On March 10, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample testified before the Health Committee in support of HB 1162 – Correctional Services - Medication-Assisted Treatment Funding.  This bill clarifies State procedures and viable funding sources for medication-assisted treatment in local detention centers. It reflects a careful balance to resolve a prolonged and vexing issue and will help the State reach compliance with at least one of several missed obligations within local detention centers. Local detention centers…

On March 10, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample submitted written testimony to the Appropriations Committee in support of HB 852 - Higher Education - Scholarships for Correctional Officers.  This bill expands eligibility for the Maryland Police Officers and Probation Agents Scholarship Program to include correctional officers. County detention centers play a vital role in Maryland’s public safety and justice systems, yet the professionals who work in corrections often have fewer access points to higher education…

On March 5, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample submitted written testimony to the Environment and Transportation Committee in support of HB 1408 - Motor Vehicles - Automated Traffic Enforcement Systems - Impoundment.  This bill authorizes a law enforcement agency to impound a vehicle for which three or more unpaid citations from an automated traffic enforcement system have been issued. Automated traffic enforcement systems have become a widely used tool to promote safer driving and reduce…

On March 3, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample submitted a letter of information to the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee on HB 1317 - State Government - Data-Sharing Agreements and Personal Identifying Information - Prohibition and Reporting (Maryland Data Privacy and Federal Shield Act).  This bill seeks a policy on sharing data with outside individuals who may use it for various types of federal enforcement or tracking. In doing so, it creates a gray area…

On February 25, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample testified before the Judicial Proceedings Committee in opposition to SB 908 - Correctional Services - Restrictive Housing. The bill changes the definition of restrictive housing to be placement in an individual cell for "20 hours or more in a 24-hour period of time." This new definition would shift the threshold from the current 22 hours to 20 hours. While well-intended, this change would impose significant operational, staffing,…

On February 24, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample submitted written testimony to the Judiciary Committee in opposition to HB 32 - Local Law Enforcement Vehicles - Requirements - Automated External Defibrillators.  This bill requires each local law enforcement vehicle to carry an automated external defibrillator (AED) and maintain the functionality and certification of each AED. While counties strongly support timely, high-quality emergency medical response and already coordinate closely across law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical…