 Friends & Neighbors,
Monday was the deadline to get bills approved by the Maryland House for consideration by the State Senate. I'm thrilled that eight of my bills passed the House, on a range of topics including gun safety, criminal justice, child abuse, animal welfare, and more. Below you can read about these and other major pieces of legislation that are on the move in Annapolis.
As always, let me know if you have any thoughts!
 Delegate David Moon
david@davidmoon.org
P.S. Let me know if you'd like a free lawnsign delivered to your house! You can request one at https://tinyurl.com/DavidMoon2018.
ENDORSEMENTS ARE ROLLING IN - As I gear up for re-election in the June 2018 Democratic Primary, I'm proud to have the support of numerous progressive organizations. So far I've been endorsed by:
 MAJOR BILLS THAT HAVE PASSED THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES
Overriding Larry Hogan's Veto of Paid Sick Days for Workers - I was proud to vote to successfully override Governor Hogan's veto of legislation I co-sponsored to guarantee paid sick days for workers at Maryland businesses with 15 or more employees. As a result, this law took effect in February.
Terminating Parental Rights of Rapists - After 10 years of delay, we succeeded in passing a bill I co-sponsored allowing courts to terminate the parental rights of rapists over children conceived from the sex assault.
Allowing Same Day Voter Registration (HB 532) - I was proud to co-sponsor a bill to allow residents to register to vote on election day. If the Senate approves the proposal, this state constitutional amendment will appear on the ballot this November for ratification by voters.
Restricting Offshore Drilling (HB 1456) - Trump is trying to open the Maryland coast for energy exploration, so I was proud to support legislation to hold energy companies strictly liable for anything that goes wrong. HB 1456 makes these activities uninsurable, and all but guarantees there won't be drilling along Maryland's shore. The Senate has already passed an identical bill, so we expect this to become law.
Funding WMATA Metro Improvements (HB 372) - With residents of Silver Spring & Takoma Park increasingly relying on public transportation, I co-sponsored legislation to provide WMATA Metro with a dedicated funding source. This bill passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate. Thankfully, Virginia and DC have followed suit and passed similar legislation to create a regional response to this funding problem.
Stabilizing Health Care Costs (HB 1782) - With Trump attempting to sabotage Maryland's health care system, we passed a bill to temporarily prevent further increases to premiums. HB 1782 creates a new fee on health insurance companies (who just received a large federal tax cut), and uses the funds to prevent further increases on health coverage costs. The bill awaits approval in the Senate.
Reforming Sexual Harassment Polices (HB 1342) - In the midst of the national call for action on sexual harassment, I co-sponsored a bill to overhaul how complaints are handled in the Maryland General Assembly. This week the House passed HB 1342, which transfers these investigations to an independent investigator and requires our policies to be updated every two years. The bill now needs approval in the Senate.
Prosecuting Serial Rapists (HB 301) - In Maryland, serial rapists have avoided criminal convictions by excluding evidence of past rapes in their trials. I was pleased to vote for HB 301, which creates an avenue for prosectuors to bring evidence of serial rapes into court. The bill also passed the Senate, so we expect this will become law.
Removing Guns from Domestic Abusers & Those At Risk of Suicide or Violence to Others (HB 1646 & HB 1302) - I was pleased to co-sponsor a pair of bills to take guns away from those convicted of domestic abuse or at risk of suicide or violence to others. The domestic violence bill (HB 1646) also passed the Senate and is on track to become law in Maryland. The bill to temporarily take guns from those at risk of suicide or violence to others (HB 1302) passed the House and awaits action in the Senate.
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EIGHT BILLS I TOOK THE LEAD ON THAT PASSED THE HOUSE - During my first three years representing you in Annapolis, I succeeded in passing a dozen bills (you can read about them here). This year I've passed an additional eight bills in the House that now await action in the Senate:
Banning Bump Stocks & Expanding Our Assault Weapons Ban (HB 888) - The Washington Post reported on a gun safety bill I was able to pass this year: "The legislation to ban bump stocks would prohibit the manufacture, sale, possession and use of those and other rapid-trigger devices, bill sponsor Del. David Moon said. The measure was introduced in response to the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year that left 58 people dead and hundreds injured. 'The Las Vegas mass shooting exposed a pretty glaring loophole in Maryland gun laws,' he said. 'We found you can circumvent the purpose of the assault weapons ban by putting the device on your gun.'" An identical bill also passed the Senate and is expected to become law.
Banning Convicted Animal Abusers From Owning Animals (HB 212) - I succeeded in passing a bill to allow judges to ban convicted animal abusers from owning animals. HB 212 allows judges to impose a ban on those convicted of aggravated animal abuse (torture, mutilation, cruel killing, dogfighting, etc). Animal cruelty investigators from Montgomery County came to Annapolis to tell us about repeat animal abusers, including domestic abusers who tortured their girlfriends' pets, and hosts of dogfights who repeatedly held contests where dogs tore each other's bodies apart. An identical bill passed the Senate, so it should become law.
Bringing Transparency To Police Use of Military Equipment (HB 240) - I passed a bill requiring police to disclose any military equipment they receive from the federal government. This is one of the issues caught up in the national Trump vs Obama battle, as Obama previously put restrictions on this practice, and Trump later reversed course. The bill now awaits action in the Senate.
Stopping the Criminalization of Poverty (HB 1334) - The House passed my bill to repeal two months in jail as a penalty for merely possessing a temporarily suspended drivers license. In Maryland, your license can be suspended for being too poor to pay fines or child support, so jailing these drivers can lead to a spiraling cycle of poverty. Moreover, most folks hold onto their suspended license until it is reinstated, as it may be their only identification. Thousands of drivers were charged with this offense last year and should not be subject to jail time for this minor offense. The bill now awaits action in the Senate.
Providing Foster Youths With Savings Accounts (HB 524) - The House passed my bill to provide savings accounts for foster youths who receive federal disability benefits. Currently, the state applies for benefits for these kids, but then keeps the money to reimburse itself for their care. As a result, when the youths leave the foster care system, they have nothing, leading to a high rate of homelessness. HB 524 requires the state to place a portion of the kids' federal benefits into a savings account. A similar bill passed the Senate, so we have some minor differences to reconcile.
Preventing Child Abuse (HB 454) - The House unanimously passed my bill to identify possible victims of child abuse & neglect. HB 454 expands a program called "birth match" that requires the state to find out what children were born to a parent whose parental rights have been terminated for abuse, neglect or the death of a different child -- and then to require that we check in on these kids. A slightly different version of this bill passed the Senate, but we'll hopefully be able to easily resolve these differences.
Stopping Deportations Over Minor Criminal Offenses (HB 891) - The House passed my bill to allow residents facing deportation over minor criminal offenses to ask the court to vacate their conviction. This will help prevent splitting up families over petty offenses, for residents who have otherwise led peaceful, productive lives. The Senate passed an identical bill, so I'm hopeful this will become law.
Facilitating Arson Investigations in Montgomery County (HB 460) - The House passed a bill I introduced to update an old provision in the law that threatened to undermine arson investigations in our county. The Senate also passed this bill, so it should become law.
REQUEST A FREE "DAVID MOON" LAWNSIGN OR BUMPER STICKER - As I gear up for re-election in the 2018 election cycle, I'd be thrilled if you'd show your support with a lawnsign or bumper sticker. Request one [ HERE ].
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