Override Governor’s Vetoes
Unfortunately, Governor Hogan vetoed important legislation that passed the House and the Senate in March 2020. Please join us in asking our legislators to override these vetoes!
Three critical bills include:
(1) The Women’s Pre-release Facility bill (HB801/SB684) would help the women in Maryland prisons benefit from employment and reentry services.
The ONLY pre-release opportunities currently offered to women inmates are located in Jessup in Anne Arundel County, nearly 20 miles from Baltimore and functionally disconnected from the City’s public transportation system. Thanks to a short-sighted decision to close a center for women a decade ago to save money, the only services currently offered to women are found within the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women. Meanwhile, there are five facilities for men. Can’t we have just one solely for women as well?
(2) The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (HB1300/SB1000) implements the substantial public education reforms suggested by the Kirwan Commission.
In May this bill was vetoed by the Governor who stated concerns about the expense during the COVID crisis. However, we question whether a veto was necessary since the Blueprint bill already contains a “pause button” that delays implementation in any year in which state revenues declined by 7.5% or more over the previous year (HB1300:19(b)).
The Blueprint is indispensable for equalizing school resources for children in disadvantaged communities. It will help end the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ with alternatives to suspension or expulsion and job training for those unable to attend college.
(3) The Automatic Expungement bill (HB83/SB699)(HB1336/SB589) clears the records of returning citizens who were imprisoned for misdemeanors that today would not entail a prison sentence.
Despite Governor Hogan’s claim to the contrary, this legislation does not add significant expense to the State’s budget. The Governor acknowledged that he vetoed HB 83 because House lawmakers failed to pass a separate bill, the Violent Firearms Offenders Act of 2020. Such horse-trading measures wreak havoc with the lives of our citizens.
What We Need You to Do
Please send a message to your legislators NOW urging them to stand up to the Governor and reaffirm their commitment to make Maryland a better and safer place to live.
Click here to send a message
or paste this URL in your browser: https://app.muster.com/take- action/uPmwemuOcC/
Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR) is a bi-partisan, statewide alliance seeking legislative changes indispensable to bring Maryland into the 21st century with corrections policies that are evidence-based, humane and effective. Check out the MAJR website here: LINK
Please contact Phil C. at social-concerns@annapolisfriends.org for additional information.