Latest news with #JessePippy
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House grants final approval to Second Look Act, sends bill to the Senate
Del. Cheryl Pasteur (D-Baltimore County), left, listens to House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy (R-Frederick) explain why he doesn't support Pasteur's Second Look Act, which passed the House Monday on an 89-49 vote. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) The House voted 89-49 Monday to approve a bill that would let those incarcerated for 20 years or more petition a judge to have their sentences reduced. Passage of the bill, known as the Second Look Act, followed 30 minutes of emotionally charged debate Monday, a continuation of more than two hours of debate Saturday, as House Republicans tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to make a number of violent crimes ineligible for it. House Minority Leader Jesse Pippy (R-Frederick) said Monday that amendments rejected Saturday focused on the 'worst of the worst' of those incarcerated and convicted of crimes, such as murder of children, domestic violence homicides and the killing of police and parole officers. 'I 100% sympathize with the bill's sponsor, who has probably had a lot of time to process, and I can't imagine,' Pippy said, looking toward the bill's sponsor, Del. Cheryl Pasteur (D-Baltimore County), who gave an emotional recounting Saturday of an attempted rape when she was a teenager. 'I've got to stand up for all the other victims,' Pippy said. 'I got to stand up for all the other families who may not be ready for this legislation.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX But Pasteur, a retired educator, said that some of those in prison deserve the second chance at life the bill offers. 'I know that so many of the young people who ended up prison who fall under this bill are not the worst of the worst,' she said. 'My commitment is that long as I draw breath in God's world … I will commit to an organization to support every person … who comes out on Second Look that I will know their names. No one should come out of prison and be alone.' Supporters stressed the bill is not a get-out-jail-free card and apply to about 350 people. Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City), chair of the Judiciary Committee, has said the bill would only apply to people convicted of a crime they committed between the ages of 18 and 25. It would not be available for those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. A victim or a victim's representative would be able to submit an impact statement to the court 'regarding the impact of the crime and the proposed sentence reduction.' The bill was a priority for the Legislative Black Caucus, but at least one of its members, Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles County) said he can't support 'murderers.' He was one of a handful of Democrats who voted against the bill. 'You may sit here and judge me as heartless, unsympathetic, or without compassion. Maybe that's true,' Wilson said on the House floor before he voted against the bill. 'But I dedicated my entire time up here to fighting for victims. I cannot sit here and fight for the rights of murderers when their victims lie rotting away in silence.' Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-Montgomery) said he supported the legislation for those who are innocent of alleged crimes committed. 'I heard no mention of innocent Marylanders who would benefit from this bill,' said Acevero, who cited a few people imprisoned who were later deemed innocent, such as Gary Washington. 'Let's be clear who you're voting against when you don't vote for this bill: It's the innocent.' Now the House bill heads to the Senate, where a hearing was held Jan. 30 on a Senate version of the bill sponsored by Sen. Charles Sydnor III (D-Baltimore County). It has not yet advanced out of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, but the full Senate last year approved the bill, which failed in the House. Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery), chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, said Monday he hasn't seen the final House version passed Monday afternoon, but that, 'It's a priority for me.' 'We'll get a look at it and run it by committee,' he said. 'It'll be a vigorous debate in committee and if it advances out of committee on the [Senate] floor.'
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tensions run high on PDAB expansion vote
Republican Minority Whip Jesse Pippy, right, and Minority Leader Jason Buckel rise with other GOP lawmakers Friday to challenge Majority Leader David Moon, left, after he criticized President Donald Trump and Elon Musk during floor debate. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters) Just days after pointed, but civil, debate on a proposal to expand efforts to control prescription drug costs, the House floor erupted in a partisan shouting match Friday that had to be gaveled back to order by an angry Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County). The uproar came during the final House vote on House Bill 424, a bill that would expand the authority of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. That board was created in 2019 and charged with reducing the cost of prescription medicines purchased by state health plans. Even though it has made slow progress on that front, HB424 would give the board the power to rein in the cost of drugs purchased by any drug provider in the state. Republicans fought the bill all week, pointing to the lack of progress by PDAB on its current goals, saying the regulations would drive pharmaceutical companies out of the state and suggesting that expanding the board's authority could threaten the availability of drugs in Maryland. GOP lawmakers offered a string of unsuccessful amendments Wednesday that they said were aimed at potential unintended consequences of the bill, such as limiting access to prescription drugs and creating market disruptions. Supporters, like Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery), the sponsor of the bill, argued that PDAB will not set price caps, as opponents claim, but would merely establish the the highest price the state — and under HB424, other purchasers — were willing to pay for a drug. It has the potential to lower drug costs for those who need it most, they said. The debates earlier this week, were calm — boring, even. That changed during Friday's debate. House set to approve expansion of drug board's authority to lower costs Republicans renewed many of their criticisms from earlier in the week, including arguments that expanding PDAB could limit access and threaten research and development of new drugs. Several took the opportunity to use HB424 as a proxy for health care regulation in general, and veered into long criticisms of the 2012 Affordable Care Act. Several Democratic lawmakers tried to steer the discussion — which took up more than 40 minutes of Friday's hourlong floor session — back to the bill at hand. By the time Majority Leader David Moon (D-Montgomery) stood to explain his vote, he had heard enough of what he called the 'Bizarro World floor debate' of the Republicans. 