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Weekly Wrap Up
February 4, 2011
VISIT FROM ABATE
On Monday night, several members of ABATE of Maryland visited with Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio in Annapolis to congratulate her on her new leadership position as Minority Whip in the House of Delegates. They presented her with an autographed photo of Lash LaRue, a famous cowboy in the 1950s who was known as the “King of the Bullwhip”.
State of the State Response
Article II, Section 19 of Maryland’s Constitution requires the Governor to "inform the Legislature of the condition of the State and recommend to their consideration such measures as he may judge necessary and expedient." As a result, the Governor delivered his annual State of the State Address on Thursday in the House Chamber. Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio gave the Republican response to his speech which aired on Maryland Public Television.
Both speeches can be viewed on-line at www.mpt.org.
Election Date Changes: The Presidential Primary
In August 2010, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) came to an agreement on rule changes for the Presidential Primaries. Under the new rules, only four states will be permitted to hold their primaries in February: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. They also agreed that states that hold their primaries in March would be required to award their delegates on a proportional basis. In order for Maryland to continue awarding their delegates on a winner-take-all basis, the Presidential Primary must be moved to sometime after April 1st.
The Republican Caucus is currently working with the Democratic Caucus and the Governor on an agreeable date.
Truancy Court – Talbot County Pilot Program
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on House Bill 49 which was introduced by Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio. The bill would allow Talbot County to participate in a truancy court pilot program. Truancy Courts fall under the Office of Problem Solving Courts in the Maryland. These programs provide an alternative to strict punishment and help determine why a child is chronically truant. More often than not, there is an underlying problem such as substance abuse, mental health or even bullying that is causing a child to not want to go to school. The program brings the school system, the family and the courts together to address these problems. Lynne Duncan from the Talbot County Board of Education and Robert Burke, President of the Talbot County Education Association both testified alongside Delegate Haddaway-Riccio in favor of the legislation. The Talbot County Council, the Talbot Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council and the Maryland Judicial Conference also support the bill.
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