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2006 Literature Page
2010
Press Releases & Other Stories of Interest
February 9,
2010: Tatooed Teens? Better Ask Your
Parents First.
February 9,
2010: Maryland May Fine for Piercing Minors
Without Parent OK.
January 22,
2010: Lawmakers concerned about federal
healthcare's impact.
January 22,
2010: Doctor shortage spurs law request.
January 22,
2010: Local mental health group to honor
delegate.
January 22,
2010: Oyster plan prompts outcry.
January 13,
2010: Dems rally before session.
January 13,
2010: Officials offer little comfort.
January 8,
2010: Meet the southern Maryland
delegation.
January 7,
2010: Lawmakers get set for
budget-heavy session.
January 6,
2010: Clark chairs regional council.
January 5,
2010: Polar bear plungers flock to North
Beach
Maryland
Lawmakers consider requiring tees to get parents' written premission
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 ―
Adrienne Welsch / Associated Press /
NBC Washington
You may
see fewer teens walking around
Maryland
with tattoos or piercings. 
That’s
because they would need a permission note from their parents to have
it done.
Maryland
lawmakers are considering fining people who tattoo, body pierce or
brand minors without their parents' in-person written consent.
Maryland
Del. Sue Kullen
is sponsoring the legislation. In her proposal, people who tattoo,
brand or pierce a minor without obtaining written consent would
face civil penalties between $300 and $3,000.
Current health
code regulations in Maryland do not specify any penalties for people
who tattoo, brand or body-pierce a minor.
Ear piercing is
excluded from the legislation.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Washington
February 9, 2010 ―
WJZ 13 (CBS-Baltimore)
ANNAPOLIS, Md.
(AP) ―
Maryland could fine people who tattoo, body pierce or brand minors
without their parents giving in-person written consent, under a bill
in the General Assembly.
Maryland Delegate Sue Kullen, D-Calvert, is sponsoring the
legislation. In her proposal, people who tattoo, brand or pierce a
minor without obtaining in-person written consent from the parent or
guardian of the minor would face civil penalties between $300 and
$3,000. Ear piercing is excluded from the scope of the legislation.
Current health code regulations in Maryland do not specify any
penalties for individuals who tattoo, brand or body-pierce a minor.
A Maryland House of Delegates Committee is scheduled to hold a
hearing on the bill Tuesday afternoon.
___
On the Net:
Read House Bill 262:
http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/fnotes/bil_0002/hb0262.pdf
January 22, 2010 ―
Marty Madden / Calvert
Independent Associate Editor
CHESAPEAKE BEACH, MD - Calvert County’s six representatives to
Annapolis met with the local business community Monday, Jan. 11. The
Calvert County Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual Legislative
Breakfast at the Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant in Chesapeake Beach.
In addition to reminding attendees of the tough fiscal
challenges the 2010 Maryland General Assembly Session will pose, several
of the representatives expressed concern about the impact pending
federal legislation regarding healthcare could have on Maryland.
“It [federal legislation] has got to bring costs down or it
doesn’t work,” said Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.
[D-District 27]. “We’ll have to wait and see what the final product is.”
According to Sen. Roy Dyson [D-District 29], many of the
small business owners he has spoken with are “skeptical” about the
benefits of healthcare reform.
Action taken by the legislature to expand healthcare by
leveraging federal money recently provided 800 Calvert residents with
coverage they had not previously had, said Del. Sue Kullen [D-District
27B], a member of the House Health and Government Operations Committee.
“They [residents] are better off,” said Kullen, who added the
state “may be punished for leveraging those federal dollars.”
“Maryland stands to get punished very severely,” said House
of Delegates Minority Leader Anthony J. “Tony” O’Donnell [R-District
29C] of the potential fallout from federal healthcare legislation. The
punitive action, the veteran legislator indicated, is due to Maryland’s
generous Medicaid package.
Medicaid serves low-income families and states currently set
their own enrollment standards for the program, which is fueled by state
and federal funds.
O’Donnell echoed the concerns voiced last summer by several
of the nation’s governors that mandates to increase Medicaid enrollments
could further send the state further into it’s fiscal doldrums.
“Maryland is going to have to provide this ‘Cadillac
service,’ ” O’Donnell said, which will hamper state officials’ ability
to manage the operating budget.
With the impact of federal legislation uncertain, Kullen
stated the General Assembly will be trying to find ways to provide
healthcare “with high outcomes and lower costs.”
As for what action the Maryland General Assembly will take in
2010 to aid small businesses, Dyson said, “the best thing the staff
could do is get off the backs of small business.”
When asked if legalized slot machines in Maryland will
provide a funding source for education, Del. James E. Proctor Jr.
[D-District 27A] admitted, “I don’t particularly like them [slots].”
However, since Maryland voters approved the gaming devices’ legalization
in a 2008 referendum, Proctor did admit they could be the solution to
funding for Maryland’s Bridge to Excellence mandated in 2002 by the
Thornton Commission. The state legislature approved the initiative
without identifying a funding source.
“If we can ever get them [slots] up and running, we can use
them for Thornton,” said Proctor.
He added that despite the severe budget cuts that have been
made in an effort to plug a gaping $2 billion hole in Maryland’s fiscal
year 2011 operating budget, the legislature needed to spare education.
“Businesses looking to locate or stay in Maryland will be
looking at our education system,” said Proctor. Noting the state’s lofty
status nationwide, Proctor warned, “you don’t want to cut it.”
Keeping tuitions level at the state’s colleges and
universities will be a challenge during the 2010 session, Proctor
admitted. “It will be very difficult this year,” he said. If there is an
increase, Proctor stated it would be “hopefully not more than 2 or 3
percent.”
As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Del. Joseph F.
Vallario Jr. [D-District 27A] presented a laundry list of issues the
panel will consider this year. Among the docket items are medical
malpractice, the death penalty, judicial elections and increases in
child support payments.
Admitting the judiciary committee’s hearings were exhaustive,
Vallario still urged the audience to come to Annapolis and voice their
opinions. “We won’t make a decision until we hear from everybody,” he
promised.
State's
nurse practitioners want independence
Friday, January 22, 2010 ―
Alan Brody / Staff Writer: Southern
Maryland News (Independent)
ANNAPOLIS — Short of performing major surgery, Lorraine Diana is
authorized to do just about anything that a licensed physician can at
Hollywood-based Shah Associates: write drug prescriptions, diagnose
conditions, order medical tests and refer patients to specialists.
But as
a nurse practitioner, Diana must enter into a collaborative agreement
with a doctor to provide health services, a requirement that has become
increasingly difficult to fulfill as the shortage of primary care
providers in Maryland gets worse.
That's
one reason why nurse practitioners are asking state lawmakers to
eliminate the collaborative agreement mandate that they say blocks
timely access to health care and is a poor use of resources.
"What
it really does is get rid of an outdated practice," said Diana, a
Waldorf resident who serves as legislative chairwoman of the Maryland
Coalition of Nurse Practitioners.
Rural
areas of Maryland are particularly affected by the lack of physicians.
Southern Maryland has just 13 percent of the primary care providers it
should have, according to a 2008 report of the Governor's Task Force on
Health Care Access and Reimbursement.
"Our
primary health care system is crumbling," said Susan Delean-Botkin, a
nurse practitioner who owns a 5,000-patient practice on the Eastern
Shore.
As a
result, nurse practitioners are leaving the state because there are
fewer physicians with whom to collaborate.
"The
issue is not having enough physicians to sign [the collaborative
agreement]," said Diana, who specializes in gynecology. "We need them in
order to practice."
But
the powerful state physicians' lobbying group, MedChi, is opposing the
measure on the grounds that the two sides can improve the collaborative
agreement without eliminating it legislatively.
"We
don't think they should take a sledgehammer to the statute because of
some specific concerns," said Gene M. Ransom III, executive director of
the Maryland State Medical Society. "I hope that the two groups can sit
down and try to collaboratively work something out that is best for our
patients and best for medicine generally."
Just
last year, a similar conflict over the collaborative agreement between
nurse midwives and physicians was resolved without legislative action,
he said. That could serve as a model for discussions with the nurse
practitioners, Ransom said.