'The minority party is claiming to worry about research and development into lifesaving medications. They claim to care about access to health care. This bill is not your problem if those are concerns,' said Moon, who turned the debate into an argument over the rapid-fire cuts to federal agencies by President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is in charge of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency. Moon referenced recent layoffs at federal regulatory agencies such as National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, which are housed in Maryland, and had been cited in some Republican amendments earlier in the week. 'President Musk, and what Vice President Trump are doing – that is your problem,' Moon said. His deliberate mischaracterization of Trump and Musk's dynamic first earned a few chuckles from Democrats, and then a chorus of 'boo's' from Republicans. ''Boo' — Yes, 'boo,'' Moon responded sarcastically. When Del. Lauren Arikan (R-Harford) stood up and interrupted Moon to explain her vote, Moon snapped, 'I'm not done.' That led Arikan to charge Moon had gone over the two-minute time limit to speak. She was joined by a half-dozen other Republicans demanding to make a point of order, to explain their votes or to argue that Moon had exceeded his time, until Jones stepped in to quiet the cacophony of voices. 'I've not recognized anyone else,' Jones shouted over disruption, bringing the gavel down hard three times to stop the frenzy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Let me speak,' Jones demanded. 'His [Moon's] time is up, he's going to sit down.' Moon agreed and sat. She then told everyone to sit back down and 'relax – if you can.' Jones then recognized Arikan, who called the exchange 'painful.' 'I don't know what this bill could possibly have to do with Donald Trump or Elon Musk. This bill is about rigging the market. Conservatives never like that. I am so sorry to offend you with our belief that the free market is the best way to lower the cost of things.' Other than a few snarky remarks about the flare-up itself, the debate went on without any other disruptions and HB424 ultimately passed on a party-line vote, 94-38. It now heads to the Senate, where a companion bill has yet to get a committee hearing. Following the floor session, Moon defended his floor remarks. 'It's just very strange to me, given the totality of everything going on in the world, to be having a conversation about pharmaceutical research and development,' he said, 'specifically talking about the NIH and the FDA in floor debate on Republican amendments, supposedly to improve access to health care and lower prescription drugs — and specifically foster research and development 'The thing that's actually threatening what they claim to care about … is all of the announcements that we've heard from the federal government this week — gutting mass layoffs and the likes at those very agencies,' Moon said. 'It's just a wildly disconnected conversation.' The final word Friday went to Del. Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore City), the majority parliamentarian, who gently reminded House members of the rules of floor debate and the need to keep things cordial — reminders that are becoming a semiregular occurrence. 'Just a couple of refreshers — we only speak when we are acknowledged by the Speaker to do so. Also, when we are rising to explain our vote … the clerks are timing,' she said. 'Also, the Speaker is the keeper of order and quorum in the House. It has been the custom of this chamber to not be overtly political or personal in this chamber. 'That's for everyone in the chamber, no matter what side of the aisle you are on,' she said to a smattering of applause. 'We all have to abide by those rules.'
CBS News
11-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Baltimore County executive plans to intervene in application for controversial electrical grid project
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore County's executive is moving to intervene in the application process and approval for the controversial Piedmont Reliability Project. Kathy Klausmeier said Baltimore County Council will "continue to work with state partners to share serious concerns about this project's impacts and work to protect our county's agricultural legacy and land preservation interests." PSEG Renewable Transmission, a New Jersey-based company, applied for a permit to begin the construction of 70 miles of overhead 500,000-volt powerlines connecting an existing transmission line through parts of Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick counties. The Maryland Public Service Commission says the review process will include public hearings in the counties where the project is set to be constructed, and public comments can be submitted through their website. "PSEG has applied for what is known as a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), which, if granted, authorizes an applicant to construct an energy generating station or high-voltage transmission line in Maryland," the MPSC said Carroll and Frederick counties have also filed petitions against the project. A spokesperson for PSEG said that the project is essential to support Maryland's growing electric needs and that the current electrical system is overloaded. The pushback Residents in the path of the proposed Piedmont Reliability Project argue these transmission lines could have a potential negative impact on the environment and how it may impede personal property. Property owners also fear that the project would cut through family-owned farms. "This issue is of great concern to a significant amount of my constituents," said Maryland Delegate Jesse Pippy, who represents Frederick County. "This project is unnecessary, it severely adversely impacts thousands and thousands of people. It's for the benefit of Virginia, not Maryland. The project itself is going to be paid for by Maryland ratepayers." Last November, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said the project posed several risks to Maryland's habitat and water quality, damaging protected forests, nutrient-rich wetlands, and sources of clean water. "As the state moves towards a greener grid and electrification of appliances and cars, more power will be needed. However, the deforestation and environmental devastation required would contradict many of Maryland's climate change goals," the CBF said in a statement. "It is much more cost-effective to preserve high-quality waterways upfront than to try and restore streams and landscapes after devastation occurs." What's next?
