MD Legislature Up to It's Usual 11th Hour Tricks: “At the last minute, the last half-hour, what people didn’t know is they changed that..."

WASHINGTON — After facing years of criticism, the passage of Noah’s Law in 2016 was supposed to show that Maryland lawmakers took drunken driving seriously and were willing to impose stronger sentences.

But now advocates are growing frustrated that the law may not be having the impact it was supposed to thanks to a loophole that allows some people to walk out of court with minimal sentences.

When Gov. Larry Hogan signed The Drunk Driving Reduction Act of 2016, or Noah’s Law, it was widely thought anyone caught driving under the influence would have to get an ignition interlock put on their car, even on the first offense, just like several other states have implemented.

The devices, which come with Noah’s picture on them in Maryland, require you to pass a breathalyzer before you start your car and subsequently again at random times as you drive.

But a key phrase in the way the law was written left open a big loophole.

“The law initially had in it that it was upon arrest that a person would get an interlock,” said Rich Leotta, the father of Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta, whose death at the hands of a drunken driver inspired the law.

“At the last minute, the last half-hour, what people didn’t know is they changed that so it was upon conviction.”..

https://wtop.com/maryland/2018/05/loophole-noahs-law-md-judges-trampling-drunken-driving-act/

Screens and Kids: Through the Looking Glass The MD General Assembly...

Screens and Kids: Through the Looking Glass The MD General Assembly...:

Through the Looking Glass The MD General Assembly and Classroom Screen Safety: 
A study of disturbing nonsense

For student health advocates across the state and across the country, watching the developments surrounding the nation's first classroom digital device safety legislation during the recent Maryland General Assembly was a surreal, Alice in Wonderland kind of experience.

Just the idea that parents would have to take their case to the state legislature, to protect their children from serious harm caused by their teachers and schools is a bizarre concept. Aren't teachers supposed to be caring, nurturing people who protect children? And yet, their silence is deafening, even after learning of the myopia, retinal damage, sleeplessness, muscle pain, eye strain, anxiety, depression and addiction associated with daily use of digital devices in school.

Perhaps they are silenced by a craven shadow government, the Maryland State Department of Education, that consumes the lion's share of any budget, and then arrogantly dismisses the people who pay their salaries, while utterly disregarding the medical needs of the growing children, whom they are paid to serve.

A culture of fear 

Bloated and self-satisfied, state and local school boards and the crony political groups who shape them dole out mandates without a single thought to the health of our kids, and then intimidate any staff member or teacher who doesn't get onboard, according to what teachers say privately. 

http://www.screensandkids.us/2017/04/through-looking-glass-md-general.html?spref=bl

Breaking: Sen Frosh Tells Senate to Reject House Bill to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse by Coaches, Volunteers...

Earlier today Senator Brian Frosh presented Senator Raskin's Bill 460 to the full Maryland Senate and told them to REJECT the House version!

The House version includes part-time teachers under the bill and adds in coaches and volunteers.  The House wants to protect children from as many Persons in Positions of Authority as possible.

Why is Senator Frosh telling the Senate to REJECT maximum protection for children?

Listen for yourself to Senator Frosh (yes, the same one running for Maryland Attorney General).

Here is the audio from this mornings Maryland Senate session where Senator Brian Frosh presents Senator Raskin's Bill 460 and tells the full Senate to reject the House version.

Will the Maryland General Assembly do everything in their power to protect children when they are with teachers, coaches, and volunteers?

On March 26, 2014, the Maryland House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to review bills from the Senate side of the General Assembly.  Included in the bills reviewed was Senator Jamie Raskin's Senate Bill 460 - Criminal Law - Person in Position of Authority.

This hearing also permitted public comment on these bills.  The purpose of the public comment was to speak to the House Committee about the differences between the Senate version and the House version of the bill.     

House Judiciary Committee

Conform SB 460 to HB 781

Criminal Law – Person in Position of Authority – Sexual Offenses with a Minor

March 26, 2014

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on conforming Senate Bill 460 to House Bill 781.

My name is Janis Zink Sartucci and I am a member of the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland.

Is the proposed legislation important to Maryland children? That's the question that is before this Committee.