"It is
disappointing to me that we are down in Annapolis fighting before we've
had a chance to sit down and work collaboratively," he said.
Advocates say their proposal would remove administrative hurdles,
decrease paperwork, accelerate collaborative agreement applications and
give the state Board of Nursing total oversight of nurse practitioners,
as is the case in 27 states.
Currently, collaborative agreement applications take at least two
months, and up to six months, to be reviewed by both the Board of
Nursing and the state Board of Physicians, they said. That costs money
and restricts some patients from receiving care in a timely fashion,
Diana said.
The
change would have no impact on existing malpractice insurance rates for
nurse practitioners, she said. It would also allow nurse practitioners
to volunteer at health fairs, perform student-athlete physicals and work
on so-called "sickmobiles."
Two
Southern Maryland lawmakers are championing the legislation: Sen. Roy P.
Dyson (D-St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles) and Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert).
The
bill does not change nurse practitioners' scope of practice and does not
give them any greater medical authority than they have now.
"This
does not allow them to become doctors," said Julia Pitcher Worcester, a
lobbyist for the nurse practitioners.
The
collaborative agreement mandate has complicated matters for P. Michael
Patterson, a nurse practitioner in La Plata who took over Dr. Charlene
A. Letchford's 4,000-patient practice in September.
Patterson has been searching for a new collaborating physician to
replace Letchford, who now works for a hospitalist group at Civista
Medical Center and wants to sever ties with her old practice.
Letchford has agreed to continue collaborating with Patterson until he
finalizes a new partner agreement, which he said has been difficult
given the deficiency of doctors and the cost for nurse practitioners.
"It's
an extreme drain … and there is no real need for it in my opinion,"
Patterson said of the lengthy collaborative agreement. He pointed to
research that shows nurse practitioners provide care that is equivalent
or better than primary care physicians.
Patterson said he usually consults with specialists, not the primary
care providers with whom he officially collaborates, when he has
questions about his patients.
For
instance, a cardiologist is better trained to answer questions about a
patient's heart condition than a primary care provider, he said.
"The
key to survival as a nurse practitioner is to have a good connection
with your specialists," Patterson said.
Mental health group to honor local delegate
January 22, 2010 ―
Joseph Norris / Calvert Independent Managing Editor
CHESAPEAKE BEACH, MD - With Maryland facing a $2 billion deficit,
Democrats gathering for a Democratic Summit in Chesapeake Beach
Friday and Saturday, Jan. 8-9 see a rough road ahead for the 2010
legislative session which starts this week.
“I wish I had better news for you,” said Sen. Roy Dyson
[D-District 29]. “Every year we meet with different organizations
that give us a wish list. This year, there are no wish lists. People
are not coming to me and telling me what they want. They’re coming
up to me and telling me, ‘please don’t cut anymore.’ ”
The most interesting day of this legislative session, Dyson
pointed out, will be when Gov. Martin O’Malley [D] presents his
budget.
“We’re going to be cutting hundreds of millions of dollars
from the budget, which is required to be balanced by the state
constitution,” Dyson said. “That’s not something you can get
around.”
“You’re going to be hearing a lot of rhetoric about what’s
going on with our state budget,” said Del. John Bohannon from St.
Mary’s County. “A lot of that rhetoric is not backed up by facts.
Revenues have evaporated. Is that our fault? Every other state
government is dealing with the exact same thing.”
Bohannon said the one cent added to the state sales tax in the 2007
legislative session kept the state from being in even worse fiscal
shape when the current recession hit. He added that Maryland’s
Triple A bond rating (Maryland is one of seven states with such a
designation) puts them in a much better position when the economy
turns around.
“Wall Street says that Maryland handles its finances
conservatively. That is not partisan rhetoric,” Bohannon noted.
“That is fact.
“We have to work through this crisis and when things start
rebounding, we are going to be very well-poised for the future,” he
concluded.
Delegate Sue Kullen [D-District 27B] said her focus
for the 2010 legislative session will be healthcare.
“There’s a huge debate nationally which will have mandates
for the states and we need to be in a position to handle that,” she
stated. “The developmentally disabled are on a waiting list for
access to healthcare. We can’t wait. Families have been waiting for
too long. We’re not taking care of our folks with disabilities,” she
said.
Kullen has been selected as president of the Women’s Caucus
and said she will be focusing on women’s issues, among them domestic
violence.
She agreed that the budget was going to be “front and
center.”
Del. Peter Murphy [D-Chas.] said the Charles County
delegation has agreed to forgo submitting bond bills for special
interest groups until the economy recovers.
“Of course, if other counties submit them, we will as well,”
he said, “but we see it as a way of stemming the spending. Without a
revenue source, which we have no control over, there’s very little
we can do.”
Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr. [D-District 27A] joked that he
was “glad I’m not on the finance committee.
“Issues we’ll be dealing with are same-sex marriage and
whether the state of Maryland will recognize same sex couples
married in other states,” he said. “The Maryland Annotated Code
describes marriage as between a man and a woman. That is as clear as
the day is long. It’s going to be an interesting discussion,”
Vallario added. “I get all the good ones.”
Other issues his judicial committee will be looking at
include medical marijuana, the death penalty and tougher penalties
for repeat convicted drunk drivers.
“Everything I have is really interesting,” Vallario noted.
Everyone, however, knows that this legislative session will
be mostly about dollars and cents and how to make huge cuts without
impacting state services.
“That’s what we’re going to be dealing with,” Dyson stressed.
“We want you to work with us. Right now, the governor doesn’t have
an alternative. Senator Miller has said ‘no new taxes.’ That’s not
going to happen.”
Colburn
wants General Assembly to have oversight of sanctuaries
Friday, January 22, 2010 ―
Alan Brody / Staff Writer: Gazette.net
ANNAPOLIS — A state oyster restoration plan unpopular with some
watermen has triggered legislation that would give the General Assembly
the final say on approving oyster sanctuaries in the Chesapeake Bay and
its tributaries.
"You're threatening a way of life that has been around ever since
Maryland has been a state," said Sen. Richard F. Colburn, who on
Thursday introduced the bill to prohibit the state Department of Natural
Resources from designating the location of oyster sanctuaries in state
waters.
The legislation comes in response to the O'Malley administration's
proposal last month that Maryland should more than double its network of
oyster sanctuaries that are off-limits to fishing and expand areas open
to aquaculture leases.
Watermen worry that the proposal threatens their industry, and they
support Colburn's bill.
"I really believe that law should govern, and not regulation," said
Ben Parks, president of the Dorchester Seafood Harvesters' Association
and chairman of the state's Aquaculture Coordinating Council.
Critics say the administration's plan establishes sanctuaries in
prime locations for catching oysters, including most of the Chester
River, about two-thirds of the Choptank River and nearly half of the
Patuxent River. Watermen say they were not consulted before the proposal
was rolled out.
Colburn's bill could pit members of the General Assembly against
the DNR, which is coordinating the proposed expansion of oyster
sanctuaries from 9 percent to 24 percent of the remaining quality
habitat in the bay and its tributaries.
"We would not support something that would undermine our efforts to
move forward on our oyster restoration strategy," DNR spokeswoman
Darlene Pisani said Wednesday before the bill had been officially filed.
The plan is currently in the public comment stage. Officials hope
to submit the regulations next month and, barring any delays, have them
take effect in May.
But Colburn (R-Dist. 37) of Cambridge said the plan contradicts the
governor's emphasis on creating jobs.
"This takes away jobs, jobs, jobs," he said, echoing a frequent
O'Malley refrain.
The General Assembly should have oversight of such a far-reaching
policy, Colburn said. "The [rules] should be made by the people elected
to make the laws and not through the regulatory process."
Not everyone agrees.
"Many of my colleagues may not have the science behind the
decision-making," said Del. Stephen W. Lafferty (D-Dist. 42) of
Stoneleigh, a member of the state's Oyster Advisory Commission. "This is
a very complex area in which scientists have been debating for years,
even within the fisheries industry.
