Legislative Hotline

2007 SESSION OF THE
MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

 

 

 

Volume 14, Number 1����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� January 17, 2007

 

 

STATE

OPENING DAY

SMOKE FREE MARYLAND

CABINET APPOINTMENTS

 

FEDERAL

UPDATE ON STEM CELL LEGISLATION

 

STATE

 

Opening Day

On Wednesday, January 10, the Maryland General Assembly convened for its 2007 Legislative Session.� During his opening day speech before the Maryland House of Delegates, Speaker Michael Busch complimented Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital.� The Speaker listed several institutions in the state including NIH and Johns Hopkins University as primary examples of the “tremendous assets in the State of Maryland,” and pointed out that Johns Hopkins is the state's largest employer.

 

Later in his remarks, Speaker Busch again mentioned Johns Hopkins in the context that Maryland has perhaps “the best health care system in the world, with Johns Hopkins Hospital ranking as the number one medical center in the United States for 16 years in a row.”

 

Another point of interest is that the Speaker committed the House to working toward cutting the percentage of uninsured Marylanders in half over the next four years. Senate President Mike Miller has also expressed general support for expanding access to health care.� We will continue to work with the leadership and others on these efforts.

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Smoke Free Maryland

On Thursday, January 11, Smoke Free Maryland held a press conference on Lawyers Mall to kick off efforts to pass a bill in Maryland banning smoking from all public places including bars and restaurants.� Dean Martha Hill of the School of Nursing represented the Johns Hopkins Institutions at the press conference and spoke compellingly about the long-term, chronic care associated with smoking and secondhand smoke.� Bills in both the House and Senate are expected to be introduced within the next week.

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Cabinet Appointments

Governor-Elect Martin O’Malley has announced a number of his Cabinet appointments, many of whom held similar or the same position during the administration of former Governor Parris Glendening.� John M. Colmers, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Senior Program Officer for the Milbank Memorial Fund, was nominated Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.� Shari T. Wilson, adjunct instructor at the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, was appointed Secretary of the Environment.� T. Eloise Foster was nominated Secretary of the Maryland Department of Budget and Management.� John D. Porcari, Vice President for Administrative Affairs at the University of Maryland, was appointed Secretary of Transportation.� Joseph C. Bryce, Associate Vice Chancellor for Government Relations at the University System of Maryland, was appointed Chief Legislative Officer.� Baltimore City Solicitor Ralph S. Tyler was named Chief Legal Counsel.� Jeanne D. Hitchcock, Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Relations for Mayor O’Malley, was named Secretary of Appointments.

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FEDERAL

 

Update on Stem Cell Legislation

On Thursday, January 11, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3, “The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007,” a bill identical to the legislation vetoed by the President last summer.� The vote was 253 to 174, a pick up of 15 votes from the 109th Congress, although still short of the 290 required for a veto override.� Earlier, a Republican motion to recommit the bill was defeated 238-189.

 

A hearing on stem cell research will be held in the Senate on January 19, jointly by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services.� Senator Mikulski serves on the HELP committee and will be in attendance at the hearing.

 

A date for the vote in the Senate has not yet been set, although it is expected to take place later this month or during February.� Advocates are hopeful that a veto proof (67) majority can be obtained in the Senate.� This will be an important symbolic victory, despite the lack of a commensurate majority in the House and is seen as critical to keeping the issue alive into the 2008 presidential election cycle.

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STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact Government Relations if you have concerns or would like additional information. Your input assists us greatly in evaluating and formulating the position of Johns Hopkins on all legislation.

Legislative Session Office
47 State Circle, Suite 203
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-269-0057
fax 410-269-1574


Federal

Emily Ades��������������������������� [email protected]

Beth Felder�������������������������� [email protected]

Jim Kaufman����������� ����������� [email protected]

 

State
Heather Barthel������������������� [email protected]

Jessica Best������������������������� [email protected]

Mickey Geisler��������� ����������� [email protected]

Matthew Greenwood���� ����� [email protected]

Sheila Higdon��������� ����������� [email protected]

Tom Lewis���������������� �� ���������[email protected]

Bret Schreiber��������� ����������� [email protected]

 

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ACRONYMS

Legislative Hotline is a service of Johns Hopkins Government Affairs.

� 2007 The Johns Hopkins Institutions. Baltimore, Maryland.
Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs.