He was also a loyal member of the
Greenbelt Democratic Club and an outspoken critic of George Bush. Marc will
be missed.

Back to top <> 

Upcoming Events

I and the rest of the 22nd district delegation will be offering an
end-of-session wrap-up this Friday night, May 18, in Greenbelt at the
Roosevelt Democratic Club meeting. The discussion will start at 7:30 p.m. in
the Greenbriar Room at 7600 Hanover Pkwy. All are invited.

Back to top <> 

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