JUICE: Del. McIntosh & Sen. Kittleman for Legal Pot, MD for Utah LGBT Marriages, Fracking, Luiz Simmons Mail & More!

Below Maryland Juice provides a round-up of news tidbits of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: POT LEGALIZATION ENDORSED BY DEM LEADER DEL. MAGGIE MCINTOSH & GOP SEN. ALLAN KITTLEMAN // PLUS HUGE REVENUE & NO PROBLEMS IN COLOARDO - The calls for marijuana legalization in Maryland have earned important allies in the state legislature. Delegate Maggie McIntosh, a top Democratic House leader, has endorsed proposals to tax and regulate pot like alcohol and to remove jail-time as a penalty for possession. Meanwhile, GOP State Senator Allan Kittleman, who is running for Howard County Executive, has co-sponsored marijuana legalization legislation. Del. McIntosh announced her support in the following email blast (excerpt below):

MAGGIE MCINTOSH: Last session, my colleague Curt Anderson introduced legislation that would have legalized marijuana use for adults. I supported Delegate Anderson’s bill because I believe our current drug prohibition laws are wasteful and counterproductive, taking resources away from combating drug violence and promoting treatment options for those suffering with addiction. Our current laws also overburden our judicial and prison systems, forcing many non-violent offenders into jail. Last session, the Maryland Senate also passed a bill that would have made possession of small amounts of marijuana a civil – rather than criminal – offense. This year, I fully expect both bills to be introduced again and plan to support either should they come to the House floor. The early reports on legalization efforts in Colorado and Oregon show that this approach can work.

The Washington Post's John Wagner reported on the new bi-partisan push for rolling back the failed War on Drugs in Maryland with the following article announcing support from GOP State Senator Allan Kittleman (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Sen. Allan H. Kittleman (R-Howard) said Friday that he will co-sponsor legislation that would allow regulated marijuana sales in Maryland, adding a bipartisan wrinkle to this year’s push in Annapolis. Kittleman, a Republican who is running for Howard County executive this year, said that he has agreed to work with Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery) on a bill that will be unveiled next week....

Raskin’s legislation would allow sales under a similar framework that recently was set up in Colorado, with marijuana subject to state regulation and taxation. Sales would be limited to people age 21 and over, and there would be tough penalties for selling to minors.

While he has compiled a conservative record on fiscal issues in Annapolis, Kittleman supported two other high-profile liberal social policies in recent years: the legalization of same-sex marriage and the repeal of the death penalty.

“One thing most people know about me is I’m a civil libertarian,” Kittleman said. “This isn’t something I’m doing for politics. The current way we’re dealing with marijuana and the use of it by our citizens isn’t working....”

HUGE POT SALES IN COLORADO = MAJOR REVENUE BOOST: Indeed, all eyes have been on Washington and Colorado, where voters recently approved marijuana legalization at the ballot. The early reports from Colorado, where over-the-counter pot sales began last week are overwhelmingly encouraging. Denver's CBS affiliate reported on massive sales of recreational pot, indicating that the first state on the East Coast to end prohibition will face a revenue windfall (excerpt below):

CBS: The first week of legal pot salesin Colorado is over, and now some Colorado pot shops are already running out of product. In the past week, long lines of customers swamped the Colorado dispensaries that have been granted retail marijuana licenses and bought nearly $5 million worth of pot.... Many shops are limiting the amount of pot a customer can buy, and some have raised their rates....

“We are okay right now but if things go the way they are we might be also running very short,” [marijuana ship owner Moe Atieh] said. “We expected it to be very busy. Did we expect it to be this busy? No, I don’t think anybody did....”

POLICE IN COLORADO REPORT FEW PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTATION OF MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION - The Huffington Post reported this week that local law enforcement officials in Colorado report no real problems since marijuana sales begun this year (excerpt below):

HUFFINGTON POST: A week after Colorado dispensaries started selling recreational marijuana to adults, local law enforcers are not reporting any significant problems. In the state's largest city, there have been only four marijuana citations issued, according to the Denver Police Department. "Everything has gone relatively smooth," Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson told The Huffington Post. "We've written four citations for public consumption since Jan. 1, and that's relatively small considering the number of people consuming right now." A similar lack of trouble swept over other Colorado towns....

Consumer interest was so high the first week that many shop owners capped the amount of marijuana an individual could buy or raised prices to mitigate a possible legal weed shortage.... "Colorado is demonstrating to the rest of the world that regulating marijuana works," said Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project and a key backer of Amendment 64. He added, "The implementation process and smooth rollout of the system in Colorado is surely going to pique the interest of lawmakers and voters in other states who are also ready to move beyond prohibition and adopt more sensible policies...." The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the Department of Justice is drafting legal guidance for how banks can work with marijuana businesses in states like Colorado and Washington, which also legalized recreational marijuana for adults....

VOTERS IN FOUR STATES PLUS WASHINGTON, DC MAY VOTE ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IN 2014: While Maryland continues to piddle around on the wholly uncontroversial issue of medical marijuana, U.S. News & World Report writes that four other states (Alaska, Arizona, California & Oregon) plus neighboring Washington, DC may send the issue to voters on the 2014 ballot (excerpt below):

US NEWS: One week after the nation's first recreational marijuana stores opened in Colorado, Alaska activists submitted what appear to be enough signatures to put marijuana legalization before voters. The measure – which would go up for a vote Aug. 19 – is one of several 2014 efforts that could yield a good year for pot supporters, particularly in the West....

So far, voters have been at the vanguard of legalization, blowing past state legislatures. In November 2012, more than 55 percent of Colorado and Washington voters approved initiatives to legalize the drug and open state-licensed stores – and polls suggest those successes may be replicated elsewhere.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll released Monday found 55 percent of Americans believe marijuana should be legal, compared to 44 percent who do not. Support was highest in the West – where voter-driven initiatives often become law – and in the Northeast. An October poll released by Gallup put nationwide support for legalization at 58 percent....

Residents in the nation's capital also may get a chance to vote on legalization in November. D.C. Cannabis Campaign leaders plan to submit draft ballot language Friday with the city's elections board. The proposal would legalize possession of 2 ounces and six plants by adults over 21.... Although an April PPP survey put support for legalization at 63 percent in D.C., Eidinger says supporters "can't count out the opposition" and estimates a half-million dollar campaign is necessary to win..... In addition to voter-driven initiatives, legalization bills have been proposed in at least 13 state legislatures....

JUICE #2: ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUG GANSLER ISSUES OPINION ANNOUNCING MARYLAND WILL RESPECT UTAH'S SAME-SEX MARRIAGES - The Washington Blade reported yesterday that Maryland will recognize same-sex marriages issued in Utah, which are currently suspended as courts review their legality (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON BLADE: Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler on Friday said his state would recognize same-sex marriages performed in Utah.... Gansler told the Washington Blade his office on Thursday received a call from a gay Maryland couple who married in Utah about whether the state would recognize their union. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin on the same day urged him and attorneys general in the 17 other states that have extended marriage rights to gays and lesbians to recognize the marriages of the more than 1,300 same-sex couples who exchanged vows after U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby struck down the Beehive State’s gay nuptials ban. The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 6 blocked any future same-sex marriages from taking place in Utah until the case is resolved....

Attorney General Doug Gansler also issued a press release announcing the release of his opinion (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

AG Gansler: Utah Same-sex Marriages are Valid in Maryland

2010 opinion on recognition of legal same-sex marriages performed in other states underpins view that Maryland would recognize Utah unions

Baltimore, MD (January 10, 2014) – In response to a request from the Human Right Campaign, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has expressed his view that recent same-sex marriages legally performed in Utah should and would be recognized in Maryland. This week the United States Supreme Court issued a stay on performing such unions in Utah after a court ruling there struck down a same-sex marriage ban. As a result of that decision, Utah determined same-sex marriages to be legal and, for 17 days, more than 1300 such marriage licenses were issued until the stay by the Supreme Court ended the practice.