Since May of 2012 there have been 8 arrests of Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) teachers and staff on charges relating to the sexual abuse of students. One defendant was found not guilty on all counts and two defendants have yet to go to trial. All of the other cases have resulted in guilty verdicts.

And, then there is this September 2012 opinion from an Administrative Law Judge that was released as part of a Maryland State Board of Education Opinion (MD State BOE Opinion 12-34) that stated, "...MCPS continued for fifteen years to employ a teacher who had been found responsible for indicated child abuse."

These are real life cases of sexual offenses by Persons in a Position of Authority. We don't have to imagine what this proposed legislation is about, we have first hand, recent knowledge of incidences where students have been sexually abused by a Person in a Position of Authority. It's not a what if, it's real life.

The question before you today is how much do you want to protect children? Do you want to close loop holes or do you want to leave a few out there for future perpetrators? The House bill provides protection for children from teachers, part-time teachers, coaches, and volunteers. The Senate version of the bill only protects students from teachers. Why is the Senate willing to gamble that children will only be molested by full time and part-time teachers? Let's make the bill do it's job and protect children from all of the Persons in Positions of Authority that they encounter in their daily lives.

The 2014 legislative session is drawing to a close and will be complete before the upcoming trials of Montgomery County Public Schools teacher Lawrence Joynes take place. Mr. Joynes was denied bail and is currently being held in Montgomery County. You all probably haven't read the charging documents in those cases. I have. What is coming are two trials involving this MCPS teacher that have the potential for National media coverage as one of the trials involves the sexual abuse of 6 and 7 year old MCPS students in a MCPS classroom during the school day.

• One trial involves 10 counts of allegations of rape, child abuse and sexual abuse of an Eastern Middle School student over 2 years from 1991 to 1993 by MCPS teacher Lawrence Joynes. Mr. Joynes remained in MCPS classrooms for another 20 years.

• The second trial involves allegations of the creation of pornographic videos using 6 and 7 year old MCPS students in this MCPS teachers' music classroom during the school day. The Internet has created a whole new industry where videos of children can be photoshopped and turned into pornographic videos that are distributed around the world. Not only are our children now vulnerable to sexual abuse by Persons in a Position of Authority, but in addition, they are vulnerable to the manipulation of their photoshopped images that can become images of sexual abuse that are transferred around the world. There are 29 counts in this matter including allegations of child pornography and sex abuse of minors by this MCPS teacher.

These trials are scheduled to take place before the November elections. Will Montgomery County voters, State voters and the Nation see that when the Maryland legislature was in session our Delegates and Senators did everything in their power to provide the utmost protection for children, or will they see that the legislature left Maryland children vulnerable to more loopholes that allow Persons in a Position of Authority to sexually abuse them without the maximum criminal consequences?

Are our children safe when they are in the custody of others? That's the question that will be on parents' minds when the trials of Lawrence Joynes take place. Will the Nation see that Maryland is doing everything possible to protect children from Persons in Positions of Authority?

Sen. Montgomery Tells Parents to Come Back Next Year...Students Can Wait for Protection from Predators

Maryland Senator Karen Montgomery has responded to the Parents' Coalition blog post It's Magic! Senate Committee Amends SB460 Without Introduction of All Amendments

Note that the House passed their version of the Person in a Position of Authority bill after deleting the 7 year gap proposal and leaving in place all other protections for students.  

The Senate not only deleted the 7 year gap proposal but, in addition, many of the protections for students including the prohibition against sexual contact from volunteers and sports coaches.  

Somehow, the House was able to keep the safety of students as their top priority, but the Senate was not. Here is Senator Montgomery's response to the Senate action:

RE: It's Magic! Senate Committee Amends SB460 Without Introduction of All Amendments
From: "Montgomery, Karen Senator" Date: Mon, Mar 17, 2014 12:17 pm
To:  Parents' Coalition
Hello,
I am sorry that there are some differences in opinion on the changes to the bill. However, changing the age gap and adding part-time employees protects children more than they have been previously. If you believe that there should be additional strengths added, please bring them forward next year to the committee.
Sincerely,
Karen S. Montgomery
Senator Karen S. Montgomery
The Senate of Maryland
District 14- Montgomery County
301-858-3625
410-841-3625
James Senate Office Building
11 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD 21401