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The 2007 Legislative Session of the General Assembly ended at midnight on Monday, April 9th. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to represent Charles County, District 28 as your delegate. This has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience for me.
A total of 1,443 bills were introduced in the House of Delegates and another 1,037 bills introduced in the Senate. Almost half of these bills deal with local matters affecting a city, town, county, or local entity such as a school board. The other half deal with matters affecting all of us in Maryland.
This year I was the prime sponsor of House Bill 575, which petitions the State to allow the employees of the three state Regional Libraries to buy health insurance through the State Medical Plan. When the Regional Libraries were set up years ago, there was no provision for the employees to be covered under the state plan; and the employees were included in County health plans. As the years passed, this option has slowly ended; and the librarians had to buy insurance through the Small Group Insurance Market and have seen increases in premiums at forty percent for each of the last two years. These increases in premiums have made it difficult for our regional libraries to retain and recruit professional staff.
In a bipartisan effort to correct this situation, that included cosponsors from all three regions: Western Maryland, Eastern Shore, and Southern Maryland, I am proud to say that this bill passed both chambers and has been sent to Governor O’Malley for his signature.
Many of you know that I have had a long interest in the importance of a healthy environment, education and safety of our children. The following bills are a sampling of some that I cosponsored and were subsequently passed by both chambers and have either been signed by the Governor or await his signature.
Indoor Air Quality for Portable Classrooms (HB164) is an important bill for Charles County because of the number of portable classrooms currently in use throughout the school system. This bill requires that relocatable classrooms are to be constructed to prevent water damage and leaks, all rooms are to be equipped with air filters, and programmable thermostats for proper heating and air conditioning. With these standards and requirements, the learning environment for our children should be improved until more permanent space is provided.
Study of Cost of Textbooks for Higher Education (HB204) – The Maryland Higher Education Commission estimates the average cost of books is $905 per student per year. This bill started out as tax credits for part of the cost of textbooks for college and universities. It soon became apparent that this is a complex issue about the components that drive the costs of books. The taskforce will study each component of the retail price and review alternative methods of getting textbook information to students.
Awareness Training on Inhalant Abuse – Mackenzie’s Law (HB1372) – This bill requires the distribution of materials and awareness training in schools on the danger of inhalant abuse. Many household products can be sniffed to produce a “high,” and these inhalants are extremely addictive. Sadly, the abuse often starts in middle school. This bill grew out of the death of a 15 year old daughter of an employee of the General Assembly.
Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 (HB713) gives law enforcement another tool to combat the growing problem of gangs. Members are often coerced into joining a gang in their early teens and then pressured into committing crimes. This law makes it illegal to recruit for the purposes of criminal activity.
I want to thank all of you who have written to me or called to let me know your opinions and views on legislation. I try to keep these in mind when it comes time for me to cast my vote. I also want to thank those of you who came to Annapolis to testify on a bill, watch a session, or visit with your elected officials in person. Our Maryland government depends on all of us to be involved.
In the coming months I will continue to report to you about the 2007 Legislative Session and write to you about issues that affect us all. I am trying to send my communications by e-mail whenever possible. This is faster and reduces costs. If you are receiving this by mail and would like to give us your e-mail address, either call us at (301)858-3247 or send us a note at peter.murphy@house.state.md.us.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Delegate Peter F. Murphy
Charles County, District 28
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