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Maryland’s 2019 Legislative session ended on Monday. There were some positives that came out of the day.
All four bills that would have made Maryland a "sanctuary state" failed to pass both houses thanks to the help of many of you and our petition drive.
The bill to create a "Long Gun Qualifying License," like an HQL, died as Democrats in the House and Senate couldn’t come to an agreement on final language. Most of the anti-gun bills died this session thanks to the activism of many 2nd amendment supporters.
Senator Justin Ready’s "Laura & Reid’s Law" passed by a unanimous vote. The bill creates an additional felony with up to 10 year sentence for a person who commits a crime of violence against a woman they know or believe is pregnant. That is on top of whatever the sentence for the underlying crime. This is a huge step forward in obtaining justice for victims and protecting those who are vulnerable to abuse and violence.
Members of both parties came together to pass SB 195/HB 25 that should help identify possible misuse or abuse of a monitored prescription drug to combat the opioid epidemic.
Bills to address human trafficking also passed with bipartisan support.
Unfortunately, this session had a host of bad policies that did pass including those that will potentially lead to businesses to lay off workers and higher taxes down the road.
The Maryland legislature will not reconvene until Wednesday, January 8, 2020.
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Upcoming Events
Perkins Restaurant
McHenry, MD 21541
April 17, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Stanford Grill
Rockville, MD 20852
April 18, 2019 at 5:00 PM
MaGerks Pub & Grill Bel Air
Bel Air, MD 21014
April 22, 2019 at 6:30 PM
Funkstown American Legion
Funkstown, MD 21734
April 24, 2019 at 7:00 PM
The Main Cup
Middletown, MD 21769
April 24, 2019 at 6:00 PM
The Wellwood Restaurant
Charlestown, MD 21914
April 24, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Brighton Gardens
Columbia, MD 21045
April 24, 2019 at 6:15 PM
Sheraton Silver Spring
Silver Spring, MD 20910
April 24, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Mad Fish Bar & Grill Restaurant
Ocean City, MD 21842
April 25, 2019 at 11:00 AM
Miller Branch Library
Ellicott City, MD 21042
April 25, 2019 at 6:30 PM
Largo Kettering Branch Library
Largo, MD 20774
April 27, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Fazzini’s Taverna Restaurant
Cockeysville, MD 21030
April 27, 2019 at 12:00 PM
Live! Casino & Hotel
Hanover, MD 21076
May 2, 2019 at 11:00 AM
University of Maryland – College Park
College Park, MD 20842
May 4, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Hager Hall
Hagerstown, MD 21740
May 10, 2019 at 5:00 PM
Linganore Winecellars
Mount Airy, MD 21771
May 10, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Grand Hotel & Spa
Ocean City, MD 21842
May 17-18, 2019
Wisp Resort
McHenry, MD 21541
May 31, 2019 at 6:00 P.M.
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This Week in the News…
Our team works hard every week to keep you updated on what’s happened the past week in Maryland Politics. Now you can receive your weekly report directly inside Facebook!
If you’d like to subscribe, click the image above and comment "Yes."
Our National Committeeman David Bossie:
"When it comes to the Biden’s and Ukraine, there’s an awful lot of smoke. Among other things, Solomon is reporting that in 2016 during his tenure as Barack Obama’s Vice President, Biden threatened to pull $1 billion dollars in loans to Ukraine if its President Petro Poroshenko didn’t fire the country’s prosecutor general.
The catch? The prosecutor was allegedly knee-deep in a corruption probe of Burisma Holdings, a firm that featured Biden’s son Hunter as a board member."
Our 2nd Vice Chairman Tony Campbell:
"Signatures on a joint letter and press conferences are good for perception and the CYA of politics. It is time for the governor and the General Assembly to act. There is a constitutional remedy for the Healthy Holly mess. It is time to use the power of the Maryland General Assembly for the good of all Marylanders!"
Does it ever end? 😳
"Mayor Catherine Pugh approved $19,800 in city funds to a nonprofit she previously chaired and that lists three top members of her City Hall staff on its board of directors — another example of how her business dealings have intersected with politics.
Brown, listed as the MCAT chair, could not be reached for comment at his City Hall office. He also served as an aide to Pugh in the Maryland House of Delegates and a member of her campaign staff in 2016.
In 2017, he was charged by the Office of the Maryland Special Prosecutor with funneling cash to relatives so they could make donations to Pugh’s mayoral campaign. He entered an Alford Plea in Baltimore City Circuit Court in 2017 the day before his trial was to begin for two counts of illegal campaign contributions. An Alford Plea means Brown admitted the state had enough evidence to convict, but the plea allowed him to maintain his innocence."
"Legislation to require background checks for private sales of rifles and shotguns failed late Monday when legislators couldn’t hammer out differences between two versions of the bill. Under current law, background checks are only required for long gun purchases made from a licensed firearms dealer."
“Thursday’s report suggests the labor market remains strong, leaving businesses reluctant to let workers go. That has spurred some of the fastest wage growth in the current business cycle.”
"The unemployment rate for adult women (20+) ticked down to 3.3 percent and re-achieved its lowest rate since 1953."
"The Prince George’s County liquor board, which officials promised to overhaul after a federal corruption investigation in 2017, did not properly vet or inspect licensees and failed to adequately respond to complaints, a state audit found.
The board, whose former director admitted that he facilitated thousands of dollars in payouts to elected officials in a wide-ranging bribery scandal, did not confirm that licensees had paid county taxes, document whether they had conducted required criminal background checks or inspect of all its licensees, the audit found. Of the 50 inspections that auditors reviewed, half were not properly completed.
Auditors examined the activities of the board in fiscal 2017, plus a few additional months.
“The finding provided essential insight into the operating deficiencies of the agency,” Terence Sheppard, the liquor board’s director, wrote in a letter responding to the audit."
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We rely on small-dollar donations from conservatives throughout Maryland to help conservative candidates and to fight back against liberal policies.
Can you help chip-in to the effort?
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—
Patrick O’Keefe
Executive Director
Maryland Republican Party
www.mdgop.org
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Paid for by the Maryland Republican Party.
Not Authorized by any Candidate or Candidate’s Committee.
R. Christopher Rosenthal, Treasurer
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