Montgomery College Board of Trustees Endorses Maryland Dream Act // READ RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF "VOTE FOR"

Casa de Maryland today announced that the Montgomery College Board of Trustees has passed a resolution supporting the Maryland Dream Act. Below you can read a full copy of the resolution and a letter explaining the Board's action. I've excerpted a few pertinent parts from the letter, which summarize the Dream Act provisions they endorse, as well as their rationale:

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES: The Dream Act provides to undocumented students local in-state rates for tuition in Maryland community colleges (and four-year colleges with additional requirements), provided that the students can show attendance in a Maryland high school for at least three years, that their parents filed tax returns in Maryland during periods between attendance in high school and attendance at community college and that the students commit to legalizing status as soon as they are eligible. It is a confirmation and a slightly modified extension of a long observed policy of Montgomery College that granted all graduates of Montgomery County high schools local instate tuition rates....

WATCH ONLINE: Labor Union Runs Television & Radio Ads Supporting Casino at Prince George's County's National Harbor

Today several news outlets reported that some labor unions are running ads to support a proposed casino at the National Harbor site in Prince George's County, Maryland (see eg: Washington Post & Baltimore Sun coverage). The group, called Building Trades for National Harbor, is running a television spot in the Baltimore market and a radio ad in the Baltimore and Annapolis markets. Maryland Juice has obtained copies of both ads, which you can watch & listen to below:


Television Ad for Prince George's Casino




Radio Ad for Prince George's Casino

CD6: Nuns to Protest at Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's Office // National Pundit Calls Sen. Rob Garagiola "The Most Arrogant" Candidate

UPDATE: A number of readers in the comments below, either defend Senator Garagiola or criticize John Delaney. Additionally, a few anonymous readers were baffled by Stu Rothenberg's comments. We print a few select responses below:

READER #1: That Rothenberg piece struck me as an amazing piece of Washington-elite disconnectedness.

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Maryland Redistricting Law // Fletcher v. Lamone Decision Counts Prisoners in Home Districts

Today, the United States Supreme Court upheld Maryland's “No Representation Without Population Act,” which instructs redistricting plans to count prisoners at their home addresses, rather than where they are incarcerated (See bill sponsors: Maryland House & Maryland Senate).

The high court upheld the law in a summary disposition, meaning the Justices based their ruling on existing briefs and did not engage in oral arguments.  A negative ruling could have impacted Maryland's new redistricting plan. The Supreme Court-focused Cert Pool blog briefly explains summary disposition:

JuiceBlender: Daily Kos Prefers O'Malley to Cuomo, Cuomo Hesitates on Dream Act, Bartlett Slams Obama on Immigration

Here's a random blend of political tidbits from recent news, starting with commentary from journalists and pundits comparing MD Governor Martin O'Malley with NY Governor Andrew Cuomo:

JUICE #1: DIFFERING RESPONSES FROM O'MALLEY & CUOMO TO OBAMA DREAM ACT ANNOUNCEMENT - Maryland Juice recently reported on President Barack Obama's major announcement that his administration would halt the deportation of young undocumented residents (aka Dreamers). This week, Politico's Maggie Haberman covered the differing responses to the new policy development from Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo -- two rivals in the 2016 Democratic White House race.

Initially, Haberman wrote about O'Malley's support for Obama's actions, compared to Cuomo's silence. But days later, Cuomo is now praising Obama's immigration position. Notably, Gov. O'Malley had backed a Maryland version of the Dream Act which provides for in-state college tuition for all high school graduates, regardless of their immigration status. Gov. Cuomo apparently did not support the New York version of this legislation. See excerpts from the pair of articles below:

MD Attorney General Doug Gansler Elected President of National Association of Attorneys General // Focus on Online Privacy

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler has just released the following press statement announcing that he has been elected President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Notably, Gansler has been serving as head of the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), and his website notes that his position there ended upon taking the NAAG role.

Gansler's statement also announces that his focus at NAAG will be on protecting Internet users' privacy. Indeed, this is a growing area of concern for consumers, given the roughshod treatment of our digital privacy by corporations and law enforcement officials. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, for example, recently sought to grant immunity to online companies if they share information about our Internet use with government officials.

