Gale Horton Gay
Expanded Voting, Medical Marijuana and Other Measures Signed
ANNAPOLIS – After a protracted fight, one signature proved to be the final action that repealed the death penalty in Maryland.
Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the law repealing the death penalty on May 2 before a packed house.
O'Malley said the state has "a moral responsibility to stop doing the things that are wasteful, and that are expensive, and that do not work. Therefore, we are signing into law today a repeal [of] the death penalty in Maryland."
While the signing took only a few seconds, there happened to be so many individuals interested in this legislation that O'Malley and others had to pose for photographs numerous times to accommodate requests.
"I want to thank Benjamin Civiletti, who led the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment, some 40 years ago," said O'Malley. "That work, that understanding, and that ability to bring people together, so that all of us could talk openly and honestly and confront our fears, and also confront the truths that unite us, was also a big part of what enabled us to get to this point."
Benjamin Todd Jealous, national president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Gerald Stansbury, president of the NAACP Maryland State Conference attended the historic signing at the State House in Annapolis.
O'Malley thanked Jealous along with several other senators and delegates for their efforts in ending the death penalty in the state.
"Today Maryland becomes the first state south of the Mason Dixon line to repeal the death penalty," said Jealous. "This is a great day for Maryland and a great day for justice. Maryland is now the sixth state in six years to repeal the death penalty. We are confident we will abolish capital punishment in its entirety throughout the United States within our lifetimes."
Stansbury said that a broad coalition such as the one that came together in Maryland should be replicated across the country to repeal the death penalty nationwide.
"We are on the right side of history on this issue," said Stansbury. "Ending the death penalty will benefit all people in this state. Though our justice system is still imperfect, this is a major step toward correcting it."
The NAACP counts among a number of coalition groups and individuals who fought to end the death penalty.
A number of groups that included Amnesty International, relatives of inmates and at least one former death row inmate who was later exonerated stood among the throng who crowded the lobby, staircase and the Governor's Reception Room in the State House for the signing of a number of new laws.
One woman, who refused to disclose her name, said she sneaked away from work to attend the signing ceremony.
"I just think the death penalty is abhorrent," said the woman who identified herself only as a Prince George's County resident. "You can't undo a mistake."
Wearing a "Who Would Jesus Execute?" button, the woman added that too often people sentenced to the death penalty lack financial resources to obtain adequate legal representation.
She said she was a member of the Community of Sant'Egidio, an international Catholic organization that has "worked long and hard" to abolish the death penalty in Maryland and around the world.
The repeal of the death penalty, which goes into effect October 1, specifies that in cases in which the state has filed a notice to seek a sentence of death, the notice shall be considered withdrawn and a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole will take its place.
Opponents of the repeal have reportedly vowed to have the issue decided by a referendum vote.
A website already has been established to gather petition signatures to force the death penalty issue to be decided by a public vote. At MDPetitions.com, the opening web page poses the question "What if ...it was the 'Baltimore Marathon Bombing?' Now is NOT the time to repeal the death penalty in Maryland."
Washington County Delegate Neil Parrott (R), who has led several referendum efforts, has been identified as the chair of MDPetitions.com. Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger (D), has also stated his opposition to the repeal of the death penalty. He calls the death penalty a "valuable tool" for law enforcement.
Other bills also signed into law by O'Malley on May 2 included: expansion of early voting, establishment of a center for school safety, anti-bullying and legalization of medical marijuana.
The opening of a new Giant Food store on H Street in northeast Washington, D.C., was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and check presentation on May 2. Washington Mayor Vincent Gray, several councilmembers, Giant executives, Congresswoman Eleanor Norton and other dignitaries took part in the opening ceremonies of the 41,000-square-foot store.
A check was presented to the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington.
Move to Raise Pay of Tipped Workers Gains Momentum
Wednesday, 27 February 2013 16:12 Published in Local
Could this be the year that restaurant workers who mainly rely on tips for their income get a raise?
Several congressional leaders hope so and are pushing for Congress to put more money in the pockets of restaurant workers whose hourly pay rate is supplemented by tips.
U.S. Representative Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) is reintroducing – for the third consecutive time – the Working for Adequate Gains for Employment Services (WAGES) Act, legislation that would increase the hourly wage of workers such as waiters and waitresses.
The act would raise the minimum wage of tipped employees from the current $2.13 per hour to $3.75 per hour three months after enactment. It then raises that minimum wage to $5 per hour one year after enactment, and two years after that it hikes it a bit more, however it is capped at no more than $5.50 an hour.