“Maryland will continue to recognize valid out-of-state same-sex marriages as we continue to strengthen the Constitution’s promise of equal protection under the law,” said Attorney General Gansler. “It is an affront to the idea of basic human rights that the battle for full marriage equality in this country remains in headlines and courtrooms.”

The Obama administration today also issued a statement saying that the federal government would recognize same-sex unions performed in Utah despite the fact that the state government of Utah is refusing to do....

To see the Attorney General’s 2010 Opinion on same-sex marriage visit:
http://www.oag.state.md.us/Opinions/2010/95oag3.pdf 

# # #

JUICE #3: HEATHER MIZEUR SLAMS ANTHONY BROWN OVER FRACKING ISSUE - The Baltimore Sun reported this week that Delegate Heather Mizeur is criticizing Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's environmental platform, particularly calling out his position on fracking (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Seeking to highlight her green credentials in the race for governor, Del. Heather Mizeur took issue Friday with the environmental platform posted this week by the front-running ticket of Lt. Anthony Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

Mizeur's campaign issued a statement accusing Brown and Ulman of glossing over the dangers of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas and making "vague statements" about how to exploit the energy deposits in western Maryland without harming the environment or people's health.

Mizeur, D-Montgomery, has pushed unsuccessfully for years for a moratorium on "fracking" until its safety has been thoroughly studied and adequate safeguards are in place.  Though the legislation has not passed, Gov. Martin O'Malley has frozen drilling for past three years while an advisory commission on which Mizeur sits reviews the issues....

Heather Mizeur issued the following press release highlighting this difference of opinion:

PRESS RELEASE

Mizeur-Coates Campaign on Brown-Ulman’s “Environmental Values”

SILVER SPRING, Maryland — Yesterday, the Brown-Ulman campaign failed to address the significant dangers of shale gas hydraulic fracturing in their “Environmental Values.”

The Mizeur-Coates campaign released the following statement:

"In the same week the Brown-Ulman campaign released their 'environmental values,' which glossed over the dangers of fracking with vague statements about finding a path forward, the Associated Press published an investigation in which four states, including two of Maryland’s neighbors, confirmed the contamination of drinking water for families as a result of hydraulic fracturing.

Heather Mizeur is a vocal advocate for a more cautious approach. Under her leadership, the state has operated under a de facto drilling moratorium while we conduct independent analysis of the environmental and public health safety threats of this controversial practice. Delegate Mizeur is teaming up with Frederick Senator Ron Young to introduce a bill this session that provides for an 18-month legislative review period guaranteeing the General Assembly a chance to act on the policy recommendations from the safety study’s commission report.

This is our last chance to keep Maryland from unregulated shale gas drilling. The current state study—which so far lacks adequate funding and appropriate risk analysis—is due out later this year. We know the moment the study concludes there will be enormous pressure on the Administration to drill. The Shale Gas Drilling Safety Review Act will give us more confidence that science and the public interest—not special interest politics—will prevail in Maryland. If clean water is truly non-negotiable, then we must act on this now.”

###

JUICE #4: ATTEND A MARYLAND GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE IN MOCO ON THU, JAN 30 - Leisure World Democratic activist Paul Bessel sent Maryland Juice the following announcement of a gubernatorial candidates debate at MoCo's largest retirement community (details below):

EVENT FLYER: MD Gubernatorial Debate THU 1/30/14

JUICE #5: DISTRICT 17 SENATE RACE HEATS UP AS DEL. LUIZ SIMMONS SENDS DIRECT MAIL HIGHLIGHTING CHERYL KAGAN "MUDSLINGING" - Though many political observers believe it is very early in the election cycle to be spending resources on direct mail, Delegate Luiz Simmons has come out of the gates swinging with the following piece criticizing rival candidate Cheryl Kagan:

JUICE #6: CASEY ANDERSON DECIDES AGAINST RUNNING FOR MOCO COUNCIL DISTRICT 5  //  PLUS: MOCO PLANNING BOARD CHAIR FRANCOISE CARRIER RETIRING - Montgomery County Planning Board member Casey Anderson has indicated to Maryland Juice that he's decided not to run in the Democratic Primary for Valerie Ervin's District 5 Council seat. He will instead be seeking to Chair the Planning Board, given that the current Chair Francoise Carrier has announced she will not seek another four-year term. Patch.com reported on the development (excerpt below):

PATCH: Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Françoise Carrier announced Friday that she will not seek a second term as chair, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission reported in a news release.

In a Thursday evening email to Montgomery County Planning and Parks Department staff, Carrier wrote that: "It is with mixed feelings that I write to tell you I have decided not to seek a second term as Planning Board Chair. It has been wonderful working with such fine people, and I will always love this agency, but for me, one term feels right."

Carrier was appointed in 2010 by the Montgomery County Council, and her time as board chair "has been marked as one of the busiest and most productive terms during the [Planning] Board’s history, with the approval of Master Plans such as: Chevy Chase Lake, Takoma/Langley, Glenmont, Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Plan and Long Branch," the news release stated....

JUICE #7: TODAY IS THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF MY FRIEND AARON SWARTZ  //  TAKE A MOMENT TO UNDERSTAND HIS IMPACT - One year ago today, Aaron Swartz, my friend and colleague at Demand Progress committed suicide. He was a brilliant activist and technologist who co-founded reddit.com, Demand Progress, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC). He was also involved in development of open information technologies like RSS 1.0 and Creative Commons, and it should be noted that flunkeys in the Obama administration including DOJ Chief Eric Holder and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz brought trumped up felony criminal charges against him, threatening him with over 35 years in prison and erasing the money the 26-year-old had amassed through his entrepreneurial endeavors. I finally broke my silence about all of these horrifying incidents in a lengthy piece I wrote last July called "Hacking Politics."

But since then, those of us who knew and worked with Aaron have not given up on advancing his vision, which included challenging corporate power, tackling mass incarceration, and ensuring the Internet remains a place for dialogue free from censorship and undue surveillance. In fact, we're doubling down on fighting the excesses and overreach of the powered and money interests dominating society today. Wired magazine published an article about Aaron's legacy today (excerpt below):

WIRED: Internet activist Aaron Swartz took his own life one year ago today. He was 26 years old and facing federal hacking and fraud charges for downloading millions of academic articles using MIT’s network. Before his passing, he was on outspoken advocate for freedom of information and a founder of Demand Progress, the nonprofit that invigorated a successful grassroots effort to fight the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in 2012.

Swartz was, as WIRED’s Kevin Poulsen wrote a “coder with a conscience,” and in a clip premiering today on WIRED from director Brian Knappenberger’s forthcoming documentary The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, more than a few web visionaries remember him for the important work he did and the legacy he created.

“I think Aaron was trying to make the world work – he was trying to fix it,” says World Wide Web founder Tim Berners-Lee. “So he was a bit ahead of his time....”

Swartz’s fight for rights online has only been brought more intensely into focus in the year since his death, largely due to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. To see him talk about government spying in this documentary at a time before the Snowden leaks is especially chilling now. But thanks to Knappenberger’s documentary – and other actions being taken to remember the internet activist – the conversation he started can continue....

Indeed, Maryland Juice will be heading to the Sundance Film Festival next week for the premiere of "The Internet's Own Boy," a documentary which promises to further embolden those of us involved in organizing for social justice and Internet Freedom. You can watch the trailer for the film, along with a special selection of interviews below:

Members of Congress have also not forgotten the unjust prosecution of Aaron Swartz (who incidentally faced more jail time than typically given to rapists and molesters). Techdirt reports that elected officials are calling on Eric Holder for real answers to their questions, instead of the same vague and defensive explanations they've provided for their overzealous prosecution (excerpt below):

TECHDIRT: Tomorrow is the anniversary of the unfortunate passing of Aaron Swartz. Senators John Cornyn and Al Franken, along with Rep. Darryl Issa, have now sent Attorney General Eric Holder yet another request for an explanation concerning the investigation and prosecution of Swartz. This follows on a similar request from last year, but these elected officials note both that the DOJ's response was inadequate, and that it was also contradicted by the eventual report on the prosecution that came out of MIT....
 

The MIT Report indicates that Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Heymann considered other factors in advance of the return of the superseding indictment. He told MIT that "the straw that broke the camel's back" was an internet webpage soliciting signatures on Mr. Swartz's behalf by Demand Progress, an activist group founded by Mr. Swartz.

In other words, despite the claims from Holder that the charges against Aaron were not based on Swartz exercising his right to free speech, Stephen Heymann has since admitted that, in fact, Swartz's friends speaking out on his behalf were what made him decide to try to throw the book at Swartz....

Indeed, those of us at Demand Progress did attempt to fight the DOJ's ridiculous prosecution of Aaron Swartz, and Eric Holder's minions responded by adding more trumped up charges against my friend. This has been an unpleasant reminder that those of us fighting for the common good must prioritize justice over party politics. But in the meantime, please:
 

#OccupyLife

JUICE: Dutch to Decide on Governor by FEB, Heather Mizeur's LG Pick & Progressive Endorsement, 2014 Issues & GOP Odds

Below Maryland Juice provides a brief roundup of news bits that may be of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER CLARIFIES THOUGHTS ON CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR // DECISION BY FEBRUARY - Yesterday Maryland Juice discussed a recent interview with Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger that appeared in The Capitol Gazette. In expansive remarks about state and national politics, Ruppersberger revealed that he was leaning against running in the June 2014 Democratic Primary for Governor. But a follow-up article by The Daily Record's Bryan Sears contains additional thoughts and a new timeline from Congressman Ruppersberger (excerpt below):

DAILY RECORD: Dutch Ruppersberger says he would shake up the Democratic primary if he entered the race for Maryland governor.... Ruppersberger has been considering the race for governor off and on for more than a year but he said his interest waned as he traveled Syria and Iraq in January as part of his official congressional duties....

Ruppersberger said he's spending time with supporters studying state issues and putting together a plan to raise money should he decide to get in. "If I get in I plan to run to win," Ruppersberger said. "I don't think I'll need as much money as some others. Polls show I'm really well known and popular in the Baltimore area.... My only timeline is the filing deadline," he said. Ruppersberger has until 9 p.m. Feb. 25 to decide.

Notably, Rep. Ruppersberger previously stated he would make a decision on a gubernatorial run by Thanksgiving, and he has now pushed that timetable out to the February 2014 filing deadline.


JUICE #2: HEATHER MIZEUR TO ANNOUNCE RUNNNING-MATE THIS WEDNESDAY? - Maryland Juice just received an email blast from Heather Mizeur's campaign seeking phonebanking volunteers to help promote an event this Wednesday, where it appears she'll be announcing her pick for Lieutenant Governor:

Juice,

Heather's excited about her upcoming announcement on Wednesday, November 13th. We need your help to spread the word.

On Monday and Tuesday, we will be hosting a phone bank at our office. Join us as well tell our supporters all about their first chance to see Heather alongside her pick for Lieutenant Governor.

Location – Mizeur HQ, 1430 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring
Monday 11/11 – 2:00-5:00pm and  5:00-8:00pm
Tuesday 11/12 – 5:00-8:00pm

When can you come in for a shift? Click here to sign up. Please bring your cell phone.

We're looking forward to having a good crowd at the event. Your calls will make it happen.

Best,
Andrew Katz
Field Director
Friends of Heather Mizeur

Mizeur's campaign followed up on this volunteer solicitation with the following event announcement:

Juice,

Our campaign made big news recently. I announced my 10 point plan to make sure Maryland families have an economy that works for us. My plan will strengthen the middle class, make sure our economy is built to grow throughout the 21st century, and provide the jobs Marylanders need.

I am keeping the momentum moving forward this week. On Wednesday, November 13th, I will be in Silver Spring for a special announcement. You will not want to miss this event. Join me on Wednesday and be the first to hear the news.

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday, November 13th
Time: 5:30pm

Location:
American Legion Post 41,
905 Sligo Ave, Silver Spring, MD

Click here to RSVP

I look forward to having you seeing you at the announcement. It will be a great event.

Best,

Heather

JUICE #3: HEATHER MIZEUR NETS PROGRESSIVE ENDORSEMENT FOR GOVERNOR - Maryland Juice received the press release below from the Montgomery County-based advocacy group Progressive Neighbors announcing an endorsement of Delegate Heather Mizeur in the race for Governor.  Maryland Juice previously flagged some differences between Gansler and Mizeur's responses to Progressive Neighbors on hot-button issues ranging from marijuana decriminalization and public financing of campaigns, to fracking and the minimum wage. In their endorsement statement, the group noted that one of the factors in their process was evaluating issue surveys from the candidates, but only Doug Gansler and Heather Mizeur provided responses (excerpt below):

Press Release

Announcement of Endorsement of Heather Mizeur for Governor

Progressive Neighbors is proud to endorse Delegate Heather Mizeur in her campaign to become the next Governor of Maryland because she is the most progressive candidate in the race. An accomplished legislator, able to reach across the aisle and bring ideological opponents together in pursuit of common interests, Delegate Mizeur will also be Maryland's first female governor as well as possibly becoming America's first openly gay governor.

Our endorsement process was intensive, including a questionnaire dealing with a range of issues, from economic to social – the candidates' responses are posted on our website, www.progressiveneighborsmd.org. Both Delegate Mizeur and Attorney General Doug Gansler provided extensive, thoughtful responses to the questions generated by the Progressive Neighbors endorsement subcommittee. Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown was repeatedly invited to submit his responses, but chose not to do so. We considered the candidates’ responses in our deliberations, as well as their records....

JUICE #4: GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES COME OUT ON THE ISSUES // READ MY SUMMARY OF BROWN, GANSLER AND MIZEUR'S PLATFORMS THUS FAR - Speaking of issues, this week Heather Mizeur released a slew of proposals on issues related to jobs, taxes and the economy. As a result, Maryland Juice thought this might be a good time to highlight the various platform items the gubernatorial candidates have released thus far. We previously compared survey responses between Gansler and Mizeur on progressive issues including fracking and marijuana reform, as well as responses by Brown, Gansler and Mizeur on schools issues. But below you can see our summary and round-up of the official campaign platform positions from Anthony Brown, Doug Gansler and Heather Mizeur thus far. We also provide some brief commentary on the gubernatorial candidates' issue papers below:

ANTHONY BROWN

• Ending Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault - Includes items to: 1) establish domestic violence screening, referral and assistance at all Maryland community hospitals; 2) require cell phone carriers to allow domestic violence victims to pull out of their partners' cell phone contracts without penalty; 3) provide a $5 million domestic violence innovation fund for local programs; and 4) establish a statewide domestic violence stats program to promote cross-agency collaboration.
• Competitive Business Climate - Includes items to: 1) Reform our tax code to generate job investments; streamline regulatory & licensing requirements to reduce business costs; 2) promote cost-effective energy generation and improve delivery of energy delivery through the grid; 3) expand affordable housing, health care and transportation; 4) provide a court system that allows individuals to get justice but keep awards fair; 5) facilitate small and medium size businesses access to capital by working with banks; 6) invest in high school and college job skills training; 7) make fiscally responsible improvements in funding for transit, education, public safety, health care, parks and the arts; and 8) and maintain & redevelop infrastructure through creative and conventional financing.
• Universal Pre-K - Includes items to expand to universal all-day Pre-K by the year 2022.

DOUG GANSLER

• Renewable Energy Proposals to Fight Bay Pollution - Includes items to: 1) Create innovation grants for companies to who can turn animal waste and other contributors to Bay pollution into energy generators; 2) spur investment in renewable energy by providing credit multipliers for certain energy sources; 3) encourage energy production from chicken litter through "aggregate net metering" policies; 4) provide state support for chicken litter energy projects; 5) incentivize utilities to generate power from farm waste; 6) encourage green energy through a voluntary surcharge to be distributed to local farmers; and 7) green energy marketing for renewable "Farm Power."
• "Build it in Maryland" Job Creation Plan - Includes items to: 1) Give preference to Maryland businesses when competing for state contracts and procurement; 2) Subsidize workforce training and provide manufacturing tax credits and grants for "Industrial Business Zones," 3) Extend tax credits to Maryland businesses receiving R&D grants to actually manufacture their products in Maryland; 4) Provide tax abatement for businesses renovating vacant buildings using renewable energy systems; 5) Create a grant program to help 12 small and medium sized businesses to manufacture and export Maryland-made goods within 12 months, 6) Develop a summer workshop for high school and college students geared toward the high-tech manufacturing industry; and 7) Launch an online marketing campaign to support "Made in Maryland" products
• Responsible Re-entry Reforms - Includes items to: 1) Establish a cabinet official to focus on re-entry of ex-offenders into society; 2) Create re-entry centers within prisons; 3) Establish re-entry courts to reduce recidivism; 4) Conduct an annual cost-benefit analysis of imprisonment, recidivism, and crime rates; 5) Restrict access to criminal records for those with demonstrated clean records; 6) Create challenge grants to incentivize recruitment of social workers for high-stress environments; 7) Provide transitional housing for ex-offenders; 8) Sponsor constructive family engagement opportunities for children of offenders; 9) Use technology (eg: tablets) to build individualized educational programs for offenders; and 10) Convene summits of nonprofits to coordinate statewide support networks.
• Educational Initiatives Targeting Achievement Gap - Includes items to: 1) Expand access to all-day pre-K to more low-income households; 2) Promote parental engagement in limited-English households through grants to incentivize schools to develop outreach and training programs; 3) Create an open data portal on school system information to facilitate accountability and planning; 4) Build a "Governor's Teacher Corps" to provide mentorship and professional development support to new teachers; 5) Form partnerships with nonprofits and philanthropists to provide after-school, summer and Saturday school programs; and 6) Create a volunteer coprs to assist at-risk children.
• Good Government Overhaul Proposals - Includes items to: 1) Create a Public Information Inspector General to collect public information across agencies and conduct performance audits; 2) Consolidate existing databases into a user-friendly portal; 3) Adopt an Open Meeting Records Rule to archive meetings with outside parties regarding state regulatory changes; 4) Create a database of state contracts and campaign contributions made by the winning corporations, officers and employees; 5) Host open source innovation labs to develop transparency tech tools; and 6) Provide "sunshine" grants to local governments to replicate the state data portals.

HEATHER MIZEUR

• Give Marylanders Much Needed Tax Relief - Includes items to lower taxes for 90% of Marylanders by reinstating a millionaire's tax.
• Institute a Living Wage - Includes items to phase in a living wage to $10.10/hour by 2016, up to $16.70 by 2020.
• Strengthen Job Training - Includes items to: 1) Increase funding for the Maryland EARN program, which brings together employers, government agencies and educational institutions to train workers; 2) require that grant partners in the EARN program include certain numbers of low-income participants, and 3) eliminate waiting lists for residents seeking GED assistance through increased funding.
• Provide Tax Relief to Small Businesses - Includes items to: 1) Institute "combined reporting" to prevent big corporations from dodging tax payments in Maryland, and 2) Use "combined reporting" revenues for assistance to small businesses in the form of local property tax subsidies.
• Make Earned Sick Leave Available to All Maryland Workers - Includes items to require Maryland employers to provide 30 minutes of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked (for both part-time and full-time employees), up to 7 days per year.
• Rebuild Our Schools - Includes items to: 1) Create "school opportunity bonds" (aka 63-20 bonds) through public-private partnerships to reduce loan costs and induce companies to provide capital for school infrastructure; and 2) Allow local governments to add a penny to their sales tax to finance school construction.
• Grow Maryland's Innovation Economy - Includes items to: 1) Find ways of commercializing academic research in Maryland; 2) Invest in ways to make Maryland a leader in nanotechnology development; and 3) Make cybersecurity a core part of Maryland's economy by building workforce skills and marketing Maryland as a leader in the industry.
• Invest in Maryland's Public Infrastructure - Includes items to: 1) Invest in public transportation, starting with the Purple Line and Red Line, and also including bike and pedestrian access, the CCT, bus rapid transit, and potentially a high-speed rail system from Washington and Baltimore to New York; 2) Rebuild roads and bridges, specifically in the I-270 corridor, the Harry Nice and Thomas Johnson Bridges, and around BRAC facilities; and 3) Expand the Port of Baltimore.
• Streamline Our Regulatory System - Includes items to: 1) Streamline or scrap business regulations that serve no public good; 2) Create a "Business Advocate" cabinet post to hear and investigate complaints from the public and business community; 3) Develop a single statewide set of procurement procedures, instead of delegating the job to various agencies; and 4) Reduce turnaround time on responses to bids by one-third.
• Expand Sustainable Clean Energy Jobs - Includes items to: 1) Make Maryland a manufacturing hub for wind farms; 2) Removing regulatory barriers to clean energy production; 3) Doubling the share of renewable energy sources that Maryland electricity suppliers are required to use to 40% by 2030; 4) Encourage more clean biomass energy production for commercial and residential buildings; 5) Provide low-interest loans to builders constructing low-energy homes; and 6) Help counties promote ecotourism.
• Make Pre-K Available to Every Child in Maryland - Includes items to phase in universal access to pre-K, starting with all 4-year olds, and then expanding to 3-year-olds.
• Improve Access to Child Care for Maryland Families - Includes items to: 1) Expand access to and increase the benefits of Maryland's Child Care Subsidy program; and 2) Expand number of child care providers covered by state voucher program.
• Expand Maryland After School and Summer Programs - Includes items to expand access to after school and summer programs for K-8 children through a phased increase in funding.
• Renew Our Commitment to Public Education Funding - Includes items to convene a "Thornton 2.0" to modify school funding to consider teacher pay and pensions, inflation, class size, teacher recruitment and retention, educational support services, infrastructure, and technological improvements.
• Free Our Educators from Teaching to the Test - Includes items to: 1) Delay use of newly implemented "PARCC" academic achievement tests for teacher and principal evaluations for four years; 2) Study alternatives to PARCC that consider problem solving, creativity and innovation; and 3) Give counties more flexibility in teacher evaluations.

Maryland Juice Analysis of Gubernatorial Campaign Platforms: Most Maryland political pundits believe that the 2014 gubernatorial contest will be effectively decided in the June Democratic Primary, and recent election results demonstrate a sizeable number of progressive voters in the Free State. But perhaps predictably, the major platform items from the two candidates leading the money race thus far (Brown & Gansler) are fairly cautious in their approach and so far lack "red meat" for the party base. Brown has proactively released items on education, domestic violence, sexual assault, and improving the state's business climate. Meanwhile, Gansler has proactively discussed transparency reforms, environmental protections, issues relating to ex-offenders re-entering society, jobs and education. Most of the aforementioned issues will not prove to be terribly controversial among Democratic Primary voters. On the other hand, Mizeur has proactively released a series of proposals relating to jobs, economic justice, and numerous education issues -- but the specifics in a number of her proposals have a decidedly progressive bent.

All three candidates are promoting expansion of universal pre-K in Maryland, and all are planning to push jobs and economic development initiatives. But the devil is obviously in the details, and already there are some interesting differences between the candidates. Gansler talks about the environment, for example, but his platform does not address the issue of fracking -- which may be the most heated environmental issue in Maryland right now. At the same time, Mizeur has come out strongly against fracking, and the issue has not been discussed in Brown's platform yet. Similarly, Gansler raises issues within our criminal justice system, but so far only Mizeur has stepped out front in calling for marijuana decriminalization. Gansler and Brown have not yet weighed in on the increasingly high-profile issue.

Economic issues may be where we see the largest differences between the candidates. Though all three candidates support increasing the minimum wage to about $10/hour, Mizeur is calling for an ongoing, phased-in increase until we reach a living wage. Notably, Gansler called for a corporate tax cut immediately before endorsing a minimum wage increase. Lastly, in Mizeur's latest round of proposals, she is calling for a restoration of the state's millionaire's tax, which lawmakers allowed to expire recently. Mizeur's plan is to increase taxes on those making $500,000 and above, and to lower taxes for most other taxpayers. Notably, newly elected New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is theoretically an emerging harbinger of progressive political issues (eg: War on Drugs, smart growth, and progressive taxation) just announced a similar plan to increase taxes on those making over half-a-million. So on the issues right now, I would say the advantage goes to Mizeur. This should not be a surprise though, as success for her campaign is contingent upon exciting the party base, while Brown is likely trying to play it safe in the front-runner seat. Will Brown and Gansler try and compete for the hearts and minds of primary voters? For the health of the party activists, I sure hope so.

One last flag I'll raise here, is that Brown has a quiet but potentially curious item in his platform on creating a "competitive business climate" in Maryland. He states a goal to "Provide a civil justice system that allows deserving individuals to get justice and hold wrongdoers accountable while ensuring that awards are fair and equitable" (Item #5 in this document). My fear here is that "when ensuring awards are fair," Brown is talking in code about so-called "tort reform," which has been the business community's advocacy effort to reduce the ability of consumers to get justice when dealing with corporations making dangerous products or services. During the George W. Bush era, progressives had to deal with ridiculous hysteria maligning consumer protection attorneys, claiming that they were driving up the costs of health care and other goods and services through frivolous litigation. But the stronger reason for insurance premium increases at the time, was that companies had gambled customers' insurance premiums on risky investments and needed to invent a bogeyman for their desired policy changes. Hopefully Brown is not embarking on a campaign to implement so-called "tort reform" in Maryland.


JUICE #5: REPUBLICAN PUNDITS WEIGH ODDS OF WINNING STATEWIDE IN 2014 // PROGNOSIS = BLEAK - Maryland Juice caught an interesting segment on WYPR interviewing GOP pundit and consultant Richard Cross on the Maryland Republicans' chances for statewide office in 2014. Cross suggests that the situation is bleak and that the state party should focus on local races in 2014 (transcript excerpt below):

RICHARD CROSS (VIA WYPR): I don't think this is a situation in Maryland where any Republican can win statewide, and I would point to kind of two pieces of evidence. First of all, the results with the ballot initiatives in Maryland last time around. They were put forth by the Republican Party, they were advocated by the Republican Party, and they all went down hard. Secondly, the most interesting stat I've seen in the cycle is Governor O'Malley's approval rating, which according to Gonzalez and the most recent poll is 48% approve and 40% disapprove. Given some of the controversial measures that went through the legislature earlier this year, I don't see the kind of second term drag on Governor O'Malley that Governor Schaeffer experienced or Governor Glendening experienced. In order for someone like Mr. Craig to have a chance, Governor O'Malley would have to have a meltdown that brought his numbers into the high 30's or mid-30's.

MORE ON MARYLAND'S RACE FOR GOVERNOR SOON!

JUICE: SEIU Endorses Saqib Ali, Craig Rice Non-Endorsement, Mizeur's Pitch, Fracking #'s, Consumer Heroes & Family Farms

Below Maryland Juice provides a quick round-up of news tidbits of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: SEIU LOCAL 500 ENDORSES SAQIB ALI FOR BRIAN FELDMAN'S DELEGATE SEAT - Maryland Juice received a copy of the following letter from SEIU Local 500 endorsing former Delegate Saqib Ali for Brian Feldman's vacant D15 seat:

October 3, 2013
Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee
3720 Farragut Avenue, Suite 303
Kensington, MD 20895

Dear Committee Member:

On behalf of the 15,000 SEIU Local 500 members, I am writing to you to strongly encourage you to appoint former Delegate Saqib Ali to the District 15 House of Delegates vacancy created by the appointment of Delegate Brian Feldman to the Maryland Senate.

Our decision was not an easy one, there were many candidates who were kind enough to meet with our COPE Committee and share their views on issues of importance to working families across Montgomery County.  We were, in particular, impressed with the earnest commitment to our issues put forth by your Vice Chair Ms. Venatta Vann.  In the end, however, we were swayed by Delegate Ali’s long track record of fighting for the progressive values of the Democratic Party.  From his insistence on ensuring increased transparency in Annapolis to his full-throated endorsement of collective bargaining rights for adjunct faculty and an increase in the minimum wage, there was no candidate we found that could match his record of experience.  We are confident that he will be a great delegate who will do the citizens of District 15 proud.

We look forward to your appointment of Delegate Ali to the Maryland House of Delegates in the very near future, and we thank you for taking the time to consider the views of our members in this regard.

Respectfully,

Merle A. Cuttitta
President

cc:           Brian Feldman
               Aruna Miller
               Kathleen Dumas
               David Rodich
               Mark McLaurin

JUICE #2: MOCO COUNCILMEMBER CRAIG RICE SENDS MCDCC LETTER DENYING ENDORSEMENT OF CANDIDATE IN D15 RACE - This week, the District 15 Democratic Caucus hosted a well-attended candidates forum for contenders in the race to replace Delegate Brian Feldman. A few sources noted that one candidate, David Frasier-Hidalgo, claimed the endorsement of Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice. But a Maryland Juice source forwarded us a copy of an email sent by Craig Rice to the Montgomery Democratic Central Committee denying he made any endorsement in the D15 contest:

Dear Gabe,

It is my understanding that David Fraser Hidalgo, indicated during the candidates' forum last night, October 2, 2013, I have endorsed him for the vacant D15 delegate seat. This is not true.

I have elected not to endorse any candidate in this race. As you know, I have been committed to increasing diversity in our elected representation for a long time. We have an opportunity with this seat to expand diversity and have excellent representation for the district, which is precisely what I want. With a number of candidates that I feel would do just that, I remain neutral.

If you have any questions please give me a call.

Regards,

Craig Rice, Vice-President
Montgomery County Council

c: Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee

JUICE #3: HEATHER MIZEUR FUNDRAISING TO MAKE HISTORY AS WOMAN & LGBT GOVERNOR - Maryland Juice received a copy of the following fundraising solicitation being sent by Heather Mizeur's gubernatorial campaign. Her pitch leads with a bid to help her make history as a woman and LGBT Governor:

JUICE #4: ENVIRONMENT MARYLAND RELEASES REPORT HIGHLIGHTING NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF FRACKING - The advocacy group Environment Maryland yesterday distributed a press release and new report detailing the negative impacts of fracking (see both items below):

PRESS RELEASE

Fracking by the Numbers: New Environment Maryland Research and Policy Center 
Report First to Quantify Threat of Gas Drilling

Annapolis, MD — Today, a new Environment Maryland Research and Policy Center report called “Fracking by the Numbers” measures the damage being done by dirty drilling across the country. Even as a Maryland state commission is working on guidelines for fracking in the state, the report is the first study of its kind to measure the footprint of fracking damage to date— including toxic wastewater, water use, chemical use, air pollution, land damage and global warming emissions.

