2022 End of Session Letter
Newsletters
2022 End of Session Letter
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
What a difference it was going into the Maryland General Assembly’s (“MGA”) 442nd Legislative Session, compared to the previous year. We held a special session in December to address redistricting of Maryland’s Congressional districts. We entered Session in January under the cloud of the COVID-19 Omicron variant causing massive disruptions throughout our communities and to the Senate’s operations. At the same time, the State of Maryland, for the first time in many years, had a historic budget surplus that allowed the Maryland General Assembly to make strategic and generational investments for our residents.
2021 End of Session Letter
Newsletters
2021 End of Session Letter
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As I was going into the Maryland General Assembly’s (“MGA”) 441st Legislative Session, it was clear that the stakes had rarely been higher to respond to the compounding crises facing our State. However, I was buoyed by the fact that I knew I had your support as I acted to address the COVID-19 crisis, policing reform and so many other issues here in Maryland.
August 2020 Newsletter
District Dispatch
I hope you and your loved ones well and you are staying safe during this pandemic. My office and I have been extremely busy responding to constituents on a myriad of issues related to the pandemic since session ended last March. As you know, Senator Shirley Nathan Pulliam retired after more than two decades of service to the citizens of Maryland. I submitted my name to be considered for appointment to serve out her term. I was selected by the Governor and I was sworn in on the General Assembly’s opening day, January 8, 2020. My selection would not have been possible without the outpouring of support.
Upon entering the State Senate, I was appointed to serve on the Judicial Proceeding Committee (“JPR”), akin to the House’s Judiciary Committee on which I was privileged to serve. JPR acts on legislation relating to constitutional amendments; corporations and associations; correctional facilities and services; criminal and civil laws, penalties, and procedures; family law; human relations; judicial administration and court structure; juvenile justice; law enforcement organizations; the legal profession; legal rights and immunities; public safety; real property, including landlord and tenant laws; trusts and estates; and vehicle laws, including drunk driving.
While I was unable to send the 2020 End of Session letter at the time I generally would, nevertheless I am proud of the work done during the 2020 Session and encourage you to read my full letter about those effort and district highlights by clicking here. I am continually honored by your support. Please stay safe and continue to wear those masks.
2020 End of Session Letter
Newsletters
2020 End of Session Letter
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am continually honored by your support. As you know, Senator Shirley Nathan Pulliam retired after more than two decades of service to the citizens of Maryland. I submitted my name to be considered for appointment to serve out her term. I was selected by the Governor and I was sworn in on the General Assembly’s opening day, January 8, 2020. My selection would not have been possible without the outpouring of support from everyone. Thank you.
March 2020 Newsletter
District Dispatch
Building Coalition on Important Issues
Last month, I joined fellow members of the Maryland Black Caucus in a meeting with Governor Larry Hogan to discuss several issues of significance to District 44 and communities throughout the state. Education, public safety, and transportation are just a few of the topics we broached, but they are all part of a continuing conversation of how the state can work with constituents and elected officials to improve quality of life for all Marylanders.
February 2020 Newsletter
District Dispatch
A Busy Season of Advocacy
The last few weeks have been an exciting period for me, as I began my new work as a member of the state senate, and continue my advocacy for Baltimore City and Baltimore County residents on important issues facing our communities.
January 2020 Newsletter
District Dispatch
Honoring Dr. King
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraged us to challenge society’s ills with a ‘divine dissatisfaction.’ He wrote “Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family is living in a decent sanitary home.”
December 2019 Newsletter
District Dispatch
Hundreds Assemble in Annapolis in Support of Fair Treatment for Maryland’s HBCUs
I was honored to stand with hundreds of students, graduates and supporters of Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities in Annapolis last month to call for a settlement to the state’s decades-long legal fight against correcting the discrimination of its past.
November 2019 Newsletter
District Dispatch
Fifth Annual Expungement Fair A Success
When I was first elected, I expressed a desire to help people to gain employment. One of the ways I have helped to make this a reality was to host expungement clinics. The benefits this clinic can create for people, from expanding employment opportunities and housing options, are very meaningful.
October 2019 Newsletter
District Dispatch
Justice Delayed in Maryland Higher Education
We are a little more than a month out from the beginning of the academic year at many of our two-year and four-year public institutions throughout Maryland. What should be an exciting time for students, parents, and alumni has turned into a parade of headlines showcasing a history of maltreatment and illegal discrimination against our state’s four historically black institutions.