State Senator - District 7
Citations may be requested through Senator Jennings’ office by email
Citations that may be considered for request:
What is a Notary? A public official whose main powers include administering oaths and attesting to signatures, both important and effective ways to minimize fraud in legal documents.
How does one apply? Please contact the Office of the Secretary, State House, Annapolis, MD, 21401. You can also email or call (888) 874-0013. For questions on your status or general questions on the application process: contact Michael Sellner, Notary Public Officer, by email or by phone, 410-974-5521.
I know I covered this in detail last week, but I wanted to let you know that the budget is still in Conference. This means that there were differences between what the Senate passed and what the House passed.
Some of the major differences include:
On Friday, Governor O’Malley submitted a supplemental budget adding additional expenditures of $225.7 million to our already bulging budget.
Keep in mind that all of these programs and expenditures will have to be paid for somehow, and of course, it will come out of every one of our pockets.
We came into session with a deep deficit in desperate need of some tough cuts. We’re going to come out the same way with came in, only now taxes and spending are both higher. Oh and the citizens are the ones with the tighter belt.
It’s almost over, but we’re far from finished. The next few hours are going to be jam packed with hearings and voting sessions.
I wanted to take a few minutes and highlight a few pieces of legislation that might be of interest to you.
Federal Military & Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act Compliance: This legislation has passed both houses and is on its way to the Governor’s desk for final passage. In order to comply with the federal mandate, the Maryland General Assembly voted to move our presidential primary election to first Tuesday in April.
It would move the gubernatorial primary election to the last Tuesday in June.
Freedom of Speech – Picketing at a Funeral – Distance: I have decided to co-sponsor this bill. This would increase the distance in which a person can picket a funeral from 100 feet to 500 feet.
Currently, this bill is in the Judicial Proceedings Committee in the Senate. We’re working hard to get it out and to the floor for a vote.
Alcohol Tax Increase: This legislation has passed the Senate and has been assigned to the Rules Committee in the House. This bill would increase the sales tax on alcoholic beverages. This is a incremental tax increase that will go into effect gradually over the next three years.
Most of the revenue from this tax will be directed to the general fund. However, a small portion will be directed to the Developmental Disabilities Administration.
These bills and others are going to be flying through committee and onto the floor today. Session officially ends at midnight tonight. Feel free to listen to floor proceeding whenever we’re in session.
I will share an end of session wrap up towards the end of the week.
While hundreds of bills have passed this session, a few of the more controversial ones we discussed didn’t make it to the governor’s desk.
I thought I’d share some of them with you.
SB 602: The Bag Tax: would have required businesses to provide incentives for reusable bags and taxed consumers for using plastic or paper bags.
HB 1288: Distracted Driving: would prohibit drivers from taking their eyes off the road for any read.
SB 116: Gay Marriage: did narrowly pass the Senate but was recommitted to committee in the House where it will stay.
We will likely see these bills again next year…in Annapolis, these types of things always seem to come back from the dead.
I drove through the night Sunday to return to Air National Guard training in Georgia, only to turn around and fly back to Maryland on Tuesday to vote NO on the budget.
Regardless of my efforts, it passed the Senate by a vote of 37-10. It’s now on its way to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
With all the talk of spending cuts and tough decisions, the budget still increases spending a good 10% more than last year.
Although this budget protects many special interests, it fails to protect one very important group…you, the taxpayers.
Instead of making necessary cuts, the General Assembly opted to raise fees and taxes instead. Plus, they added several new ones as well. Here is a list of what’s included, a mere preview of what’s to come.
So the budget is balanced, but we’re still not accounting for the deficit. It’s almost like we’re practicing “credit card government.” We’ll just charge it and pay it later, right?
Whose money is it again? Right, it’s yours.
If you have any questions or comments on the budget, please email me directly.
Chief of Staff:
District Director:
Tammy Larkin
Senior Policy Analyst:
Sean Kammer
Special Projects Manager:
Tim Mantegna
Operations Coordination Specialist:
Michael Tasselmyer
Community Involvement Liaison:
Sarah Brown
Constituent Service Administrator:
Kristin Shields
I believe in responsive, transparent government. While I’ll make every effort to keep you up to date on the bills I’ll be hearing and voting on, I thought you might be interested in going a bit deeper.
I’m changing things up a bit this week. Instead of highlighting bills coming up in my committee, I’m going to be focusing on bills that are important to note and might have a more pointed impact on our district.
Of course you can always see what’s coming up in my committee by checking out the hearing schedule.
Key Bills of Interest:
SB248: Allowing wine to be shipped into the state of Maryland directly from distributors. (will most likely be voted out of committee this week and go to the floor for a vote
SB132: The Job Applicant Fairness Act passed in the Senate with amendments. The bill prohibits an employer from using an individual’s credit report or credit history to deny employment, terminate or determine compensation. It will now head to the House.
HB743: Would have prohibited employers from requiring an employee to belong to a union. The bill never made it out of committee. A companion bill still remains in committee on the Senate side (SB 660)
SB 763: Allows any person who is serving in the armed forces and has a service-connected disability to hunt on public property without a hunting license. This bill passed the Senate and is now moving onto the House.
SB 8, Sb 243 (constitutional amendment): Would allow locations that already hold a slots license to now offer table games as well.
SB 4: Authorizes certain war veteran’s organizations that have resided in the state for at least 5 years to license up to 5 slot machines.
HB 1288: Would prohibit drivers from engaging in a preoccupying activity, such as reading, writing, personal grooming, using wireless communications, adjusting cargo, eating, drinking, or attending to another passenger.
…especially our servicemen and women who are diligently working to protect the freedoms we enjoy every day.
The MOVE ACT of 2009, a federal mandate, required states to send absentee ballots to active military personnel at least 45 days prior to an election.
In Maryland, this is nearly impossible for a general gubernatorial election. Why? Because our primary is held just 45 days before the general election.
The Board of Elections can’t possibly tally results, print ballots, and have them shipped right away. So we’re going to fix that.
To comply with the MOVE Act, the Maryland General Assembly will have to move the gubernatorial primary date. SB 820/HB 671 propose that the primary date be moved to the last Tuesday in June.
As an active member of the Air National Guard, it is my utmost priority to ensure the voting rights of every Maryland citizen and registered voter, especially those in service to our great country.
If you have any questions or comments on this issue, email me directly.
Senator J.B. Jennings’ 2013 Scholarship Application is available to residents of 7th Legislative District who will be attending a college, university or private career school in the state of Maryland. Application deadline for April 2, 2013. On-line form: Scholarship Application 2013
Citations may be requested through Senator Jennings’ office by email Citations that may be considered for request: Recognition of birthdays – 70 years and older Recognition of wedding anniversaries – 30 years or more Recognition of professional anniversaries – 30 years or more (20 for military, police officers, firefighters) Receipts of scholarships – only for [...]
What is a Notary? A public official whose main powers include administering oaths and attesting to signatures, both important and effective ways to minimize fraud in legal documents. How does one apply? Please contact the Office of the Secretary, State House, Annapolis, MD, 21401. You can also email or call (888) 874-0013. For questions on [...]
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