“The numbers don't lie— fracking has taken a dirty and destructive toll on our environment. If fracking is allowed here, this is the kind of damage we will see in Maryland,” said Talya Tavor, Field Associate from Environment Maryland. “In suggesting that some regulatory scheme could make fracking safe, the Commission has vastly underestimated the scale and scope of pollution that comes with this dirty drilling.”

Of particular concern, the report shows that in Pennsylvania 1.2 billion gallons in 2012 and more than 2.5 billion gallons have been produced since the fracking boom began. Often laced with cancer-causing and even radioactive material, toxic fracking waste has contaminated drinking water sources from Pennsylvania to New Mexico.

“We need to protect the people and future generations of Maryland from the threats of Fracking,” said 16th District Delegate, Ariana Kelly.

“The bottom line is this: the numbers on fracking add up to an environmental nightmare,” said Tavor, “For public health and our environment, we need to put a stop to fracking.”

Shane Robinson, Delegate of Maryland’s 39th District, also spoke out against fracking. “I am worried about what this could mean for my family’s health an safety, should we start fracking in Maryland. The most responsible thing we can do to protect the ones we love is to not frack at all.”

On the federal level, Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania (D-Scranton) introduced the CLEANER Act (H.R. 2825)— a bill to close the loophole exempting oil and gas waste from the nation’s hazardous waste law.

“Here in Maryland, we can stop the fracking frenzy before it ever starts,” concluded Tavor. “But for places where fracking is already generating billions of gallons of toxic fracking waste and making people sick, it’s time for Washington to step in; officials can start by closing the loophole exempting toxic fracking waste from our nation’s hazardous waste law.”

###

Environment Maryland is a state-based, citizen-supported, environmental advocacy organization, working towards a cleaner, greener, healthier future.

Environment Maryland: Fracking by Numbers Report

JUICE #5: MARYLAND CONSUMER RIGHTS COALITION SCORES LAWMAKERS - Last month, the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition released a scorecard for Annapolis lawmakers, factoring in their positions on consumer issues like debt prisons and homeowners protections. See their press release and scorecard below:

PRESS RELEASE

Consumer Champions, Heroes Highlight MCRC’s 2013 Legislative Scorecard

• Consumer Champions, Consumer Heroes: Eleven legislators named MCRC “2013 Consumer Champions” for perfect scores on consumer rights bills this year as eight “Consumer Heroes” earn perfect scores for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 sessions.

• Key victories create high scores:  Near-unanimous votes passing new laws to limit debt prisons, give homeowners new protections, prevent identity theft, and stop mandatory insurance bundling lead to high scores for many legislators.

• Unfinished Business: Failure to pass bills to prevent price-gouging, give consumers better information about debts under collection, and stop unfair retaliation against auto dealers leaves legislature’s work incomplete on key consumer issues.

Baltimore, MD:  Eleven lawmakers earned perfect scores for their consumer rights votes during the 2013 legislative session and eight were named “MCRC Consumer Heroes” for their 100% pro-consumer records in the 2011, 2012, and 2013 sessions on the 2013 Legislative Scorecard the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (MCRC) released this morning.  Nine Senators and 51 members of the House of Delegates earned scores of 90% or better for the 2013 session while eight Senators and 16 House members got failing grades (under 65%).

“Those strong scores reflect the good work the legislature did to curtail debt arrests, identity theft, unfair insurance practices and to protect homeowners and renters this year,” MCRC Executive Director Marceline White argues. “We salute our Consumer Champions and Consumer Heroes for standing up time and time again to protect Maryland consumers against financial predators.”

Senators Richard Madaleno, Paul Pinsky, and Jim Rosapepe earned perfect consumer rights scores for all three sessions (2011 to 2013) while Delegates Al Carr, Bill Frick, Barbara Frush, Carolyn Howard, and James Hubbard compiled perfect records on the House side. Sen. Roy Dyson and Delegates Liz Bobo and Nina Harper joined those other eight legislators on the list of 2013 Consumer Champions.

MCRC also named 12 members of the four committees that mark-up most of the controversial consumer bills (the Senate Finance and Judicial Proceedings Committees and the House Economic Matters and Judiciary Committees) who earned 80% or better overall scores our “2013 Consumer Committee Champions.” “Members of these committees cast many more tough committee votes on consumer issues than other legislators do,” Marceline White notes. “The leadership of these committee champions makes a real difference on the panels where Maryland consumers need it most.”

Sen. Brian Frosh, Sen. Lisa Gladden, Sen. Delores Kelley, and Del. Tom Hucker are among long-time allies of Maryland consumers who made the list of MCRC’s 2013 Consumer Committee Champions.

MCRC’s fourth annual consumer scorecard grades legislators on their floor votes on seven key consumer rights bills and on their committee votes on a larger set of consumer issues. Their floor scores and committee scores are averaged to arrive at a legislator’s overall score. Legislators who serve on committees that do not handle consumer rights bills are graded solely on their floor scores.

For the first time, this year’s MCRC scorecard also included a three-year average for legislators’ scores for the 2011 to 2013 sessions. “The three-year average score gives consumers better information about which legislators really stand up for consumer rights, year in and year out,” Marceline White notes.

Nearly unanimous floor votes backing important bills that protect consumers arrested in debt cases (HB 597/SB 419), allow state officials to put a security freeze on the credits records of foster children (HB 1297/SB 897), prohibit mandatory bundling of home and auto insurance (HB 342/SB 446), and limit foreclosures based on liens in common-ownership communities (HB 286/SB 161) helped give many legislators high scores for 2013.

Most legislators lost points, however, for voting for a bill that will hurt residential gas consumers by letting gas companies add a surcharge of up to $2/month to residential energy bills (HB 89/SB 8). Most Senators also cast anti-consumer votes to help defeat a bill that would have prohibited unfair retaliation by auto manufacturers against Maryland auto dealers (SB 249).

Important bills that would have given consumers better information about the debts that collectors say they owe (HB 1157/SB 432), licensed property managers for common-ownership communities (HB 576/SB 794), and increased the compensation homeowners can get for home improvement jobs gone bad without  a formal hearing (SB 78) also died in key committees last Spring.

The legislature’s mixed record leaves MCRC and other consumer advocates with plenty of challenges to confront in 2014. “Consumers won some victories this year,” Marceline White argues. “But we’re eager to come back next year to do more to make insurance fairer and more affordable, protect families against foreclosures, and make sure consumers understand the debts they’re told they owe.”

To see all the scores and legislators MCRC recognizes this year, please download:
The full scorecard here: http://bit.ly/17SgOLL
MCRC’s list of 2013 Consumer Champions here: http://bit.ly/14GFkgu
MCRC’s list of Consumer Heroes, 2011 to 2013 here: http://bit.ly/186i3dW
MCRC’s list of 2013 Committee Champions here: http://bit.ly/1dWnmiE

You can see the full list of floor and committee votes we used to grade each legislator on the MCRC’s Legislative Scorecard homepage here: http://bit.ly/SfZNSx

Please Note: You will find copies of the scorecard, this statement, and MCRC’s lists of Consumer Champions, Consumer Heroes and Consumer Committee Champions attached to this note.

-30-

Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition 2013 Scorecard

JUICE #6: FAMILY FARMS & FARMERS MARKETS SEEK HELP FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL - Local progressive advocate and farmer Mike Tabor provided Maryland Juice with the following alert regarding potential threats to the ability of family farms and farmers' markets to survive in the world of the agro-industrial complex:

MIKE TABOR: Most consumers and many farmers don't know or understand the sweeping new FDA regulations that are about to inpact farmers markets and a new industrial-style approach to the food we're allowed to consume.  Attached is what the family farm organizations are trying to put together for the consumer, to help them understand what is going on and suggested language for comments to FDA.  It is critical that the FDA get inundated with comments from concerned farmers and consumers at Farmers markets and CSA's.  Additionally, the funding for the 3,000 federal inspectors must not be funded.  The talk is that the inspectors will be contracted out, will not be well-informed and will have a financial incentive to cite as many farms as they can.  