"We're faced always with making decisions on issues in which all
188 [legislators] are not experts, but this does require some amount of
scientific analysis or evaluation, which I'm inclined to defer to the
agency to make those recommendations," he added.
The idea has generated at least one Democratic supporter.
"The purpose is going to be to shine a bright light on the
process," said Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Dist. 27B) of Port
Republic, whose district lies between the Bay and the Patuxent River.
"Watermen are up in arms because every recommendation that they gave or
every concern that they shared was totally ignored," she said.
A bill similar to Colburn's may be introduced in the House, she
said.
Mental health group to honor local delegate
January 21, 2010 ―
Mental Health Association of Maryland Announces Legislative
Reception
The
Mental Health Association of Maryland announced recently that
Kullen (D-Calvert) was selected as the group's 2010 Legislator of
the Year Award recipient and will be honored at a February 17th
reception in Annapolis.
The
organization cites Kullen's leadership on improved patient rights
for individuals with mental illnesses and her sponsorship of a bill
to create statewide empowerment zones for senior citizens as the two
leading reasons for her selection.
"Your
leadership in calling attention to the need for improved patient
rights has set in motion fundamental reform in the daily lives of
individuals living with mental illnesses," said the group's
executive director, Linda Raines, and president Donna Rawlings, in a
letter to Kullen announcing the award.
For
Kullen (D), it's a recognition of her work as a mental health
services professional and her advocacy in the General Assembly. She
spent almost 14 years with the Arc of Southern Maryland (previously
known as the Arc of Calvert County) and now works as a disabilities
consultant.
"It's
really nice to be honored by your peers," she said. "It's just nice
to know that the efforts are affecting people directly and that it's
noted."
Kullen
also worked for several years to pass a so-called "Patients' Bill of
Rights" law that grants patients with mental health disorders
certain privileges while in hospitals, including visitor access and
restrictions against the use of restraints.
For
learn more about the award celebration and reception, visit the
MHAMD website:
www.mhamd.org/index.htm
Summit
topics range from cuts to healthcare to medical marijuana
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 ―
Laura Buck / Staff Writer ― SoMdNew.com
At
Saturday's Southern Maryland Democratic Summit, immediate tough
times and eventual better times were stressed by five local leaders
when they discussed the 2010 legislative session.
At the
meeting held at the Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa, Sen. Roy Dyson
(D-St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles) as well as Dels. John Bohanan (D-
St. Mary's), Sue Kullen (D-Calvert), Peter F. Murphy
(D-Charles) and Joseph Vallario (D-Calvert, Prince George's)
stressed that while they want the public's support and feedback, the
public also needs to be realistic about future cuts.
"There
are no wish lists out there … they're telling me ‘please don't cut
anymore,'" said Dyson, who said he had attended meetings with
teachers' associations from both Calvert and St. Mary's counties
earlier that morning.
Dyson
went on, however, to add that with the state being required to have
a balanced budget, cuts are inevitable.
"These
cuts aren't going to be pleasant, but [Gov. Martin O'Malley (D)]
doesn't have an alternative … I wish I had better news for you,"
said Dyson, who said he did not foresee any new taxes.
Bohanan
urged the audience to listen discriminately to claims that the
government is overspending, which he said are not backed up by
facts.
Alternatively, he said that state government has been scaled back by
about 3,300 positions.
"We're
all tightening our belt; we have done that at the state level," said
Bohanan, adding that were it not for spending reductions,
initiatives including community colleges would be receiving
additional state aide.
He did,
however, say that while many states will be slashing funding for
education, he hoped it will not come to this in Maryland.
"In the
end, we have preserved the priorities that are important to
Maryland," he said, telling the audience that this past October,
Wall Street credited Maryland for the state's finance management.
"That
is fact; that is not partisan rhetoric one way or the other,"
Bohanan said.
"We are
kind of like a 17-leg octopus," Kullen said of Southern Maryland's
political leaders, whom she compared to the characters from the
Winnie the Pooh cartoon.
"We
have one ‘Eeyore,' but he wasn't invited because this is a
Democratic function," Kullen joked, drawing laughter from the crowd.
On a
more serious note, Kullen also discussed healthcare and her position
as president of the women's caucus of the General Assembly.
She
said that in the latter arena, she hoped to focus on domestic
violence; access to healthcare; marriage brokerage; the waiting list
for individuals with developmental disabilities; and preventing
"turf wars" between doctors and nurse practitioners.
Kullen
also referenced the state's fiscal situation, saying, "The cuts are
coming and we have to be realistic if we're going to move forward."
Despite
a bleak picture for 2010, Murphy said that the public should look at
the big picture.
"I'm
very confident we're going to come out OK," he said of the
recession, continuing that he'd like to see more enthusiasm coming
from the Democratic Party and for issues to be based on facts rather
than emotion.
"Much
of what we're trying to work through now is stuff that's been in
place for a long time," he said, referring to tax credit bills,
which Murphy said were more popular in better economic times.
Now,
Murphy said, any fiscal note that comes in above zero will be held.
"And
that's very responsible," he said.
Unlike
many of his counterparts, Vallario said "I'm not on one of the
financial committees, thank goodness. … Everything I have is really
interesting, I don't want to get into that money stuff," he laughed.
Issues
Vallario said his committees will be dealing with will be same-sex
marriages; medical marijuana; the death penalty; DWI penalties;
gangs; and possible child support increases.
Vallario said that while same-sex marriage is "on the map" in many
states, he does not see an immediate change coming in Maryland.
"That's
something we'll have to talk to the community about," said Vallario,
who chuckled "I get all the good ones" in the case of medical
marijuana.
"Nobody's going to jail over it, but people have that fear," he
said, continuing that the worst penalty one could receive for the
use of it would be $100.
He said
that in times like these, the public's contact with their local
leaders is essential.
"You
never know what a person's position might be and you have to find
out if you want to represent that person in Annapolis."
Miller:
No dough, no bill this session
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 ―
Jeff Newman / Staff Writer ― SoMdNew.com
State
lawmakers discussed many issues at the Calvert County Chamber of
Commerce's annual legislative breakfast Monday morning, but their
message was clear — the state is broke and can ill afford sweeping
legislation in the upcoming session.
Short
on promises and heavy on foreboding, Calvert's legislators fielded
questions on everything from budget woes, taxes, energy regulation and
the Gov. Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge. Senate President Thomas V.
"Mike" Miller (D-Calvert, Prince George's) got things rolling, repeating
a sentiment that bills introduced during the General Assembly session,
which begins today, will need to pay for themselves.
"If it
doesn't bring down costs, it's not going to work," Miller said.
Items
expected to come up for discussion during the 90-day session include the
death penalty, medical malpractice, same-sex marriage, medical
marijuana, gangs, DWIs and child support, House Judiciary Chairman
Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince George's, Calvert) said. Vallario also
mentioned a bill that would allow judges to be reappointed without
running for reelection after their first 15 years on the bench.
House
Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert, St. Mary's) foresaw
attempts to increase the state's alcohol tax and a push by the Maryland
Chamber of Commerce to boost the Transportation Trust Fund with a gas
tax hike. But O'Donnell's "gut feeling" was that such increases were
unlikely during an election year but would be unavoidable in 2011.
"It's
a bit disingenuous to say we're not going to raise your taxes in an
election year knowing full well we'll have to the year after," he said.
Several questions were aimed at the potential effects federal health
care reform could have on small business. While Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert) thought "the overall expansion of health care" would
ultimately benefit the region's small businesses, O'Donnell said a
provision in the legislation that requires participating states to
maintain their menu of Medicaid benefits could leave Maryland stuck
providing its current crop of "Cadillac" services.
"It's
like the federal government controlling our state budget," he said.
An
ongoing focus of state lawmakers has been to spare public education
while making significant cuts to the bloated budget, an objective aided
by a chunk of federal stimulus money reserved for education, Del. James
Proctor (D-Prince George's, Calvert) said. Several national publications
ranked Maryland's public schools the best in the nation in 2009.
"You
don't want to hit a program that's rated No. 1 in the country by cutting
it," Proctor said. To that end, Proctor said he was against changing the
maintenance of effort law, which requires local governments to allocate
at least the same level of funding for education as the previous year,
to permit waivers. Doing so would allow cash-strapped jurisdictions to
find reasons for gradual cuts to education, he said.