A QUICK NOTE ON GANSLER'S ONLINE PRIVACY INITIATIVES - Gansler's press announcement states that he will use the NAAG role to highlight privacy violations by the "Internet's major players," and in his role as Maryland AG, he has worked to fight privacy policies at Google and Facebook. This is pretty smart politics for the 2014 gubernatorial candidate, given the enthusiasm from the Netroots for greater online privacy protections. But Maryland Juice would also reiterate that government officials are some of the worst violators of online privacy, and we hope to see Mr. Gansler also address the increasing disregard of digital privacy by law enforcement agencies. Moreover, Mr. Gansler also mentions NAAG's role in addressing "internet crime." We hope that he doesn't mean more overblown attempts at anti-piracy enforcement at the behest of pro-censorship companies like Rosetta Stone, as well as the film and music industries (ie: SOPA/PIPA). If Mr. Gansler is able to disregard the lies and propaganda from entertainment industry and cable lobbyists, he may be able to develop a real following among Internet users. We will be watching!

PRESS RELEASE 

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler Elected 
President of National Association of Attorneys General

“Privacy in the Digital Age” will be presidential initiative

Anchorage, Alaska (June 22, 2012) – Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has been unanimously elected the 105th President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) by his peers during NAAG’s Annual Summer Meeting. The nonpartisan association of chief legal officers from each state, territory and the District of Columbia has used its vast and varied expertise, experience and legal authority to address many of the nation’s most serious legal, social and economic issues, such as the home foreclosure crisis, tobacco litigation, financial fraud, human trafficking and internet crime.

“As the chief legal officers of our states, Attorneys General are engaged in every aspect of state governance. We are uniquely positioned to make a real difference in the lives of the citizens in our states, and we do so every day,” said Attorney General Gansler. “It is an honor to serve as NAAG President. I look forward to working with my colleagues on some of our states’ and our nation’s most pressing issues.”

Upon accepting office, Attorney General Gansler announced his intent to examine “Privacy in the Digital Age” as his yearlong Presidential Initiative.

“The Digital Age has transformed everything we do, from buying groceries to boarding an airplane, from treating an illness to socializing with friends and family. These changes have raised some unique and significant challenges to privacy,” said Attorney General Gansler. “With this initiative, we will bring the energy and legal weight of this organization to investigate, educate and take necessary steps to ensure that the Internet’s major players protect the privacy of online consumers while balancing their legitimate business interests.”

Currently serving his second term in office, Attorney General Gansler has also served as Chairman of the Democratic Attorneys General Association. He has also chaired NAAG committees on Youth Access to Alcohol and Environment and Energy. Gansler is the second Attorney General from Maryland elected to NAAG’s top office. The first was Attorney General Francis Burch, elected in 1970.

For Attorney General Gansler’s bio: http://www.oag.state.md.us/bio.htm

For more information about the Maryland Office of Attorney General: http://www.oag.state.md.us/

For more information about NAAG accomplishments and initiatives: http://www.naag.org/press_room.php

To visit the NAAG website: http://www.naag.org/

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SOURCE: Tax Cut Plan for Maryland Casinos Caused Breakdown in Gambling Expansion Negotiations // A 2-Year Reprieve?

BREAKING: No Special Gambling Session // Workgroup Fails to Reach Deal on PG Casino, Table Games

A moment ago, The Real Prince George's blog reported that Maryland's special "gambling workgroup" failed to reach a deal to resolve several key issues (excerpt below):

REAL PG BLOG: ...After weeks of public and behind closed doors meetings, the commission has indeed failed to reach consensus on what plan could pass both houses....

A knowledgeable Maryland Juice source has verified this news and provides additional detail:

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: "Members of the workgroup from the House of Delegates weren't willing to decrease the taxes on casino owners...."

Ultimately, this raises the likelihood that further discussion on gaming expansion will be deferred for two years, as the issues (if agreed upon) will ultimately be put before voters in a referendum.

BACKGROUND: If you're just now tuning in to the gambling debate, here are a few details about what's going on. When the legislature ended its session this April, the Assembly punted a decision on how and whether to expand gambling in Maryland. They came back for a special session to deal with budget issues, but left undecided whether or not to hold a third special session to discuss expanding gambling.

Governor O'Malley subsequently created a special workgroup to debate gaming expansion in Maryland, and he indicated that he would not push for a third legislative session this year, unless the workgroup members were able to reach a deal. Some of the key points they were debating were:

1. Whether to allow Las Vegas-style table games at our five planned slot machine barns
2. Whether to add a sixth casino at Prince George's County's National Harbor site
3. Whether to give casino operators a larger share of slot machine revenue/cut their taxes

Notably, Maryland Juice reported last week that a Virginia anti-tax group sent direct mail attacking the idea of tax cuts for casinos. The piece was mailed across the state, and several legislators have reported receiving numerous calls and emails on the topic. A few politicos have theorized that rival casino operators may have financed the mail-piece, but we have no way of knowing that yet. But if that turns out to be true: well-played.