House bill 1037 has been introduced to the State Legislature that would give the Governor the power and ability over the Federal Government as well as the President of the United States to request the return of National Guard Troops to the control of the State if the use of military force has expired or the Federal Control is no longer valid.
Delegate Jennings is staunchly opposed to this bill. Citing problems with the context of the bill, particularly in paragraph 3 in the preamble stating “Whereas, The maintenance of Maryland National Guard members in Iraq and Afghanistan, a mission for which they were not trained”. Delegate Jennings, serving in the Air National Guard as an E3 Airman first class, takes offense at the language over the assumed lack of training the members of the National Guard have had in preparing them for ...Continue Reading
The following update was provided by Del. Rick Impallaira:
Annapolis Update #4 – Legislation & State Budget – March 16, 2010
We have passed the halfway point of the General Assembly and at this time I have had bill hearings on all of the bills I introduced this session. The Harford County Tow Bill had a good hearing in committee and should pass both the House and the Senate, having the full support of the Delegation. The purpose of the bill is to give more consumer protection to the public and to allow the Sheriff’s Department to discover stolen vehicles sooner, which will help to reduce insurance costs, as stolen vehicles of course increase premiums for all of us.
House Bill 656 – Election Law – Voting by Felons at Polling Places – Prohibited proposes allowing felons to vote only by absentee ballot. I am not in support of felons ...Continue Reading
MDJ states, “…ordinarily state legislators do not, and should not, take it upon themselves to delve into critiquing or censoring local high school theater, particularly in an official capacity.” [paragraph 3]
I heartily disagree. It is the duty of every legislator to investigate how state (and local, insofar as we represent counties) tax money is spent in any area, particularly when constituents have brought abuses to our attention. The parents who initiated the queries into what happened at HdG HS were stonewalled by the school and by the HCPS administration. No information was released until help was requested from the delegate. And the administration tried to stonewall him.
On page 2, paragraph 2, MDJ states, “I have received two ...Continue Reading
The 2010 session of the Maryland General Assembly has been moving at a snail’s pace. Taxpayers and others may jump for joy and shout, “Thank God!” However, the 800 pound gorilla that is still standing is the budget. The budget process is moving slowly because the Governor has proposed what is actually an election year campaign budget. It is filled with tricks and gimmicks designed to balance the numbers and survive an election year. Most of the balancing acts are achieved through one-time transfers and extends a hand to Washington, hopefully, contemplating more federal money from Santa Claus Obama. Should the President fail to find anymore of our grandchildren’s money, the Maryland budget without the federal taxpayers’ subsidy could be in serious trouble.
The Governor has failed to initiate any honest structural cuts. In the next 5 years, ...Continue Reading
The following letter was sent from Del. Rick Impallaria to Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Tomback. A copy was provided to The Dagger:
Robert M. Tomback, Ph.D., Superintendent
Harford County Public Schools
102 South Hickory Avenue
Bel Air, Maryland 21014
Dear Dr. Tomback:
I have reviewed the Havre de Grace HS drama therapy tape, and I find very little positive to say about it. It is even difficult to talk about what occurred on stage without using language which is both offensive and improper in any setting, school or otherwise.
In addition to viewing what was on stage, I also paid attention to the reaction of the students both to the skits being acted and to explanations of what they were about to see.
I found nothing improper in the short restaurant scenes between the longer skits, and my comments do not refer to them.
Each year I like to do a survey of Maryland residents to determine how they feel on certain issues. After I receive your responses (which are kept confidential), I tally the results,which I share with the Caucus, the Governor’s Office, and, of course, with you, the respondents. I hope you will enjoy participating in this survey and seeing the end results.
The asterisked * questions were suggestions from you who responded to my request in Update #1.
*1. Do you believe there should be term limits for elected officials?
Yes No
2. If the gubernatorial election were today, would you support Governor O’Malley?
Yes No
If not, write in who you would support.
3. On a scale of 1 – 10, 10 being the highest, rank the performance of the General Assembly over the past three years (since the last election).
I have introduced five pieces of legislation this year, and I’d like to give you a synopsis of them.
House Bill 653 – Taxes – Limitations is scheduled for a hearing on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 1 pm before the House Ways and Means Committee. It is modeled after California’s Proposition 13, which brought property tax reform to that state. This bill would set property values at their 2010 value and only allow property tax increases or decreases of 2% every two years based on the Consumer Price Index. It also prevents property values from being increased when the title is being changed due to death, divorce, or other circumstances where the property is staying in the hands of a family member. It also provides that, if a person’s property is purchased through condemnation, the assessed value of the new property ...Continue Reading
The following letters were received from the office of Del. J.B. Jennings:
An Open Letter to the Residents of Legislative District 7
The Legislative Session officially began its first, full week in Annapolis. It has been an honor to serve as one of your delegates from the District 7 since I was elected in 2002. I have tried to represent the residents of my district with honor and integrity. I truly believe that the General Assembly’s purpose is to provide citizens of the state with a voice in hoe their government is run. Maryland Delegates and Senators in both parties really do embody the term “citizen-legislators”.
There are important issues being discussed by lawmakers representing the State of Maryland. Some of these important issues will be addressed in the House Judiciary Standing Committee, for which I am now a member. Despite being on ...Continue Reading
While American families begin preparing to celebrate their family traditions and homecomings for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Delegate J.B. Jennings (R-7th Legislative District), members of the Towson Elks Lodge No. 469, and several volunteers gave their thanks by spending their evening serving Thanksgiving dinners to United States Veterans.
On Thursday, November 19th, Delegate Jennings and others volunteered their time to provide a holiday dinner for the Veterans from the Greens Street and Loch Raven VA Medical Centers at the Elks Lodge No. 469, located in Towson, Maryland.
Every year, the Towson Elks Lodge hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner for Veterans spanning from WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf War, as gesture of appreciation and honor for their sacrifices and service to our Country. The Veterans received an All-American home cooked holiday spread and a played a few rounds of ...Continue Reading
I would like to thank the more than 300 folks who fought the weather to help kickoff our campaign for State Senate! It was truly a humbling display of support. For those of you that were not able to make it last night, I announced that I am running to be State Senator for District 7 in 2010.
I had the privilege to speak with many of you last night (and over the past few weeks). I am struck by the passion and anger regarding the decisions being made by government leaders. With your help, I can and will make a difference!
We also launched our new campaign web site last night – http://www.alredmer.com. When you have a moment, please check it out and sign up to join our team or make a contribution.