“President Obama rightly used the State of the Union to call for an increase in the minimum wage,” said Edwards of the president’s interest in raising the overall minimum hourly wage. “The minimum wage should be tied to inflation – not just cost-of-living – and include tipped wages.”
The tipped minimum wage – as it is called – has remained frozen at $2.13 per hour since 1991.
The Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers of a tipped employee to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the federal minimum wage.
On Valentine’s Day, the congresswoman was joined on Capitol Hill by 100 restaurant workers who met with members of Congress urging them to support the raise. Almost 100 Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) members from 23 states visited more than 30 congressional offices, including legislators from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) joined the workers and their supporters outside in Senate Park for a rally on the same day.
“Congress has a responsibility to do right by working families,” said DeLauro. “It is long past time to increase the minimum wage, including the tipped minimum wage, and ensure that restaurant workers, and all workers, can take a paid day off if they or a loved one is sick. Right now 57 million Americans cannot take time off work when they are sick, or when they need to care for an ailing relative. To protect the public health, to boost the economy, to help employees balance work and family – we need to get these done.”
Edwards has garnered growing support for the WAGES Act each year, according to a spokesman for the congresswoman.
“To truly address poverty in this country, we need our political leaders to remember the hundreds of thousands of restaurant workers who help feed America,” said Saru Jayaraman, co-founder and co-director of ROC United.
After the gathering on the Hill, workers with ROC United marched to The Capital Grille, a Darden-owned restaurant, to deliver nearly 200,000 petitions gathered by ROC United, ColorOfChange, SumOfUs and CREDO Action. They called on Darden, a company that owns and operates more than 2,000 restaurants nationwide including Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse, to improve conditions for workers, ensure a livable wage and guarantee paid sick days for the company’s 180,000 employees.
Several local residents said they support raising the minimum wage for restaurant workers.
Joann Tucker of Fairmount Heights said she was in favor of the raise.
“They work really hard,” said Tucker of restaurant workers. “That’s really hard work.”
Sean Wilson of Cedar Heights said he could see two sides of the issue.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to raise their pay,” said Wilson. “Hopefully it won’t hurt the businesses.”
Prince George's Community College [PGCC] will be the recipient of a multi-million dollar cybersecurity grant that will likely benefit students far beyond the county's border.
That's because the $5 million grant will continue the work of the National CyberWatch Center, based at PGCC, which is seeking ways to train workers in the emerging cybersecurity field and raise awareness about the need for a qualified workforce.
Casey O'Brien, director of the center, said there's a "huge shortage" of qualified personnel in the cybersecurity field on a national level.
The $5 million funding from the National Science Foundation [NSF] will extend for the next four years the work of the center, which received its first NSF grant in 2005. PGCC is the lead institution for the center, a collaboration of 95 colleges and universities in 29 states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the center is to advance cybersecurity education by leading joint efforts to strengthen the national cybersecurity workforce.
O'Brien said the shortage of experienced workers in the region of Northern Virginia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. is particularly acute due to the security clearance required for many of the positions.
"That narrows the talent pool," said O'Brien.
While solid numbers are difficult to come by, O'Brien said he's heard the range of 30,000 to 60,000 qualified workers needed discussed.
With cybersecurity being such an emerging field, there's a multitude of areas that require study, development and promotion such as curriculum and instructors, job titles and descriptions, tracks to get young people into the pipeline that will lead to training and qualification.
O'Brien said that similar to the aviation industry not all jobs in cybersecurity require four-year degrees.
"Not everyone is a pilot," he said.
And O'Brien added that community colleges – with their emphasis on workforce development – are ideal vehicles to advance cybersecurity education.
"The award is a testament to the hard work and accomplishments of the CyberWatch team at Prince George's Community College," said Charlene M. Dukes, president of PGCC. "The grant extends the CyberWatch Center's scope and prominence and serves as validation of the great work already done."
O'Brien said cybersecurity involves safeguarding "information assets wherever they are stored" and the field touches on technology, policy, intellectual property, software, hardware and networking. With more and more devices such as tablets, mobile phones, home appliances and security systems being inter-connected it's going to be critical that knowledgeable people understand the associated risks and ways to protect privacy and intellectual property, he said.
The center is also looking for ways to integrate cybersecurity topics into the existing school curriculum such as in math, psychology and business classes. The center also wants to evaluate successful cybersecurity education and awareness programs already in existence throughout the country to determine if they can be replicated elsewhere.
O'Brien said one good example of this is a Los Angeles high school that has held cybersecurity competitions and is reaching underserved populations. He said that program could be a model for a pilot in another part of the country.
Asked if $5 million will adequately address this national initiative, O'Brien said, "while it's a sizeable chunk of money, it really goes fast."
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