However, Proctor admitted the state's four-year streak of freezing
college tuition could be over. Such a raise may be inevitable, but
hopefully no more than 2 to 3 percent, Proctor said.
The
picture isn't completely bleak though, as Miller reminded the audience
that, indeed, they were not in California, Michigan or New York, where
the fiscal outlook makes Maryland's deficit seem small by comparison.
Meet the Southern Maryland Delegation
January 8, 2010 - Southern Maryland Newspapers On-line
Delegate Sue Kullen (Calvert County: District 27B)
Party:
Democrat
Age: 49
Occupation: Disabilities consultant
Residence: Port Republic
Key
committee assignments: Chief deputy majority whip; member, House Health
and Government Affairs; vice chair, Southern Maryland Delegation; chair,
Calvert County Delegation; president, Women Legislators of Maryland.
Key
issues: Health care, mental health/disabilities, environment
Annapolis phone number: 301-858-3231
E-mail:
sue.kullen@house.state.md.us
Kullen
continues to impress since being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2004 as
a political unknown.
She's a
prolific bill sponsor, taking the lead on 19 bills in 2009 and 21 the
previous year, on issues ranging from health insurance to oyster
dredging to the rights of mental health patients and beyond.
As one
of two chief deputy majority whips, she's responsible for rounding up
Democrats to fall in line on close votes.
In
2010, she's pursuing legislation to give nurse practitioners more
authority in the delivery of health care and bills that address the
preservation of generational farms and opening up the Patuxent River to
more oyster harvesting.
Her
portfolio will also include several initiatives in her role as president
of the Women Legislators of Maryland.
She
represents District 27B, which includes northern and central parts of
Calvert County.
January 7, 2010 ―
Alan Brody / Maryland
Independent
Election-year
politics and budget limitations are poised to collide as Southern
Maryland legislators refine their priorities and shorten their wish
lists for the 90-day Maryland General Assembly session that begins
Wednesday.
The still-gaping
state deficit, which could reach $2 billion in the fiscal year that
begins July 1, and the lingering national recession will drive the
agenda in Annapolis. As a result, lawmakers largely have abandoned
hopes of procuring big-ticket items for their districts that look
good on the campaign trail.
"I'm just hoping
with the budget situation the way it is that it's just a little bit
more serious of a session," said Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert). "A little less about grandstanding, a little more about
rolling up sleeves and getting a tough job done."
The legislature's
presiding officers have laid out stringent guidelines dictating that
bills bearing any cost to the state will be heavily scrutinized. The
Spending Affordability Committee urged Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) to
hold the line on general fund expenditures for the fiscal year.
Administration officials have said O'Malley will adhere to the
recommendation for zero growth in spending, which he could ignore,
when he submits his budget this month.
"We're not going to
entertain bills that cost money without a funding source," said
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert). "You've got
to pay to play. If you want to spend money, then you better come up
with a way to fund it."
Still, politics
will be part of the script, especially with the gubernatorial
election looming in the fall. Republicans are grumbling that actions
by O'Malley and the Democrat-led General Assembly have exacerbated
the state's budget troubles.
Due to limited
space, this article has been shortened. To read the complete story,
please visit
The Washington Post.com
January 6, 2010 ―
Alan Brody / Staff Writer: Gazette.net /
Southern Maryland News (The Recorder)
Calvert
County Commissioner Gerald Clark has taken over the reins as
chairman of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland.
The
council, which is comprised of the region's state legislators,
county commissioners and several appointed private citizens, elected
a new executive board at its Dec. 17 meeting.
Clark,
a Republican who has served on the executive board for three years,
succeeds Charles County Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D), who served
two consecutive terms as chairman.
The
group also elected three vice chairs for 2010: Del. John L. Bohanan
Jr. (D-St. Mary's), Harry A. Shasho, a commercial real estate broker
from Charles County, and Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert).
Other new executive board members are Del. Murray D. Levy
(D-Charles), St. Mary's County Commissioner Jack Russell and Mike
Frederick of L.P. Gas of Calvert County, who represents the business
community.
Under
Hodge, who served as the council's executive director from 1980 to
1998, the regional group successfully pushed for the rebirth of the
Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board and embarked on a
campaign to increase access to health care for the region's 39,000
veterans. The council also pursued millions of dollars in federal
stimulus funding to extend broadband into underserved rural areas in
Southern Maryland and continued its advocacy for the region's
transportation and economic development priorities.
The
Tri-County Council was established in 1964 as a cooperative planning
and development agency aimed at nurturing the social and economic
development in Southern Maryland. Today, it serves as a forum to
address regional issues of concern, promote the region's interests
in Annapolis and on Capitol Hill.
January 5, 2010 ―
Marty Madden / Calvert
Independent Associate Editor
NORTH BEACH, MD -
Quinn Ellenwood of Huntingtown had some advice for others
contemplating a quick New Year’s Day swim in the Chesapeake Bay.
“Suck it up and get in,” roared Quinn, like a mighty Eskimo.
Quinn, several members of his family and nearly 200 other
people decided to shed their layers of clothes (save for their
bathing suits) and jump into winter Jan. 1 at the Town of North
Beach’s annual Polar Bear Swim.
While the number of participants was almost half the 2009
total, the water and air temperatures were similar to the previous
New Year’s Day in North Beach when about 500 revelers defied the
logic that says winter is a bad time to go swimming in the bay.
|
 |
|
Delegate Sue
Kullen served her award winning chili to over 100 chilly
Polar Plungers after the annual North Beach Polar Plunge on
New Years Day. |
In its 14-year history, there has never been a fee for
participation, although town officials request that
swimmers sign a waiver stating North Beach will be held
harmless in the event of an injury. The swimmers are
also encouraged to immerse themselves in the bay waters
during the event.
Many swimmers, who ignored the 35-degree surface water and
40-degree air temperatures, applied a refreshing rationale to their
decision to participate.
“We saw one of the signs for the swim and my wife says,
‘you’ve got to do this,’ ” said Malcolm Granville of Chesapeake
Beach, who admits he likes to do crazy things. Granville’s wife,
Kathy, stood sanely on the shore sipping hot coffee while her
husband and her 11-year-old daughter Emma Flood, bolted into the
bay.
Granville’s best man, Brian Dressler, traveled all the way
from Vienna, VA to participate.
“It’s a ‘bucket list’ thing,” said Dressler.
“I’m not worried about the cold,” said Granville. “I’m
worried about getting out and getting dry.”
“I’m doing this because I want to feel cold,” said Emma
sarcastically.
“A neighbor kind of talked me into it,” said Christian
Dietrich of North Beach, who stood pensively on the sand several
minutes prior to the start of the swim. Jumping into the bay,
Dietrich reflected, might give him “a sense of purity. I can wash
off 2009. I’m not nervous but I’m pretty anxious to get it over
with. My family thinks it’s crazy.”
“I’m on leave from the military,” said Pierce Ellenwood, one
of Quinn’s older brothers. “I thought I’d give it [the swim] a
shot,” said Pierce, who is currently serving in the Navy and
stationed in South Carolina.
“This will be my third time,” said Quinn, who’s 11. His
sister Kelsey also participated in the annual swim for the third
straight year.
“I do it because it’s interesting,” said Kelsey.
The Ellenwoods’ cousins visiting from North Carolina and Ohio
also caught Calvert’s polar bear spirit and ran into the bay with
the others.
Also participating was North Beach Mayor Michael Bojokles,
who afterwards helped hand out lapel pins and certificates to the
swimmers.
The pins commemorated both the Polar Bear Swim and the
centennial of the incorporation of the Town of North Beach. The
certificate verified participation.
The chilly swimmers feasted on chili provided and served by
Delegate Sue Kullen [D-District 27B]. Swimmers and spectators
also warmed themselves at a bonfire on the beach.
For one member of the brave Ellenwood clan, Devin, the early
afternoon Polar Bear Swim provided him with a different way to start
the new year.
“I’m usually sleeping right now,” he said.
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