So in addition to contacting the FDA, our elected reps need to be asked to oppose the funding of the inspectors. The regs have gotten so out of hand, the bottom line is that most family farms will not be able to comply both financially and the compliance will be extraordinarily cumbersome and prohibitive, the end result is that most family farms will go out of business, there won't be any farmers markets that will have fresh produce, or CSAs.

Below you can read a fact sheet and call for comments from the National Sustainable Agriculture Commission:

Food Safety Modernization Act Fact Sheet

Instructions for Submitting Comments on the Food Safety Modernization Act

EXCUSE ME? Potomac's Millionaire Congressman John Delaney Voted with Republicans AGAINST Obamacare for Big Business

WTF: Coming off the heels of freshman Congressman John Delaney's bad vote to allow the NSA to spy on his constituents, The Baltimore Sun's John Fritze is reporting that Delaney (a Maryland "Democrat") recently voted with U.S. House Republicans against President Obama's health care reform proposal (aka "Obamacare"). After all that Democrats went through over the last few years with the birthers, Tea Partiers, and hysteria about Obamacare "death panels" -- did we re-draw the Congressional districts of all of our Democratic House Representatives in order to facilitate the election of a conservative 1%-er? Fritze's piece also highlights a range of support from Delaney for Republican legislative proposals (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Something unusual happened when the controversy over the nation's health care law erupted again on the floor of the House of Representatives this month: A Maryland Democrat voted with Republicans.

Rep. John Delaney, the state's newest member of Congress, was one of 35 Democrats out of 200 to vote for a Republican proposal to delay a requirement that large businesses offer health coverage to workers. He was the only Democrat from Maryland to do so.

"I've said from the beginning that Obamacare is an imperfect piece of legislation..." Delaney said of the vote.... And so Delaney has positioned himself to the right of the rest of the state's congressional delegation. He has split with a majority of Democrats on six major votes on issues such as oil drilling and domestic surveillance. He courted more than a dozen Republicans to co-sponsor a bill to fund infrastructure projects and recently joined a bipartisan "no labels" coalition that is seeking middle ground in Washington....

This month, Delaney became the only House Democrat to sign on to a proposal to study federal monetary policy — a longtime cause of conservatives. Several Republicans on Capitol Hill said Delaney's business background gives him a sense of authority on debates about the economy and employment. "He came by and spent a lot of time with me," said Rep. Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican and deputy majority whip who is co-sponsoring one of Delaney's bills....

A New Jersey native, Delaney in 2000 founded a successful bank called CapitalSource and led it as CEO for nearly a decade.... His former career makes him among the wealthiest members of the House. Delaney spent $2.3 million of his own money on the 2012 campaign.... Delaney remains a major shareholder and is poised to collect tens of millions of dollars under a pending sale of CapitalSource.

NOW WE KNOW WHERE JOHN DELANEY STANDS ON THE ISSUES - Below Maryland Juice highlights a few pieces of disturbing evidence of John Delaney's conservative views. But it is worth noting that before writing this article, I posted a link to The Baltimore Sun article above on my social media accounts, and I've been surprised to see that its been viewed by hundreds of people. News of Delaney's fondness for Republican legislative proposals has many Maryland Democrats angry (samples below):

DELANEY'S SIGNATURE CORPORATE TAX BREAK PROPOSAL IS OPPOSED BY THE CLINTONS' THINK TANK (AND MANY MORE) - Notably, John Delaney's election to the U.S. House was facilitated heavily by an endorsement from Democratic President Bill Clinton. But an anonymous source pointed out that Delaney's signature legislative proposal (a bill to allow corporations who hid their money abroad to "repatriate" their earnings) is being opposed by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a think tank established by the Clintons to bolster their policy agenda. CAP is joined in opposition to Delaney's corporate welfare proposal by a range of progressive groups including MoveOn, Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, SEIU and many more (details below):

Letter Opposing Rep. John Delaney's Tax Repatriation Amnesty Bill

The craziest thing about all this is that unless he's moved recently, it doesn't even appear that Potomac banker John Delaney lives in the 6th Congressional District he represents. Congressman John Delaney appears to be represented by Congressman Chris Van Hollen:

But I guess turnabout is fair play, because it is apparently the case that anyone who lives in the state of Maryland can run for the 6th Congressional District seat --- I repeat, any Maryland resident can run (hint, hint!).

2013 ENVIRONMENTAL RANKINGS: League of Conservation Voters Rates MD Senators & Delegates // PLUS: Fracking Update

UPDATE: Maryland Juice recently noticed a fascinating map on the LCV website showing the geographic distribution of environmentalist legislators in the Free State (Hat tip: Maryland Reporter). The green dots on the image below show lawmakers with 100% environmental ratings, while the red dots represent officials with a 0% rating:

Maryland environmental advocacy organization the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) just released its 2013 ratings for State Senators & Delegates. They rated Annapolis officials on a few highlighted environmental bills (a perfect score = 100%). Below you can see how LCV rated your state legislators on environmental issues, and we also highlight how Montgomery lawmakers and statewide candidates fared. The press release that accompanies the scorecard notes:

MARYLAND LCV: “This year’s environmental scorecard lets Marylanders know which legislators took action to protect future generations from the ravages of climate change, the health impacts of pesticides, and pollution from industrial agriculture,” said Maryland LCV Board Chair, Tony Caligiuri. “Maryland LCV’s scorecard lets citizens know which Senators and Delegates vote for what is politically convenient and who are the real environmental champions.”

“Marylanders should thank our visionary legislators who voted for Offshore Wind Energy Bill and the Transportation Funding bill to move our state’s economy into the future,” said Maryland LCV’s Executive Director Karla Raettig. “Similarly, if they are concerned about the historic impacts of extreme weather, they should hold legislators accountable who didn’t vote to take several other opportunities to curb climate change. Why should just one bold clean energy bill pass in a session? We shouldn’t have an environmental quota.”

Note that the average rating for Democrats in 2013 was 70%, while the average for Republicans was 13%. Senate President Mike Miller was rated 60% and House Speaker Mike Busch was rated 75%. The highest rated Republicans were Senator Allan Kittleman of District 9 with 33% and Delegate Cathy Vitale of District 33B with 60%. After our summary lists, we also post an update on fracking, as well as the full LCV ratings for all State Senators and Delegates.

Here is how a few elected officials seeking higher office in 2014 fared:

• Senator Allan Kittleman - Republican for Howard County Executive: 33%
• Senator Brian Frosh - Democrat for Attorney General: 100%
• Delegate Aisha Braveboy - Democrat for Attorney General: 57%
• Delegate Jon Cardin - Democrat for Attorney General: 100%
• Delegate Bill Frick - Democrat for Attorney General: 100%
• Delegate Heather Mizeur - Democrat for Governor: 100%
• Delegate John Olszewski - Democrat for D6 State Senate: 71%
• Delegate Guy Guzzone - Democrat for D13 State Senate: 75%
• Delegate Brian Feldman - Democrat for D15 State Senate: 86%
• Delegate Susan Lee - Democrat for D16 State Senate: 100%
• Delegate Jim Gilchrist - Democrat for D17 State Senate: 86%
• Delegate Luiz Simmons - Democrat for D17 State Senate: 100%

* Note: Some of these candidates have not yet announced for these offices, but we have listed them as candidates for offices they are rumored to be considering.


Montgomery County's State Senators (from highest to lowest):

• Senator Karen Montgomery (D14): 100%
• Senator Brian Frosh (D16): 100%
• Senator Rich Madaleno (D18): 100%
• Senator Roger Manno (D19): 100%
• Senator Jamie Raskin (D20): 100%
• Senator Nancy King (D39): 100%

----------------------------- Senators Under 100% ----------------------------------------

• Senator Jennie Forehand (D17): 80%
• Senator Rob Garagiola (D15): 67%

Montgomery County's Delegates (from highest to lowest):

• Delegate Kathleen Dumais (D15): 100%
• Delegate Aruna Miller (D15): 100%
• Delegate Bill Frick (D16): 100%
• Delegate Ariana Kelly (D16): 100%
• Delegate Susan Lee (D16): 100%
• Delegate Luiz Simmons (D17): 100%
• Delegate Al Carr (D18): 100%
• Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez (D18): 100%
• Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher (D18): 100%
• Delegate Sam Arora (D19): 100%
• Delegate Bonnie Cullison (D19): 100%
• Delegate Ben Kramer (D19): 100%
• Delegate Tom Hucker (D20): 100%
• Delegate Heather Mizeur (D20): 100%
• Delegate Kirill Reznik (D39): 100%
• Delegate Shane Robinson (D39): 100% 

----------------------------- Delegates Under 100% ----------------------------------------

• Delegate Charles Barkley (D39): 86%
• Delegate Jim Gilchrist (D17): 86%
• Delegate Brian Feldman (D15): 86%
• Delegate Kumar Barve (D17): 80%
• Delegate Sheila Hixson (D20): 80%
• Delegate Anne Kaiser (D14): 80%
• Delegate Eric Luedtke (D14): 80%
• Delegate Craig Zucker (D14): 75%

FRACKING UPDATE: NEW HBO DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS REP. ANDY HARRIS - Since we are on the topic of environmental issues in Maryland, we thought this would be a good time to provide a quick update on the issue of hydraulic fracturing (aka "fracking"). There has been much attention drawn to potential groundwater contamination, flammable water supplies, earthquakes and more -- that many attribute to fracking. As a result, plans to allow fracking in Maryland have proved controversial, and GOP Congressman Andy Harris was recently highlighted for his support of the practice in a new HBO documentary Gasland 2 (trailer below):



GUEST COMMENTARY ON FRACKING FROM PAUL ROBERTS - Maryland Juice also received some guest commentary about fracking in Maryland from Paul Roberts, a member of Governor O'Malley's commission on fracking and a co-owner of a Garrett County winery. Roberts is urging the Free State to adopt a cap on drilling activity. Check out Paul Roberts' commentary on fracking below:

PAUL ROBERTS: The state is at a critical juncture in its three-year consideration of whether shale gas drilling should be permitted in Garrett and Allegany counties in western Maryland. Gov. Martin O'Malley established a state commission with an August 2014 deadline for a final report, and populated it with notables such as Del. Heather Mizeur, who has worked tirelessly with non-governmental associations and allies in western Maryland on the issue. I am among them, serving as well on the Governor's commission, as the "Citizen Representative."

"Fracking" has been linked to water contamination in western states, and more recently in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The work of New York film-maker Josh Fox focused national attention, and his Gasland 2 premiered July 8. Gasland 2: A film by Josh Fox - NOW on HBO And here is an article and a short film by a Baltimore woman in which a gas company executive admits on tape to destroying one family's water supply.

Many predict fracking will be among the top domestic issues during the 2016 presidential race, and the states which have not rushed into allowing production — Maryland and New York — are run by governors likely to end up as primary opponents. Activist organizations in New York have developed a more aggressive "ban" approach, while in Maryland, largely behind the leadership of two Takoma Park residents — Mizeur and Mike Tidwell of Chesapeake Climate Action Network — activists have tried to steer the debate, for the moment, toward erecting strong protections, should fracking be permitted.

Earlier this month, the state released its proposed "Best Management Practices," from which a long-awaited modernization of regulations will occur. Public comments on the draft report can be submitted by email to Marcellus.Advisory@maryland.gov.

A capacity crowd turned out on July 8 in Garrett County to offer comments and criticisms. And, at the urging of activists, a second hearing will be held in the Baltimore area: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 2 pm at the Maryland Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230. (Persons attending should park in the Blue Lot.)

The state's draft fracking report is a weighty, technical document. Among the principal concerns raised so far are that drilling would be allowed within 1,000 feet of a private water well, while the proposed setback from a municipal supply is 2,000 feet. Regulators explain that's because so many more people depend on a single municipal supply, but this logic was met with cat-calls in Garrett County, since most rural residents there use private water wells. They called for an equal buffer. Drilling would also be allowed within 300 feet of many of the region's pristine mountain streams; this provision shocks wilderness and white-water enthusiasts.

As a member of the Governor's Commission, I am urging the state to adopt a cap on drilling activity county-wide, though it appears that changes in county zoning laws would also be needed. Citing evidence produced by experts who prepared the study on which the draft BMP report is based, I have asked the state to explore a 2-percent maximum on disturbed acreage. "Without limits," I told my fellow Commissioners in June, "the careful planning the state wisely decided to require only ensures a methodical pace to the industrialization process of our mostly forested, rural area."

SEE THE FULL LCV RATINGS BELOW THE FOLD:

CD6: Sen. Rob Garagiola on Pension Shift, Fracking, Mike Miller & More // Plus, Attend CD6 Dem & GOP Debates SUN 3/25

Maryland Juice just stumbled upon an interesting interview with State Senator Rob Garagiola on News Channel 8. Host Bruce DePuyt kicks off the segment by noting that he had on multiple occasions invited Garagiola's competitor John Delaney to sit next to the State Senator for a head-to-head debate. Delaney has apparently refused to directly debate Mr. Garagiola. Senator Garagiola took advantage of the empty chair that was debating him, and suggested that his opponent John Delaney had aggressively foreclosed on homeowners -- sometimes over a matter of only a few thousand dollars. 

ROB GARAGIOLA ON PENSION SHIFT - Watch Bruce DePuyt's interview of Rob Garagiola below. The CD6 Democrat fields questions about a U.S. troop drawdown in Afghanistan, fracking, Senate President Mike Miller, and much more. The interview starts off with a discussion of Maryland's controversial pension shift proposal. Bruce DePuyt opens up by suggesting to Garagiola that there is a disconnect between Montgomery County leaders and politicians in Annapolis. He asks Garagiola about the fact the teacher-pension shift will move a large financial burden from the state to localities: "are you listening, have you heard them, and are you representing the concerns that local leaders have?" Below I transcribe a portion of Rob Garagiola's response as a teaser for the interview:

ROB GARAGIOLA: The people that we need to represent are all the voters, not just the local elected officials, and I feel that we're doing that. In fact, over the ten years I've been in the Maryland senate, we've nearly doubled education funding that has gone to the counties. That's why we've got the best schools in the country four years in a row.

So we've made the critical investment in education. Its unfortunate that last year the county government used some of those dollars, so they can make reductions at the local level for education funding. As a father of three children in the public school system in Montgomery County, that actually upsets me.

Watch the News Channel 8 interview with Rob Garagiola below:





STRAY FROM THE SCRIPT - While Bruce DePuyt is upset that John Delaney won't sit down for a head-to-head debate, Maryland Juice is simply trying to get either of the candidates alone to agree to an unscripted interview. I literally just want the chance to pick open their brains and discuss Democratic party base issues that always get ignored in the primaries.

I truly wonder whether voters are going to find enough differentiation among the candidates, based solely on their views about schools, health care, and the environment. I doubt it. I previously tried to get some of the candidates to agree to a voter forum on the Internet -- but with questions generated by the public. So far, neither of them has yet agreed to stray from the conventional candidate script -- but perhaps that is because they are in fact conventional candidates? Sigh. Self-financing candidates and party-backed establishment candidates have the ability to say and do so much more than other less privileged candidates. And yet they never seem to push the boundaries, do they?

Below, the AARP & Maryland Reporter invite you to Democratic and Republican candidates' debates in Maryland's 6th Congressional District. Maybe you can shake things up in person:


AARP and Maryland Reporter Host Candidates Debate // 6th Congressional District